Deesha Dyer is one of the most brilliant, joyous and inspiring people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. Her story about a long-awaited trip to New Zealand is one of those narratives that fills you up, lifts you up and makes you think.
When Deesha was in 7th grade, she came across a photo in her science textbook. Her mind was blown: an otherworldly image of colorful wildflowers stretching out as far as the eye could see and curving up a hill. The caption read: "New Zealand." Though it seemed too far away and out of reach, she never forgot about it.
“I was a kid from Philadelphia. I went to a boarding school for children from difficult backgrounds. Traveling to me was going to the Jersey Shore or to visit family in Queens, New York,” Deesha tells me.
Spoiler alert: she made it to New Zealand (with her new husband) earlier this year.
Before that, Deesha served in the Obama White House, co-founded beGirl.world Global Scholars, an organization focused on diversifying study abroad and travel by uplifting, educating and equipping Black teen girls to be global citizens (Lonely Planet has partnered with beGirl.world to amplify its mission). Now she runs her own social impact firm and has just written her first book.
Deesha’s story is about possibility. It’s about why travel is and should be for EVERYONE, not just the privileged few.
This is why we’re championing first person essays (like retracing family history in the Caribbean and solo camping in the Canadian wilderness): to shine a light on the personal travel experiences that define and change us, almost always for the better.
— Brekke Fletcher, Senior Director
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