Right before the New Year, five education professionals from four different cities met in New Orleans for four days of fun and new experiences. Five people showed up as strangers but left the Big Easy as friends. Read about our trip below….
Day 1:
We kicked off the first day toasting with sangrias and listening to Caribbean music at the Sheraton Hotel on Canal St. before we ventured out to Magazine Street to grab brunch at The Ruby Slipper! Here is where our bond truly began to form as we shared zodiac signs, laughed at silly jokes, and crafted a pretty boomerang of us toasting to mimosas. Once we left the Ruby Slipper, we decided it was best to grab daiquiris, in true New Orleans fashion, and craft well-spoken messages to our exes (insider).
With such a fun and packed day, we headed back to our hotel and danced some more before we walked down Bourbon Street where we stopped to dance merengue and eat on our journey to Frenchmen Street. We finally made it to the Blue Nile, which we mistook for a jazz club, but turned out to be soca party! What was supposed to be a calm first night, turned into a long night of laughing, dancing, dutty whining, and bonding.
Day 2:
With our bond solidified, we were ready to take on new adventures. The group woke up early and headed to the West Bank for our Swamp Tour. We had a lively and entertaining driver who shared fun facts about New Orleans and recommended foods to eat and things to drink! Once we arrived at the swamp, we stopped and struck a few poses before we got on our boat. While on the boat, we passed around an alligator skull and BOOM out pops a restless baby alligator for us to hold.
We ventured back to our hotel to freshen up and get fancy for our Steamboat Dinner. Unfortunately, a thick fog rolled in like the Pirates of the Caribbean and none of us wanted to be taken, so we opted for a nice dinner where we “cheers” to wine and served major America’s Next Top Model looks at the dinner table. Even with such a long day, we still journeyed to Bourbon street where we danced our way into Day 3.
Day 3:
With such a packed itinerary the day before, we opted for a later start and grabbed a late brunch. Here is where we had the BEST gumbo (inserts drool emoji) of the entire trip. We laughed some more and then went to Studio Be.
Studio Be represented authentic black culture with amazing, vibrant, and colorful art pieces that were beautifully created and curated. From here some opted to attend a Pelicans game where they became the stars of the show! I heard they were more entertaining than the players.
From here we went to Bourbon Street and had the infamous hand grenade, no one dared to ask what was in it.
Day 4:
Since Day 4 was our last day as a group and honestly some were slumped, we needed to have one last bonding experience. We had a Crawfish Boil in our hotel and two New Orleans educators came out to join us. We laughed about our trip and ate food at a spice level not everyone could handle (oops sorry Brooklyn).
Then we headed to our New Orleans Ghost Tour. We walked around downtown, listened to "ghost" stories that were scary to some and funny to others, and stopped to take pictures to capture the New Orleans esthetic. Our tour led us to our final stop where we wrapped up our trip, the one and only Cafe Du Monde. We had beignets and sipped on hot chocolate.
On the last day, we said our goodbyes, vowed to keep in touch and headed back to the airport. Honestly, this was probably the best trip I’ve ever been on. I was so anxious to pull off our very first trip, but I was grateful four people took a chance on Black Teachers Travel and were truly invested in having a great time and even better energy. Our trip confirmed the positive impact of group travel. You get to meet new people and bond over shared experiences. So why travel alone if you could travel with Black Teachers Travel?
It is not too late! You can travel with Black Teachers Travel to Puerto Rico from April 8th - April 12th! Deposits are due TOMORROW! Check out our package below.
