We are Mahdi & Lanaiza. Together we make Manaiza, which kinda sounds like a tropical paradise somewhere far away. That’s exactly where we want to be at all times, so it’s fitting. Our hometown is New Orleans, LA, but home is really wherever we are together!
How We Met:
We met working in corporate America doing sales for a big travel company, (how ironic!) Mahdi asked La “Why don’t you ever smile in the mornings?” (The RBF is REAL) La began making it a point to be overly excited when she saw Mahdi (sarcastically, per usual.) somehow we became really good friends. We would hang out all the time, & take lunch breaks together at work. After a couple of months, we finally admitted our romantic interest in one another. Funny thing is, people knew we were a couple before WE knew we were a couple! We were definitely not expecting it, and still laugh at how our relationship transpired. But here we are, 2 years later, traveling the world & starting our travel blog together!
Why a Blog?
Because for years, our job was to teach people the importance of traveling, making memories, and investing time within their families. We were really good at our jobs because we enjoyed making people’s dreams of traveling come true. But, something was missing – our happiness. We would excite people about trips to places that WE had never even been. We believed in the power of traveling, though we never had the opportunity to do so ourselves. After not practicing what we preached every day, we finally decided to take our first vacation together to Puerto Rico. That trip confirmed every feeling, every word we had ever spoken about vacations. It was love at first flight.
This blog is our way to continue motivating, and inspiring every person we meet to go on vacations, and make memories together. Knowing many people that have never given thought to leaving their home towns, we are determined to show you how much the world has to offer, and that it is 100% within your reach if you really want it.
As young, black individuals, we are committed to creating a lifestyle that we once thought could only be dreamed of. We decided there’s more to life than the 9-5, (that doesn’t really care about you, let’s face it) & chose to take our lives into our own hands. It has not been an easy road. There have been loads of tears, doubts, and overall fear of failure, but our love for each other, and passion for travel outweigh any obstacle we face. Over everything, we hope that this blog inspires you to get out and live, LAFF, & love while you still can.
To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people only exist, that is all.”
Oscar wilde
