"They told me I’d be too much for some rooms — so I built my own, filled it with women like me, and made it borderless."
My name is Edem, and I didn’t always know I was powerful. I just knew I was different. The kind of different that made people uncomfortable, that made me question myself, that made me shrink to fit in. Until I chose to stop. I stopped asking for permission. I stopped waiting for safety. I packed a bag, booked a flight, and walked straight into the life I knew I deserved.
But before I left, I gave it all up. I sold everything I could. I gave away what couldn’t be sold; books, clothes, furniture, memories. I didn’t just pack a bag. I released a life. And in doing so, I reclaimed my own.
Why I Chose to Walk Alone
There comes a moment in every woman’s life when silence becomes heavier than solitude. Mine came in the middle of obligation, of expectation, of sacrificing dreams for roles I didn’t choose. I wasn’t always solo by choice sometimes it was survival. But then, I started choosing it. Not out of bitterness, but out of clarity.
Alone was no longer lonely. Alone became free.
I stopped needing validation to know my worth. I stopped waiting to be picked, and started picking myself. And with that decision came a suitcase, a passport, and a promise: I would no longer abandon myself for anyone or anything.
“They told me I’d be too much for some rooms — so I built my own, filled it with women like me, and made it borderless.”
What Travel Taught Me About Power
Every country I’ve visited has been a mirror. Some showed me how small I was making myself. Others reminded me how deeply connected I am to the world.
In Israel, I learned resilience; how to hold space for faith and conflict. In Kenya, I learned rhythm; how culture lives in movement and sound. In Canada, I learned solitude; how silence can heal. In Tanzania, I learned warmth; how strangers become family in a heartbeat. In South Africa, I learned complexity — how beauty and struggle often dance together.
In the Netherlands and Germany, I learned to trust the process. In France and Belgium, I embraced slow living; sipping, strolling, soaking in the moment. In Uganda and Ethiopia, I remembered the strength of my ancestry. In the USA and Great Britain, I learned to stand tall in spaces that weren’t designed for me. And in Zanzibar, I found magic; that quiet, sun-drenched kind of magic that whispers: you made it.
Travel isn’t about escape. It’s about expansion. When you’re alone in a strange place, your senses come alive. You become resourceful, alert, and brave. And in that discomfort, you become unapologetically you.
The Rebirth: Becoming Unstoppable
The more I travelled, the more I remembered who I was before fear tried to tame me. I realized I wasn’t just surviving anymore. I was curating. Curating joy. Curating peace. Curating abundance. And from that, "Suitcases and Butterflies" was born.
It’s more than a travel brand. It’s a movement. It’s for women who are done waiting. Done shrinking. Women who want to explore the world and themselves. Who want luxury and purpose, freedom and sisterhood.
I became the woman I needed when I was younger. And now, I help others do the same.
Navigating the World on Your Terms
To be unstoppable doesn’t mean you’re never afraid. It means you move anyway. It means you choose your voice over their rules. Your truth over tradition. Your joy over their expectations.
Create a life that feels good on the inside, not just the outside. Build wealth your way. Say yes to pleasure. Say no to roles that choke your power. Go where your spirit feels seen.
You don’t need permission. You need purpose. And baby girl, you already have it.
The next stamp in your passport might just be the first step toward your freedom. Don’t wait for company. Pack your bag, claim your joy, and go.
The world is already waiting for you.
Want to join the movement? Follow @SuitcasesAndButterflies and start your solo journey today.