Why I Travel to Paris Every Year After Thanksgiving

Every year, right after Thanksgiving, while most people are diving into leftovers and holiday sales, I’m packing my bags and heading straight to Paris. It’s become my own little tradition — my annual reset, recharge, and reminder of why Black women, especially Black women entrepreneurs, deserve to treat ourselves unapologetically.

If I’m being honest? I don’t always have the amount of money I wish I had to take these trips. But I go anyway. I budget, I plan, I save, and I choose experiences over perfection every time. Running a business, carrying grief, pouring into others, and navigating life as a Black woman can be heavy so when I make it to Paris, I commit to pouring back into me. And Paris? She always understands the assignment.

Paris Is My Post-Holiday Exhale
Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season are an emotional time for me. Traveling to Paris right after gives me something to look forward to  something soft, luxurious, freeing. It’s my reminder that joy is still accessible, that I can hold grief in one hand and pleasure in the other.
The moment that plane touches down at CDG, the air feels different. The energy is different. It’s like the whole city invites me to slow down, breathe deeper, walk lighter, and step into a version of myself that I don’t always have space for back home.

The Outlets Are Calling My Name
Let’s be real, part of this annual trip is absolutely the shopping.
First stop: La Vallée Village, aka “Paris Outlet Mall Heaven.” Discounted luxury? I’m there. Every year.

At this point the associates probably feel like they know me because when I tell you I beeline for the designer steals? I do not play. It’s the perfect mix of “I deserve nice things” and “we love a good sale.” And listen, the deals hit very differently in Europe.

Galeries Lafayette — A Black Girl Luxury Playground
Next stop on my agenda is Galeries Lafayette, one of the most beautiful department stores in the world. The dome alone is worth the visit. But the real magic? Wandering through all the brands, touching fabrics, playing in beauty, spraying fragrances, and being fully present in my soft life era.
As a beauty editor and a travel girlie, this place feeds both sides of me. I get inspired. I get ideas. I get content.
A Pilgrimage to Chanel’s First Store
A must-do every year: 31 Rue Cambon, the original Chanel boutique. As a fashion lover, as a Black woman walking confidently in rooms my ancestors weren’t always welcomed in, and as an entrepreneur building something of my own standing in that iconic space hits differently.
It’s not just a store. It’s history. It’s legacy. It’s a reminder that women create empires and I’m building mine too.

Hunting for Vintage — Especially Fur
Another tradition? Vintage shopping. Paris is a treasure chest for one-of-a-kind finds, especially when you're on the hunt for furs, classic coats, handbags, and pieces with a story behind them. There’s something magical about finding an item that’s been loved, cherished, and preserved and knowing you get to give it a new chapter.

Why I Keep Going Back
I return to Paris every year for the fashion, the food, the beauty… but also for my sanity. When you’re a Black woman entrepreneur, you carry dreams, responsibilities, expectations, and pressure that many will never understand.
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So giving myself this trip even when the budget isn’t perfect, even when life is lifing — is my way of saying: “Morgan, you deserve joy. You deserve rest. You deserve luxury. You deserve ease.” And if no one else reminds me? Paris will.

If you need me, I’ll be somewhere between a croissant, a vintage fur rack, and the Chanel staircase — living, healing, sparkling, and choosing myself, year after year.