What a Tea Trip Taught Me About Making Memories

I thought I was traveling for tea — but what stayed with me most were the memories made along the way.

My intrepid travel buddy, Monica, and I planned an October trip to the western part of Virginia for months — researching tea houses, fall events, and mapping out a route to make the most of just four days. It was our very first trip built entirely around tea — a true Tea Tour Trip — and we set out on a gorgeous fall morning excited to see what we’d discover.

As the trip unfolded, I realized something important. No matter the tea house, the tea was — for the most part — delicious, and the food was always good. What mattered most to me wasn’t the menu, but the memories I was making with Monica. It was the warmth and hospitality, the conversations shared, and the stories swapped that made each experience special in its own way.

I’ll always remember forgetting to remove the tea infuser from my cup and ending up with tea leaves everywhere — more than once, I’m embarrassed to admit. I remember drinking hot chocolate and eating warm apple cider donuts on top of Mount Edward, and Monica hunting for the perfect Christmas ornament to capture our trip. These moments live not only in my photo albums, but in the way we still laugh about them months later.

Driving through the mountains of western Virginia, discovering small towns full of shops, laughing and talking nonstop — that’s what I’ll carry with me from our first tea tour trip, and what I hope to repeat again someday.