For Mother’s Day, my girlfriends and I traveled to St. Thomas for a girls trip, and y’all… this was my first trip away from my baby for more than one day.
And let me tell you now — I was not okay leading up to it.
I prepared like I was leaving for a year-long expedition. I made sure my husband had everything he could possibly need to take care of our daughter for five whole days alone. Extra outfits? Packed. Medicine? Labeled. Bedtime routine? Written out like a corporate SOP.
But no amount of preparation could calm my anxiety.
The week before the trip, I cried constantly. I went back and forth debating if I should even go anymore. The night before the flight? More tears, obviously. Anxiety had me in an absolute chokehold.
My husband kept reassuring me:
“You deserve this trip. We got this.”
Now to be fair, Brandon had stayed with Brooklyn before. Since she was about three months old, he’s been home with her twice a week while I work in-office. So he already knew her routine.
But this time was different.
This was four full consecutive days of solo parenting.
And let me just say this publicly:
That man absolutely knocked it out of the park.
He took her to a baseball game, brought her on walks, kept her entertained, and somehow nailed bedtime every single night. Not one emergency phone call. Not one “please come home early” text.
Watching him confidently care for our daughter reminded me that motherhood does not mean carrying everything alone.
And honestly? I needed that reminder.
Now… Let’s Talk About St. Thomas
First of all: absolutely beautiful.
The water is that unreal shade of blue that almost doesn’t look real in pictures. The beaches are warm, peaceful, and postcard-worthy. Everywhere you turn feels cinematic.
But nobody warned me that driving in St. Thomas would feel like participating in a real-life survival game.
The island is full of steep hills, tiny winding roads, and sharp turns where your rental car barely fits. One wrong move and it genuinely feels like you could roll straight down a mountain. Every drive became a mix of “wow this view is stunning” and “Lord please get me safely to this destination.”
And the sand fleas?
Oh, they had a feast.
My skin was completely torn up by bites the entire trip. The itching was unreal.
Still, despite all of that, the people were incredibly kind and welcoming. Everywhere we went, locals were willing to help, give directions, recommend beaches, or just chat with us. That warmth really stayed with me.
The Food… Let’s Discuss It
I had very high expectations for the food.
As someone from the islands, I was expecting bold Caribbean flavors, spice, seasoning, and meals that made you pause after the first bite.
But honestly?
Most of the food was just… okay.
A lot of restaurants felt like watered-down Jamaican food without enough seasoning. I know many people living in St. Thomas are from neighboring Caribbean islands, so you can definitely see those influences in the cuisine.
I did try fungi and a beef pâté — both were delicious.
But outside of that, many of the tourist restaurants were overpriced and underwhelming. I’m talking about paying $7 for one very average taco with cheddar cheese on a flour tortilla. Nothing life-changing whatsoever.
The beaches definitely carried the trip in the food department.
Final Thoughts
Would I go back?
No.
But the experience reminded me that I’m still allowed to exist outside of motherhood too.
This trip challenged me emotionally before it even started. But once I got there, I laughed, rested, danced, explored, and for the first time in a long time, I got to just be Robyn again.
