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For Shalece Stevens, the world started to feel a lot bigger the first time she used her flight privileges.
What began as a simple trip home to visit her father for his birthday quickly turned into something more: a growing list of destinations, unforgettable moments and a love of travel that has carried her across the United States and far beyond it.
Since that first flight in 2011, Shalece has traveled to places like Paris, Aruba, Jamaica, Saint Thomas and Hawaii. Along the way, flight privileges became more than a perk. They became a gateway to experiences she might never have imagined.
“It’s like an adventure,” she says. “You never know exactly how the trip will unfold.”
In those early years, standby travel often felt unpredictable. Sometimes she would get on the first flight out. Other times the journey meant waiting, rerouting through another city or adjusting plans along the way. For Shalece, that uncertainty quickly became part of the appeal.
“It was thrilling,” she says. “You’d think, are we going to get on this flight or not?”
As the years passed, those flights turned into a growing collection of experiences. Some trips were spontaneous getaways with coworkers and friends, squeezing a few days of exploration into a long weekend. Others became more meaningful journeys — the kind that stay with you long after returning home.
Moments That Stay With You
Paris remains one of the most unforgettable.
Landing there felt surreal. Walking through the Louvre, visiting historic landmarks and sitting at cafés soaking in the atmosphere created the kind of moments that feel almost dreamlike.
“I remember thinking, how am I here?” she says. “It was just beautiful.”
At one point during the trip, she dropped and broke her phone, the kind of mishap that would normally ruin a day. Instead, she found herself laughing.
“In America, I probably would have been upset,” she says. “But in that moment, I just thought, I’m in Paris.”
That perspective is something travel has given her again and again: the chance to step into an entirely different place and see life through a new lens.
“It’s mind-blowing,” she says. “You leave one place and suddenly you’re in a completely different world.”
Other destinations have left their own mark.
In Saint Thomas, she remembers the warmth of the people just as much as the beauty of the island. During a short three-day trip, she and a friend packed in beach visits, boat rides and exploring the downtown area, fitting what felt like a week of experiences into just a few days.
Aruba quickly became another favorite. The island’s beaches, boat excursions and local restaurants made the trip unforgettable. One moment that stands out is visiting Flamingo Beach, where she had the chance to hold one of the island’s famous pink flamingos.
“A picture doesn’t even capture it,” she says. “You just have to experience it.”
In Jamaica, the experience was as much about culture as scenery. Visiting the Bob Marley house offered a deeper understanding of the musician’s life and influence, while bamboo rafting along the river created a slower, more personal connection with the island and its stories.
For Shalece, learning about people, culture and everyday life in other places is what makes travel meaningful.
“To me, traveling is about seeing different ways of life,” she says. “You gain a different respect for people and cultures.”
A Perk That Changed Her Perspective
Over time, flight privileges have also helped her stay connected to family, making it easier to return home when loved ones needed her. The balance between meaningful travel and meaningful connections is part of what has kept the perk so valuable throughout the years.
After more than a decade of traveling this way, the curiosity that started with that first trip is still there. The destinations may change, but the excitement of discovering somewhere new remains the same.
“There are still so many places I want to see,” she says.
And sometimes, the next adventure begins with something as simple as an open seat on a flight.
