Catriona Gray is back in the Philippines. Not only did she bring home lots of memories with her family, but also some key learnings as a traveler. The Miss Universe 2018 titleholder wrote down how she reflected on their family trip to London in an Instagram post.
"I have a newfound tension when I step outside, a new anxiousness with my surroundings and belongings," Catriona began in her post. In case you didn't know, the beauty queen was caught in a very unlucky situation during her UK trip with her family in late August 2024.
Catriona earlier shared how their car was robbed in the middle of London. Their passports weren't spared by the thieves. And so, as Catriona is still reeling from the trauma, she now proceeds to share what she has realized from their traumatizing experience as a London tourist.
What Catriona Learned From Her London Experience
Catriona first wrote about how her family's safety is the most important thing when traveling. "Things are just things and things can be replaced. Family and their safety is the most important thing," Catriona declared.
The beauty queen also warned everyone to not trust parking facilities in London, even if it's paid and even if it has a so-called security system in it. In case you really need to park, Catriona also noted to always take your passports and important medications.
Well, it appears that Catriona, who was traveling with her parents Normita Magnayon and Ian Gray, had been troubled by the fact that her father's medications were also stolen during the robbery. In her post, she thanked everyone who offered assistance to their family after the incident. "I'm so so grateful to everyone who reached out to my parents and I to see if we were okay. And to the people who helped my family and I, who helped with the travel arrangements, to sourcing a doctor for my dads important medications and to just giving comfort and help," she wrote.
After everything, the most important lesson that Catriona learned was that, no matter what happened the happy memories they made during that trip are more valuable than any of the things lost. Speaking like a true queen, Catriona proclaimed that she was not letting one unfortunate memory rob her of the fact that they still had an amazing trip together as a family.
She concluded her post with, "At first I felt that the robbery and the stress that ensued blotted out the joy and happy memories from the special homecoming trip of my dad. But I decided I won't let the thieves steal that too." Wise words, indeed!
What happened to Catriona Gray in London?
On August 31, 2024, Catriona took to Instagram Stories the photo of a smashed car window. It was the image of their car when they found it just after getting lunch in London. "Robbed in the middle of London, whilst stopping for lunch on the way to the airport. Our passports and belongings—gone. Traumatized," Catriona wrote in the IG Story.
Catriona was with her family for a supposedly peaceful homecoming trip for her Australian-Scottish father. They visited numerous tourist spots from London, to Fraserburgh, to Edinburgh, and more. Fortunately, the whole Gray fam is safely back in the Philippines.
