Fear is a funny thing, we all feel it, but rarely talk about it. It’s not popular or exciting to say that you are afraid, that you are anxious; instead, we are expected to hold it in, pretend we don’t feel it, put on a smile and tell the world everything’s fine – all while… Read More Anxiety at Sea
My journey with minimalism started the day I began packing for college. As I was extracting myself from my overstuffed walk in closest, flip phone lost amidst the clothes I never wore and macaroni art that six year old me was sure was ready for the Louvre, I came to a shocking realization – I… Read More The Goldfish Dilemma: The Challenge of Minimalism
The heyday of the traditional travel blog is over. The public doesn’t want to commit 10 minutes of their time to read a couple thousand words about the reality of travel anymore; no, they’d rather spend approximately half a second to like an edited photo of an attractive woman’s butt in a pretty place. The… Read More Social Media and Travel Blogging: A Hostile Takeover
A funny thing happened about a week into our trip along the Gibb River Road in the northwest of Australia. After hours of bouncing along dusty, corrugated dirt roads with no air conditioning I would emerge from the car covered in a thick layer of dirt, sweating dripping from my fragrant armpits, set up camp,… Read More To Love Your Body, Embrace Dirt
In middle school I was good friends with a girl who knew what she wanted, let’s call her K. K was smart, gregarious, and confident for a pre-teen trying to figure out the complex social structure of the cesspool that is an American middle school. She was always dreaming of far away places and adventures,… Read More The Privilege of Travel
Hawaii is a chain of volcanic islands far off the west coast of the United States. It is the first choice destination for many American vacationers when they are in need of sun, sand, and more than a few pineapples. It makes sense why this island state is on the short list for many family… Read More A Hawaii Family Vacation, Local Style
If you saw Erika on the street you wouldn’t take much notice. She barely passes 5 feet, her diminutive stature common in the highlands of Guatemala where we met, but do not underestimate this middle-aged Guatemalan woman with red flowers in her hair, she has nunchucks in her purse and she knows how to use… Read More Lessons From My Salsa Teacher
According to Instagram, travel is all tanned, bikini clad women looking happily into the sunset while their perfect partner snaps that single, amazing photo in one shot. This is not reality, at least this is not my reality, nor do I really think it is anyone’s reality (though it is probably more like this hilarious… Read More The Reality of Long Term Travel
Sometime during these last two years on the road I became someone new. I left the United States a nervous, insecure person whose fear of failure eclipsed her desire for adventure and now I find myself sitting in Australia applying for jobs out of my reach, taking the leap into becoming a full-fledged travel blogger,… Read More Finding My Courage on the Road
I am now 2 1/2 weeks into my trip and this will be the first time I’ve sat down to write. Not that this is a problem, after all I’ve been spending my time in proper vacation mode, with long lazy mornings cuddling, afternoons spent exploring, and evenings filled with sunsets, swims, and the occasional… Read More Singapore: A Modern City in the Old World