Personal photography projects from my travels - backpacking around the world, many times solo, has been a huge passion of mine over the last decade. Two of my most valued skills, adaptability and open-mindedness, have been learned and honed along the way. Visually capturing my trips (and my current hometown, as well!) is my favorite creative outlet outside of my 9-5 life.
Nothing really sounds much better to me than a week on a boat without wifi or cell service (or having to wear shoes).
I first read about the San Blas island trip online in 2013, and when I went to Colombia in 2016 and heard first-hand stories I knew I wanted to do it myself. A year later, after a break up and no one else’s destination opinions to accommodate, I booked it.
San Blas held up to my (very high) expectations and I seriously considering accepting the job offer the boat owner jokingly mentioned to me. Although it’s essentially camping (I shared a bed and didn’t shower the whole time), the coconuts + stargazing + uninhibited islands (and no one to bother you on your phone) are v worth it.
Good wine, great food, beautiful architecture, nice weather, relatively cheap… Portugal was a dream. Don’t miss the Museo Azulejo (Tile Museum) in Lisbon.
Traveling for six months straight makes you a little bit jaded - they call it “temple fatigue” when sightseeing becomes boring. But when I got to Borneo, after a few days in the hyper-advanced city of Singapore, I was tourist revived. Orangutans 2 feet in front of your face, proboscis monkeys all over the place, and a jungle campsite with a brown river straight out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was 100% a cure for feeling apathetic about traveling. As if that wasn’t cool enough, I ended the the trip with diving near Sipadan, off the coast, with some of the best visibility I’ve ever experienced.
Most of my trips come from randomly choosing a week that works with my crowded work calendar and then picking the destination with the cheapest flight. But occasionally I put a little bit more effort in planning, and my first time on the African continent was one such time.
My best friend from college is an angel and did the Peace Corps, so I took it upon myself to deliver some American snacks (aka copious amounts of Cheese Its) in person. In exchange for the snacks I had one of the most unique travel experiences of my life: staying in a hut in a village in rural Senegal without electricity or running water. While I’m very glad I never have to ride in bush taxi again anytime soon (see here for a very accurate description of what riding in one is like), the stories I have from this trip are some of the most wild I think I’ll ever acquire (ranging from partying with Senegal’s most notorious soccer player to grocery shopping in eastern Senegal).
Sometimes it’s -10 degrees in New York and all you want is to be able to wear shorts and flip flops and walk outside without wanting to die. One such weekend I spontaneously booked a trip to the Caribbean for three weeks later. A long weekend of turquoise water, rum punch, and zero puffer coats was v necessary for surviving my first winter outside of California.
Cheap flights to Europe are abundant from New York, and luckily for me, cheap flights from Europe to other nearby destinations are also abundant. So when I booked a $400 RT flight to Barcelona, adding on a $60 Ryanair flight to Morocco made me even happier.
My first time in an Arabic-speaking country was a little bit disorienting at first, and the maze of Fez medina didn’t make it easier. But the insane tilework, architecture, and sheer visual integrity of the world’s largest remaining medina is incredibly worth any confusion. The tagines and mint tea don’t hurt either.
Visiting Southeast Asia can be an assault on the senses - the hectic streets can honestly be exhausting. Laos is not quite like that. After walking down the street for the first time and spotting tuk tuk drivers napping in their seats instead of hustling us for cash, I knew I was in for a more relaxing week.
My favorite vacation includes warm weather, the ocean, abundant hammocks, and cheap beer. Nicaragua was perfect.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder… I lived in California for nineteen years, and now that I live on the East Coast, I think California is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I mostly miss the ocean, and visiting Big Sur, but also the avocados and breakfast burritos and produce </3