An Introduction!
I’ll admit, I enjoy scrolling through Instagram, flipping through books or brochures, and awing at the breathtaking majesty of travel just as much as the next person. Seriously, what’s not to love about overwater bungalows and picture-perfect sunsets? The ease of connectivity in our digital age has done wonders for all adventurers that get an adrenaline high off embracing new experiences and cultures. A couple of hashtags are the only thing that separate us from finding the best hotels, activities, and destinations. Needless to say, the travel influencer community is alive and well.
As an admitted travel addict and general lover of language and storytelling, my mom has been on me for years about starting my own travel blog. The banter typically goes something like her saying, “You need a creative outlet!” followed by me arguing three main points:
1) Fear. Even if the travel community is full of down-to-earth people, I can’t help but feel an inherent vanity in the act of creating and sharing content about my life experiences. I’ve never wanted to deal with the internal struggle of outwardly not caring if people like my stuff and secretly wanting their approval.
2) Time. Blogging is demanding work requiring a significant time commitment because you constantly have to post new content and keep up with trends. In my case, I have a full-time job which keeps me rather occupied.
3) Charisma. The mysterious force that makes people like you… for all my sarcastic charm and colorful personality, I can’t say I have that. In my experience, the personal descriptors that I hear most frequently are more along the lines of “intense” and “quiet”.
All that being said, the older I get, the less I care about any of it and the more I want to share my story. What’s my story? Thanks for reading this far to find out!
I’ll sum it up quick for you. Travel is the best way to learn more about the world and about yourself. It opens eyes, exercises the senses, and has given me far more than I could ever describe. It is remarkable and enriching, and you already know that because you’ve done the research, seen the photos, and by the grace of Google found yourself to this niche blog. But, what you may not know is that sometimes, many times, the best parts are in the inevitable chaos that comes with exploring the edge of your comfort zone.
Sometimes, the story isn’t sunshine and rainbows, it’s a torrential downpour, and it’s freezing. But, you paid a ton of money to fly to Australia and hike the rainforest so you are going to swim in the darn waterfall anyway. Sometimes, you have to use all your willpower, to slide in and tread across the pool (perhaps cussing along the way), only to be accompanied by a baby Platypus that emerges from the murky water right next to you. With one small, awe-inspiring moment, the shivers can dissipate and it becomes easy to forget that the bus smells like wet sheep. Sometimes, it may not be picture perfect. But, you still get to swim with a Platypus. Sound like an oddly specific example? That’s because it’s a true story, and there are so many more like them.
Whether it’s swimming with a Platypus or it’s seeing a grown hippo strutting the savannah because your safari vehicle broke and you are accidentally in the Serengeti after hours, for every good memory you create, there is often a story to make it all the more special.
In my experience, travel is about learning to roll with it and not forgetting to smile along the way. The internet has enough perfect photos to feast your eyes on. I’m here to hopefully inspire you to find the adventure you never knew you wanted. I can’t promise you that I’ll be up-to-date on trends or that I’ll be able to compete with the creators that do this for a living. However, I can promise you that if you are waiting for the perfect moment to travel, you are only fooling yourself, because the allure is in the imperfection. The quicker you come to terms with that reality, the sooner you can start cultivating memories on the move.
Can't wait to see what you have to share, Felicia!
(I LOVE "by the grace of Google"... 😎👍)