Naturally, we didn’t think it would be more than a summer fling. Nick and I were from different countries, different worlds, different communities, and different backgrounds after all. It would never work longterm. When I met Nick while we were working in Yosemite, I was infatuated with him. Seems like my years of maintaining unrealistically …
Socially responsible and sustainable travel is imperative to making the world a more equitable, culturally accepting, and better place. A few small actions go a long way. For the past 10 years, I’ve explored and questioned the identity of the tourist through collegiate studies, living and studying abroad in various capacities, literature, film, media, and …
Cats and dogs have long lives – upwards of 12 years to be exact. If someone asked me if I wanted to live in the same country, city, or proximate area for 12 years it would be impossible to know at this stage. For many travelers, getting a pet is out of the question. It’s …
After having met a number of people with international relationships, like myself and Nick, it has been interesting to reflect on the ways we’ve had to shape-shift in different places that we’ve visited or lived together. Meeting Up in Unfamiliar Locales in an International Relationship Edinburgh: Lost and Together in a Foreign City Seeking Normality …
Moving to a new place, we’ve all done it. It’s so relatable to pinpoint an experience where something or somewhere isn’t what it seems. Half of the fun of travel is the aspect of not knowing. As mentioned in one of my previous posts, I recently got on another plane to another new place to …
I have been based in New Zealand for two years. Now I am transitioning back to the US. I thought I would share some of my funniest culture shock moments. Culture shock. I know things are different abroad and people become accustomed to a certain way of life when living somewhere. I would like to …
“Returning Home from Abroad: Tears and a Big Reunion” is part of a month-long series I am doing on my readjustment into the US after living in New Zealand for 2 years during Covid-19. I had a pretty big weekend. I moved continents and countries. I left New Zealand and went long-distance with my boyfriend …
This article is part of my new series, Travel Misadventures, which features anecdotes about when travel doesn’t go as planned. The Brick House by the Freeway When I arrived in Boston for my romantic weekend, the neighborhood around my hostel was not a tourist area to say the least. Okay that’s alright, just have an …
Thursday, 3:00 pm We arrived in Queenstown absolutely exhausted and nursing “travel hangovers,” as a girl from our hostel called them. Our heads were booming and we felt so demoralized after leaving Auckland. It felt somewhat hard to remain hopeful after our strange homestay experience, which happened exactly one week ago. So much can happen …
When I left the shores of the United Kingdom to travel to the other side of the world and settle in New Zealand, I will admit that I was petrified. I had never been to the country before and my only knowledge was information that I found online and from bloggers’ YouTube videos. If you …