I’m Parker Hilton, a photographer from the lovely little nook of Sea Bright, New Jersey. At this very moment, I’m in Salinas, Ecuador finishing up a six-month drive from Montana to South America as part of a project called Vanajeros. When on the road, I wrote and photographed along with three of my closest friends. When you factor in all the planning and prep work, that project has been my job for the last year. Travel had always been something that seemed unattainable when I was in college. I never studied abroad or got too far out there because it seemed expensive and—scary. But eventually that fear evolved into curiosity in a pretty organic way. When I graduated in 2012, I started using my camera as a tool to move and to help continue moving: I could document my experiences, but also gain an “in” to otherwise inaccessible experiences. Using a camera respectfully has the power to open certain doors that let you speak with locals and hear their stories. I love that. Back in school, one of my professors and I were talking about traveling with a camera, and he told me to (A) not be stupid and (B) make respect a priority. Traveling with a camera can be a really amazing experience if you respect the people you’re photographing. Learning how to ask for a photo and say “thank you” in their language can go a long way, and Simeulue was no different.