What did I know about Haiti before I decided to visit? Nothing, to be completely honest. I was of course aware of the unrest and chaos typically associated with the country and also remember reading a paragraph or so about the Haitian Revolution during World History in undergrad a few years back. But that's not saying much - I don't believe knowing the cliff notes and stereotypes of a place translates to any real knowledge of it. After meeting Vanessa, a Haitian American whose love for her home country would become contagious, my ignorance quickly turned into curiosity.
Read MoreTRAVELING SOUTH AMERICA SOLO BY JENNIFER EMERLING
I'm a visual storyteller based in Los Angeles, specializing in travel and editorial photography. Because I travel for the connection from my soul to the earth to the people, I am always seeking to capture and understand the identity of the region I’m visiting in hopes to become a more well-rounded storyteller, and person. Traveling allows me the opportunity to leave my comfort zone and expand my worldview -- it humbles me, challenges me, exhilarates me, surprises me, and evolves my artistic spirit. his trip marks my third journey to the continent and was planned around having three key experiences: traversing the Altiplano lakes & high elevation geysers in the Atacama Desert in Chile (the world's driest desert), seeing the Salar De Uyuni in Bolivia covered with water (which turns it into a mirror), and exploring Machu Picchu in Peru on my 30th birthday.
Read MoreSOUTHERN AFRICAN LANDSCAPES BY MAT HAUSER
I'm Mat and I live and work in the UK, though I am originally from Germany with both German and Nigerian roots. My big passion is travel photography, which has led me to some of the most scenic places in the world. My interest to visit southern Africa was sparked primarily through its landscapes - no other continent is equally blessed with natural wonders and cultural diversity than the African Motherland. As a result, I decided to travel from the southern west coast in Namibia to the southern east coast in Mozambique, with a stopover at Zambia’s Victoria Falls.
Read MoreBANGLADESH BY KEVIN PERRY
As part of our Frequent Flyer series, we post follow up stories from previously spotlighted travelers. Kevin is an avid culture traveler that generally enjoys exploring regions with a significant contrast to his own. In his previous post, he shared about his time exploring several different African nations, as is now back to share his experiences exploring Bangladesh, attending the annual Bishwa Itjema festival in Dhaka, and being blown away by the unwavering hospitality of all those he encountered.
Read More
HIKING NEW ZEALAND WITH DAN SADGROVE
As part of our Frequent Flyer series, we post follow up stories from previously spotlighted travelers. Dan is a visual researcher working in film and television who considers himself a slow traveler (he’s been on the road for over 18 months now). In his previous post, Dan shared about his time exploring Sierra Leone, though the extensive list of countries he’s visited range from Tanzania, Malaysia, The States, Jordan, Indonesia, and everything in between. Today he shares about his experiences being a tourist in his home country of New Zealand and the importance of appreciating nature’s endless beauty.
This trip was no homecoming - I treated this visit like a tourist would so I moved down to Wanaka, a little lake side town near Queenstown in the South Island and went from there. Wanaka is a more local, less touristy destination than Queenstown - which is famous for being the adventure capital of the world.
Read More