5.18.21 // unedited travel

Travel.
.
Let me start by saying, I am not a professional traveler, travel blogger, or even a "good” traveler by any means. But I am a traveler in the sense that I do it and hope to continue having experiences that take me around this big beautiful globe.
.
However, I want to give you a glimpse into just one of my travel experiences.
.
This photo is unedited.
.
It was taken after spending the night on a red-eye flight followed by a long early morning layover in Ethiopia, and then two more flights.
.
First was the leg from Rome to Ethiopia, after which I proceeded to sleep for two hours on a light blue airport bench that was discolored from years of dirt and grim. I truly couldn't keep my eyes open and as Taylor wandered off to check in on the status of a few things, I drifted asleep amongst the crowds of mostly Ethiopian men trying to sleep before flights.
.
The next leg was from Ethiopia to Dar es Salaam, a flight that was mostly a blur through the thickness of sleep deprivation.
.
Then came the quick puddle-hopping plane to Zanzibar island and a taxi to our hotel.
.
Through my blurred eyes, I was hit with a wall of humidity and smells both beautiful and terrible all in the same breath. Unfamiliarity spread through me like the heat that rose around me. Riddled with doubt. I didn't pack the best clothes to maintain coverage of my knees and shoulders, I was scared of the warnings the travel doctor gave me, and I was worried that I wouldn't be respectful enough, knowledgeable enough.
.
I had arrived, but my mind was somewhere else entirely.
.
That is the truth of travel, it can truly push your body and mind.
.
And while media has made travel seem so glorious with expectations of easy adjustment and endless curiosity, the reality isn't as edited as the photos we see scattered across the internet.
.
In this photo, for example, I'm smiling but my eyes give me away. I am exhausted, overwhelmed, and fearful of the unknown.
.
Travel is not easy. But it is beautiful.
.
Enjoy beautiful photos of travel, remember that there are stories, nights spent on benches, and fears of the unknowns that are hidden beyond them.