Traveling after 2020

I’ve been thinking about this a lot.

I have moments as of late where I deeply miss the ease with which I’d fall into stride with the culture of different countries.

I miss traveling.

Visiting places that felt all at once like a completely different world, yet a type of home at the same time? Taking in routines of the people around me that seemed foreign, but making eye contact and smiling with them just to realize we are mostly the same. It’s a rejuvenating feeling.

It’s always been a privilege that I’ve been able to hold these experiences, and appreciate these cultures. I’ve captured less than half of my travels on camera, but I don’t forget any of them. They’ve all imprinted some form of change on me, leading me to be the person I am today. And every country I visit from this point on will continue to do the same.

But to say I hold this love and appreciation and earnest desire to experience, without also keeping my eyes open to the difficulties, and outright monstrosities, countries around the world are facing- it’s a privilege, and a selfish one.

When I travel, and when the majority of us travel, we suppress deep in the back of our minds the fact that we don’t REALLY know anything. We suppress it in the fear that such an acknowledgement will make our experiences any less worldly or authentic.

We see these beautiful sites and experience certain things that were tailored to us. Yesterday I learned more about what is happening in Zimbabwe- after learning about Kashmir, Armenia, Lebanon, and Yemen. The first thing that struck me was how horrible it was. The second thing that struck me, and much later might I add, is that I literally traveled to Zimbabwe.

I TRAVELED THERE. I have a checkmark next to Zimbabwe on my list of counties I've had a privilege of visiting.

What was the reason I didn’t immediately register the fact that every beautiful moment and animal and bit of nature that I saw was taking place in a country dealing with corruption and economic instability, in the midst of a human rights crisis?

I have a fleeting memory of my guide mentioning Mugabe, and I am disappointed in myself that in all my talk of caring and loving and appreciating different cultures, that I did not listen more intently to what he was saying.

This memory dredged up multiple other conversations I had with guides and residents in South Africa about education, corruption, the drought, and colonization- but they were so deeply buried in my mind that it took seeing a graphic about human rights violations in Zimbabwe to finally remember the moments of my trip that should have never left the forefront of my memory.

I crave traveling but not without being educated- I refuse to hide behind my privilege. I will not pick and choose the countries and cultures I appreciate. I will not pick and choose the regions I want to learn more about, because it’s “easy” or “fun”. That’s not true traveling. There’s no passion or love in something like that.

Don’t travel to Paris or Berlin or Milan, without learning about Armenia and Lebanon and Yemen and Zimbabwe and Kashmir. I’m checking my privilege, and you should too.

If you're interested in seeing more of my travel photos, please check out my travel page!

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If you have more resources or links, please send them to me through the contact tab!

Lebanon Support: https://helplebanon.carrd.co/

Palestine Support: https://helppalestine.carrd.co/

Yemen Support: https://yemencrisis.carrd.co/

Support Armenia: https://helparmenia.carrd.co/

Support Zimbabwe: https://zimbabwe.carrd.co/

Support Kashmir: https://standwithkashmir.carrd.co/