"The abandoned city of Pripyat in Ukraine is one of the most intense places I’ve ever stepped foot in"

"Africa chewed me up and spit me out a new, slightly traumatized person. I’m mentally exhausted and I’ve been seeing the world through completely different eyes now. It’s already been more than a month since this trip and I’m still looking for the words to describe what I experienced in these places. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Dear Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Senegal, Mauritania, Algeria, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte D’Ivoire, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Cameroon, São Tomé, Gabon, Seychelles, Mauritius, Lesotho, Swaziland, Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, Rep. of Congo, and Central African Republic- ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Thank you for giving me an unfiltered glimpse into an aspect of the world that, for the most part, goes unmentioned. I hope someday I can find the right words to tell their stories"

"A glimpse into the colourful tradition and culture of Pakistan ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
One of the first things I noticed when I arrived in Islamabad was how gorgeous and stylish the women are. I really wanted wear some of their beautiful clothes while traveling here which is why I was so excited to go shopping with @anushaesays . She helped me find this shalwar kameez which is the tradition trousers and long shirt that are commonly worn in South Asia. We later found this amazing headdress in a little shop in Karimabad when the whole @cpicglobal gang played dress up for an hour ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Side note to all the Pakistani ladies: Is this called a tribal kuchi headpiece? I forgot to ask the shopkeeper & I would love to know more about it!"

"This is one of my favorite memories from traveling solo. I remember waking up way too early and driving past stunning waterfalls in the lush jungle to get to this place. I climbed down that slippery ladder and at first there was a small old man collecting leaves from the pool with a net. He didn’t say anything but had the best toothless smile. When he finished his work I dove into the crystal clear salt water. The cold was a shock the system but it felt soft like it had been filtered & tamed by the lava rock. Explored the little caves to the sides and discovered one of them lead back to the ocean. I floated and soaked in the silence until it was broken by the sound of rain
How I got this shot: I hired a taxi driver to take me to this place early in the morning to avoid crowds (typically getting there before 8 or 9 AM is best if it’s somewhere that tour buses might go). Then I befriended the taxi driver on the way and asked him if he could please take a photo for me when we got there. Thankfully he agreed and when we got to this spot, I adjusted the setting on my camera then showed the taxi driver exactly how I wanted him to line up the shot and I asked him to take a few before I ran down & jumped in the water. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is how I get most of the photos where I’m the subject. Whether it’s a stranger or one of my friends taking the photo there’s always a chance that it’s not going to turn out the way you envisioned but it’s always worth a shot"

"Visiting Mauritius was a dream of mine for so long that I was worried maybe the real place wouldn’t match the story in my head. Not sure if I just got really lucky in this country but it was as if I was in a movie where everything has this surreal cinematic quality. Also couldn’t believe how warm & full of life the ocean was just right off the beach! Feeling nostalgic"

"Aptly named"

"The kind of place that begins with “Once upon a time...”

"5 in-person trips to the embassy in Los Angeles, 2 formal interviews, 3 different tour companies/fixers, 2 LOIs, countless phone calls and 6 months later I finally made it to PAKISTAN
The media always exaggerates and blows out of proportion but so far I can’t get enough of this incredible country! Every day has brought not only new tastes & sights but also a renewed sense of appreciation for the kindness of people in faraway places. Even this truck driver’s nice way of telling me to move out of the way was to just start driving forward slowly"

"Officially traveled to every country in the world 
It’s crazy to have years of hard work culminate into one single moment. I’m so grateful to everyone that’s helped me get here. The greatest chapter of my life is coming to a close. Cheers to a new beginning"

"Looking back on old photos, I’m realizing my favorites aren’t the ones of beautiful places. It’s the photos of friends and family & the memories we captured that have the most meaning. Traveling with someone creates this bond that you continue to share no matter how much time passes. Feeling extra grateful for my friends this week soooo here’s a montage of some people I really love :’) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Take this as a friendly reminder to snap tons of photos and videos of the people in your life, you’ll be so happy you did!"

"Crocodile cage diving so much more intense than I anticipated!"

"Offbeat places, friendly faces
This trip... the grit of it, the awesome conversations, the depth of experiences and sense of real exploration are what I'm always trying to find my way back to."

"Roasting marshmallows over the DOOR TO HELL
Last week I was camping in the middle of nowhere with @fearlessandfar & a bunch of drunk Russian speaking men. Being fed way too much food from the kindest locals and running around this pit of fire was definitely one of the most epic & memorable nights of my life. No one really knows how Darvaza Crater was created but it’s been burning for over 40 years. Its such a fitting addition to this otherwise mysterious landscape. Have you ever seen anything like this before??"

"SO grateful for these amazing trips around the sun, for a life brimming with abundance, and the wonder of having a healthy human body that gives me a chance to climb up mountains & learn something new every single day."

"Misunderstood creatures
I honestly did a terrible job planning my trip in Sri Lanka. I usually try to get away from cities and tourist traps to get a more authentic feel for the country I’m visiting. Choosing the path less traveled can occasionally/inevitably lead to unexpected complications, wasted time and frustration. Sometimes we miss once in a lifetime opportunities. Sometimes our experiences don’t live up to the expectations we created in our minds. And that’s to be expected! Being able to accept that things didn’t go the way you wanted them to and making the best of it anyway is a really important life lesson traveling has taught me. This photo reminds me that even mistakes can result in something beautiful & unexpected"

"Best seat in the house"

"Malagasy souvenirs."

"Afghanistan is one of the most unique places I’ve traveled to because it felt almost taboo to be there. So much negative hype has been built up around it that not many people get to experience this place which is a real shame. Honestly it is very unstable here and I don’t recommend going to Afghanistan casually. I got really lucky with my experience but I also put in the work researching where to go and how to do it safely. That being said, wow. Just wow. The food, architecture, smells, colors. Gorgeous people with dark hair and bright blue eyes. Sensory overload. I didn’t feel unsafe walking down the street although the traffic will give you anxiety. I visited a few colorful 1000+ yr old mosques and saw hundreds of people praying together. Everywhere we went there seemed to be someone genuinely happy to share their culture with us. Although Afghanistan was challenging to understand at times, being there made me feel so much connected to its people, their cultural history, their strength and struggle. It made me thankful for everything that I have and reminded me not to take it for granted. Afghanistan made me grow."

"Over the past few years I’ve developed an affinity for offbeat places. And its been rewarding me nearly every step of the way. Places like Venezuela have been written off by the average traveler as somewhere that’s too dangerous to travel. That’s a logical conclusion to reach given what we see on the news but it’s an underestimation of the genuine kindness within real Venezuelan people. I’ll always remember this trip as one of my all time favorites."

"I’m in one of those rare times in life where everything seems to be working out perfectly and I couldn’t be more grateful. Sorry that I have joy BURSTING from my fingertips right now but I just got on a flight to a country I’ve never been to before and I’m so freaking excited!"

"This was one of the top 5 craziest adventures of my life! After riding like maniacs on the top of our 15 passenger van through the Karakoram Mountains for countless hours we arrived at the launching point. We switched into these 4x4 rock crawling land rovers and ascended up the aptly named “most dangerous road in the world”. The local driver swerved recklessly around loose gravel corners with heart pounding 500+ ft. drops to the left. After nearly 3 hours of that, we arrived at the starting point for the hike to Fairy Meadows. Our group quickly fell into different paces which gave us time to feel even more secluded in the deep wilderness of Northern Pakistan. We hiked up roughly 2500 ft. as the sun set on the little Swiss cabins we would sleep in that night. The temperature dropped rapidly. All our bodies were acting funny because of the altitude. The 10 of us huddled around the common room stove sharing stories and stretching our deliciously sore muscles. ‘Twas a day & night that I’ll never forget"

"Travel therapy should be covered by health insurance
Seriously though. It’s unbelievable what traveling has done for my mental health. I was a pretty depressed & angsty kid when I was in high school because I felt like I didn’t belong there. I felt like I didn’t have anything in common with the people around me. All my frustration and unhappiness is what ended up fueling me to save up as much as I could and start backpacking. That’s when everything changed for me. As soon as I got out of my hometown bubble and realized there’s so much more out there for me. Discovering that there’s so many beautiful places and awesome people scattered all around the world made my outlook on life change completely. 
Even if you can’t afford to travel right now, you can always change your perspective in smaller ways. Do whatever you can to get active outside in the fresh air, whether it be hiking or photography or whatever calls to you. Take a road trip to somewhere you’ve never been, even if it’s only an hour away from your house. Small trips like that are how you can gain momentum but be careful, once you get going it’s really hard to stop!"