the life of a solivagant

Monday, August 10, 2015

things to consider before traveling by plane

I have had a few trips by plane in my life so far, and though I do not claim to be an expert on flight travel, I have learned quite a few things over the years. There are things many people do not even think about before heading off to the airport, that sometimes you really need to think about. We all seem to be aware of, or at least I have heard many times, different plane etiquette while on the plane. For example, middle seat gets the arm rests; that kind of thing. And we are so busy making sure we have our passports, our luggage, our tickets, and so on, we often forget about the little things. After this last flight (including three layovers and 4 flights), I have made a list in my head of the things I wish people would think about before they travel. So of course, I thought I would share them…

Over top of California

1. Do not wear cologne/perfume when traveling by plane (or any confined form of travel with strangers).

This is something I feel strongly about. As someone who is allergic to something in perfumes/colognes, it makes it a very uncomfortable plane ride for me. My eyes sometimes burn or get itchy and red, if the person has just put it on or put a lot on that it is overwhelming. Mostly it bothers my nose, and I end up with a runny nose or get sinus headaches from the allergies. I know that so many people have so many allergies, and you can't please everyone, and so on. But there is no need for you to wear this on a plane ride. It's something so simple. No one wants to smell it, even if they aren't allergic. If you feel you need it, put it on once you have left the plane (not just before we are going to land, as I have had that happen as well, which is even worse because it is being sprayed in the air and is so overwhelming to my allergies).

2. Make sure your carry-on is the proper size.

As someone who prefers to travel with only carry-on bags when I can, this is difficult for me. And I may come across as being hypocritical to those I have traveled with. I always want to stuff as much as I can into my carry-on and get away with it. When I traveled South East Asia, we had a backpack full of clothes as my carry-on, Ryan had his backpack of camera gear, and then we had his tripod, ukulele, a bag of books, my purse full of things.. We got away with a lot. But we put whatever we could under the seat in front of us, to not take up too much room in the overhead compartment. The biggest problem is when people have suitcases that are too big, and they do not fit, and they have to struggle trying to get it to fit anywhere they can. Ultimately having to have the flight attendents check it. Wasting everyone's time. If you have to bring lots in your carry-on, I get it. Just make sure it's not going to be an issue. It's not worth the struggle.

3. Bring a pen for international flights.

I don't mind lending my pen to anyone who may need one to fill out the customs form, don't get me wrong. But if you are flying internationally, you always have to fill out a customs form. You need a pen to do this. Bring one to save the hassle of trying to locate one, or stealing it from the person next to you while they have fallen asleep. Just be prepared, you know you will need one. Bring one with you.

4. The plane will not leave without you.

Did you make it to the gate on time? Good. The plane most likely will not leave without you then. There is no need to line up before your seats are called. Everyone is getting on the same plane. Even better, you have a seat designated for you, therefore you do not need to be on first to get the best seat. I understand we all want to get on in order to make sure our carry-on bags are put in the compartments over our seats, but those will get on the plane somewhere. It's not the end of the world if they aren't right above you. Be patient, and we will all be on the plane and taking off together. With our luggage.

5. Bring proper clothing for plane ride.

You may be going somewhere hot or cold, so people tend to dress for the weather at their destination. And yeah that makes sense. But in the past, often times I have found I am cold on planes, and have dressed poorly for the AC to be cranked. And even if I turn my personal one off, with others around me having theirs on, I get cold. So remember to bring socks, pants, sweater, whatever you may need, in case it's cold on the plane. Airplane blankets are nice and all, but they don't always cover both your chilly toes and your arms. It can get cold and annoying trying to fit all your extremities under that blanket.

Love being amongst the clouds during sunset

I know some people may read this thinking, well of course you should think of these things. Or you may have read similar things before. But I feel as though every time I get on a plane, I have to deal with at least one, if not all, of these things. And being someone who is allergic to the perfumes, I feel most strongly about spreading awareness that you just don't need to be putting on perfume for a flight. It's unnecessary and causes others discomfort. So that's my two cents anyways. Take from it what you will. Just plan for a safe and comfortable flight for you and the other passengers around you.

Friday, July 31, 2015

so I moved to an island no one's ever heard of...

So I moved again. Nothing surprising here, no one thought I would last in the Yukon anyways right? Though I definitely could have lasted a lot longer there. I loved it. I miss the mountains. And my friends. I didn't need to leave there specifically, I just needed something new again. I am constantly searching for the next adventure. It's not about hating the place I am living and needing to get out of there. It's this feeling I get inside that makes me want to just flip my life on it's head and change things up. It is not easy, this constant need for change. I spent the week before I left to come here crying. Not the whole week, obviously, but I was an emotional basket case. It was hard. Saying goodbye to my family was difficult. My nieces already have grown so much while I was gone last time. I can't even imagine how big they will be the next time I see them. Saying goodbye to my friends, was easy and hard. For some people it was hard because we don't keep in touch as much while I am gone. Not for lack of wanting to, but because life happens, people are busy. And I wish we could talk more but we don't. Then there are those people. The ones who make you want to cling to something at home. They make it the hardest. I wish I could sit here and tell you that my best friend in the whole world made it so hard to leave, or that it was someone in my family that made it an emotional roller coaster when I left. But it's always the people you don't really prepare for. Or the people you don't want to admit you will miss. But you miss them as soon as you leave.

Anyways, enough about that. I live in Majuro, Marshall Islands. I am sure some of you are still asking where? It's funny when you decide to move somewhere and no one has any idea where it is. And I have some pretty well travelled and geographically inclined friends, so you'd think a few of them would know. But alas, as I told people where I was going, I got many reactions. I would say 95% of the people I told I was moving to the Marshall Islands had no idea where it was. I always liked hearing people's guesses though. "Oh isn't that near Florida?" For some reason, a few people had thought that. I do enjoy the fact that many people googled it once they found out. That makes me happy. The curiosity of where I was going and what it was like. Though some found out a lot more information than others, it was interesting to talk to those people who were telling me all kinds of things they now know of the Marshall Islands. That made me smile.

But what I did find the most interesting were the people who did know of the Marshall Islands when I told them. I was getting a stone chip fixed on my windshield in the Yukon a couple months before I left, and the man at the counter asked me if I wanted a frequent customer card, and I said that I was moving and wouldn't be needing one. He asked where I was headed. When I told him the Marshall Islands, he got really excited and proceeded to tell me all about the World War 2 history and the ability to see that stuff under the water here. He was super excited for me. And that is basically the kinds of people who were aware of the Marshall Islands, the World War 2 buffs. The history lovers. Not the geography lovers. It blew my mind.

Even after I told people where the islands were, and people were googling and figuring out stuff on their own, there were many miscommunicated moments. Like when I went to visit my friend on the East Coast (of Canada) and she said that she had been telling all her friends that I was moving to the Magadallen Islands (I think that's what she said) and that she thinks it's near South Africa. Those don't exist, and I am no where near South Africa. Or I told people, I wrote it on social media, it's in my blog, but when I spoke to them I had to remind them where I was moving to. All the time. No one could remember. I found that amusing. It's not spelt weird. It's not tricky to say. It's not a long name. It's pretty straightforward, but so many people forgot what they were called, because they had never heard of them.

So here is a brief geography/history lesson for you all. First go to a map or a globe, find the equator. Got it? Now find the International Date Line. Found it? Look at the North West corner of where they intersect. See the Marshall Islands right there? That's where the Marshall Islands are located. They are a group of reefs/atolls located in the Pacific Ocean.

Now as for the history, they gained independence in 1986 after being under US administration for four decades. We use US dollars here. US Postal Service. Some atolls are off limits to tourists, as there is still a strong military presence here. Nuclear testing was done on some of the atolls over 50 years ago, which has led to many issues ever since, that I don't care to get into at this time. But google it, there is a lot of interesting information about these islands.

So now I live on an island that most people I know had never heard of, and it's pretty amazing. But I'll get into more of that over the next two years of living here.

Friday, July 3, 2015

lyrics that sing to your traveling soul

I have always been a huge music buff. I may not be musically inclined, but in high school I was very often referred to as 'the girl with the headphones on'. I've been to over 100 concerts in my life. Music festivals are one of my favourite places to be. I just feel as though music really has this way of speaking to me. It comforts me when I am sad. Pumps me up for a night out. And I noticed this more than ever on my drive across Canada a few weeks ago. When you are driving alone, your music choice is especially important, as these musicians become your company. They sing to you and only you. And I noticed that I played a few songs numerous times throughout my drive, because their lyrics spoke to my traveling soul in a way that seemed so much more apparent as I was in the midst of my solo travels.

The first is the most important lyric to my life and the way I choose to live.

You are a Tourist by Death Cab for Cutie

And if you feel just like a tourist

In the city you were born

Then it's time to go

And define your destination,

There's so many different places to call home.

On my drive to Whitehorse, I listened to this song first thing every morning when I got into my car. These lyrics are exactly how I feel. There are so many places to call home. I have already made 'homes' in two other countries (Australia and Thailand), another part of my own country (Yukon), and soon to be another country again (Marshall Islands). Sometimes you just need to go and live somewhere else for awhile, and that's okay. It isn't written anywhere that you can't have more than one home. Home isn't where you were born. It isn't where you grew up. Home is where you choose to make your life. And it never has to be permanent. You can constantly define a new destination, so long as you are willing.

The second one is super cheese, but I can't help loving these lyrics.

Cups by Anna Kendrick

I've got my ticket for the long way 'round.

The one with the prettiest of views.

It's got mountains, it's got rivers.

It's got sights to give you shivers.

But it sure would be prettier with you.

On my drive down the Sea to Sky Highway in British Columbia, Canada, I couldn't help listening to this song over and over. Even someone who thrives on solo travel, I can't help but relate. There are moments in my travels, where no matter how okay I am with being in these beautiful places by myself, I find myself thinking of certain others who would enjoy this mountain/river/beautiful scenery and how the trip could be slightly improved with their presence. That's life. Doesn't make the views less enjoyable, just flickering, passing moments of thoughts of another being that would make it even slightly more enjoyable.

This one is little more depressing, but still speaks to my wandering soul.

The Passenger by Stars

Here comes another strange town.

Here comes another breakdown.

And you can run forever.

They'll catch you now or never.

Not all my solo travels have been out of completely positive motivations. When I moved to the Yukon, I felt I was running away. And sometimes, you can be running away from something bad and it ends up taking you towards something better than you ever imagined. But the journey to get there isn't always sunshine and rainbows. I remember waking up in Dryden, Ontario, on my third day of my drive from Toronto to Whitehorse, thinking to myself, how long can I run away? Will everything catch up to me? How many towns will I make it to before my car breaks down? Before I break down? My drive back from Whitehorse to Toronto was much less dramatic and depressing, by the way.

The lyrics to the bars of music I have tattooed on my side.

All at Once by Jack Johnson

There's a world we've never seen.

There's still hope between the dreams.

I remember the first time I heard these lyrics, I knew it wasn't meant to really be about travel per se, but to me the lyrics spoke of traveling. There is always more places to explore out there in the world. Adventures are limitless if you have the audacity to just go find them. It's nice to dream, but what good is dreaming without the willingness to make those dreams a reality? Jack says he wants to take the 'preconceived out from underneath your feet', and that's kind of how I feel about moving to new places. It makes you take every thing you thought you knew about what's 'normal' and flips it on its head. I love that no matter how much you read, research, and look at pictures, about the place you are going, when you get somewhere, it's a whole other story. You can never fully prepare yourself for 'culture shock' and I thrive on that. I love learning to adapt to a new place. Figuring out how things are done in my new home and live life accordingly. Jack is a wise man.

I had never heard this song before, but my roommate put it on a USB for my road trip and I am sure glad she did.

Back Home by Andy Grammer

And no matter where we go
We always find our way back home.

Nothing could be more true. I have moved across oceans, across the country, but I always find my way back home. Because home is truly where your family and friends are. And though I love moving, I love travel, I don't know if I could ever truly leave for good. I will always find my way back home. Even if it's for a short time, like right now I am back home for a month before I take off again. Or if it's a couple years, like it was between Australia and Thailand, or Thailand and Yukon. I always find my way back to Toronto.

Last but not least, a new favourite of mine, recently sent to me by my best friend.

Little Wanderer by Death Cab for Cutie

Always fall asleep when you’re waking
I count the hours on my hands
Doing the math to the time zone you’re at
Is an unseen part of the plan.

So even though my best friend sent me this song, one of my first thoughts while hearing this song is this was how I felt about my ex-boyfriend, before we broke up. He never got time zones right. When I lived in Thailand for four months of our relationship, he could never remember what time it was for me (even though for most of that time it was fairly simple, 12 hours, just change am to pm). A lot of the song still reminds me of our relationship, as I had always had plans to move around the world with or without him.

But someone’s gotta be the lighthouse

And that someone’s gotta be me.

Like I said, my best friend sent this to me. And she said she will always be my lighthouse. This made me tear up like a baby. As I prepare to take off for my fourth time leaving home for far off destinations, I feel lucky to have friends like her. Friends who you know will always be there for you no matter how far you go. Every time you come back, whether gone for 6 months, a year or two years. They are still your best friends, and she guides me back and reminds me that no matter how many 'homes' I have, my home is really where my family and friends are.

I am sure there are many more to add to the list. But right now, and during my solo road trip, these are the ones that spoke to me and I chose to listen to over and over again during my 25 days of driving across Canada.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

jealousy, let it go

How do you define success? Is it money? Status? Is it dependent on comparing yourself to what others around you have achieved? I have noticed a lot lately that many people compare their lives to others, in order to gauge whether or not their lives are successful.Why must we always compare ourselves to others? Our success is always looked at in comparison to the success of our peers. What we should really be doing is looking at our own lives, our own goals and figuring out what we want to accomplish and get it done. Even if we have similar goals to others, it doesn't mean we aren't successful because we don't accomplish them as fast or whatever else. We as a society are so caught up in comparing ourselves to everyone else, with social media being the highlight reel of the best parts of everyone's lives. We are no longer happy for our friend's successes, we are jealous and let their successes be a factor in our own insecurities. There is nothing wrong with jealousy. It's natural. But when we start resenting others and not just being happy for them, that's when it becomes an issue.

I feel as though I genuinely have different goals for my life than everyone I am friends with, or close to. Which I suppose makes it easier for me not to compare my life as much to theirs. But in the past year, more than ever, I realized how important it is to just focus on your own life. Not worry so much about what everyone else is doing. Everyone does things at their own pace. Everyone's lives are different. Different choices lead you down different paths. That doesn't make your path any less successful or meaningful. That's just life. Embrace it.

It's funny because during my solo driving the past couple weeks, I thought a lot about this. I thought of how some people would probably be jealous of the fact that I am driving across the country and wishing they could do the same. I thought about how some might think what I am doing is stupid and how I choose to document it all on instagram and Facebook is annoying, and they are not envious at all, mostly just annoyed. I thought of those friends of mine who may have a bit of jealousy, but are just genuinely happy for me, as they know this road trip is making me even happier than I had already become. No matter what you do in life, you won't please every one. So you might as well just focus on pleasing yourself and being the best version of yourself you can be. There will always be the naysayers, the haters and the jealous ones. They aren't worth more than a footnote in the story of your life.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

so here's the thing about friends...

I have been fortunate enough in my life to meet some pretty rad people. And I am not just talking about during my travels, though you people are super rad too. I mean in my every day life, the ones back home who despite my life of wandering, continue to be my friends. They continue to keep in touch, one way or another. Those people who despite not talking every day, or seeing each other all the time, are still close friends who I can always count on.

One of the hardest things about the life I choose to lead is being away from my friends. I have so many wonderful friends, that it can be difficult to be so far away from them. Sometimes I am doing something awesome, whether it be an adventure to the mountains or swimming in an infinity pool, and think of certain people who I would love to be doing this with. Let's be honest, it's usually the foods I am eating where I think of certain friends, you know who you are, who would love to be eating these delicious foods with me. It's also hard when, despite doing all kinds of awesome things, you logon to social media and see your friends all hanging out together, at a wedding or just out for a drink. You see them doing every day things, and you wish you were there.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not one of those people who have a 'fear of missing out' constantly. I like doing my own thing, and I am happy with my choices in life. As much as I wish I could be doing all of those things with my friends, I know that whenever I go home, I can be. Because I have the kinds of friends who understand that I may only be around for a month, for a week, sometimes longer, but that doesn't mean I am any less of a friend.

Now I have two best friends whom I do not talk to every day, or even every week, but when we do talk, it's as if no time has gone by at all. I can tell them anything. I can count on them for anything. But friendships aren't about being dependent on another person for every single thing. I do not have that one friend who I share every detail of my life to anymore. And that is okay. I have friends who I talk to every day, or almost every day, about all the little mundane things. I have my friends who I tell all the important things to, but don't necessarily tell them about every day conversations I have with the cute boy I met, or the unnecessary drama I have in my life. Or I have one or two friends that I more or less tell most things to. I have realized that doesn't make any one friend more or less important than the other. There are just different kinds of friends, and some are good when you want advice, some are good for just listening and some are good to tell you to shut the hell up already. That's just the way life goes.

Longest and dearest friendship with Chelsea

These girls, Carly and Meghan

One of my bests, Karina

Throughout my life I have made friends and I have lost friends, but not every one you meet along your journey is worth keeping around. I even said to my aunt today on the phone that I have kept in touch with some people whom I never thought I would, and lost touch with others who I assumed would be in my life for a long time. That's just the way life goes. I think as I get older, and continue to wander away from home, I really and truly realize what makes a good friend and what kind of friend is worth keeping in touch with. Sure we keep in touch with everyone we've ever met through social media, the rad thing about Facebook and Instagram is that we can do that. But I am talking about the friends we text or call, make plans to FaceTime with. The ones we truly want to contact and hear about their lives; the parts of their lives they don't put on display for the world to see online. When you have long distance friendships, it really puts that into perspective. You find out who puts an effort into keeping in touch, and not relying on reading your blog or skimming through your social media for updates. But it's not always about the effort others put in, but the effort you put in as well. I have found myself re-evaluating friendships a lot while living away from home. Am I really that invested in a friendship with someone I never really am bothered with reaching out to and making an effort to chat with while away? Probably not.

My beautiful blondes Vanessa and Heather

Long time friends, Lisa and Kait

So here I am, sitting at home, on my couch, on the other side of the country from my friends, and although I miss them, I am just truly grateful to have the kinds of friends worth missing. I look forward to the month I have at home where I can join in on their fun nights, and catch up with them in person. And hug them. I just really want to hug all my friends right now. I am so utterly happy right now to think of all my wonderful friends back home, and how truly lucky I am to be a part of their lives, even from afar.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

passport rant

So here I am, about to move to another country, again, and as I am preparing all the paperwork and getting all the documents, I realize something. I realize that my passport is set to expire next November… Now obviously this wouldn't be a problem at the moment for most, but when you are moving overseas for 2 years and have your passport set to expire in the middle of it all, it is cause for concern. So after discussing with the principal of the school I will be working for in Majuro, I set out to get my passport renewed early, so I will not have to worry about finding a way to do it while living there, and having to deal with visa issues all over again too.

I set out for Service Canada in Whitehorse, mid March, not sure the exact day, as there is no passport office up here unfortunately. I went in to ask a few questions, and right off the bat the lady there was so unhelpful and just kept referring me to the table of passport applications and passport renewal applications. I tried to explain to her my situation but it was pointless. So there I was, looking at a bunch of applications to be sent in. I grabbed one of each, and decided I needed to go home and call Passport Canada. Stopping on the way to get my passport pictures taken, which cost me $20, my first purchase related to my passport. I go home, thinking this shouldn't be a difficult task. I mean it's just a simple renewal. I have a valid passport. I have never had any trouble traveling. My passport is full of stamps. I am renewing it early; they are making more money off of me because of it. This should be simple…

So I call, and I spoke to a lady, though full of knowledge of their procedures and how things work, still a fairly frustrating conversation. I was told to go to a Passport Office. She looked up the closest one to me; Vancouver. Asked if I could drive there. I told her it would take me 24 hours. She agreed that wasn't a great plan. She then told me my next option would be to fill out the renewal application form, and write a letter with it explaining to them why I needed to renew early and send in proof of my employment overseas. It was a long conversation but I had it all figured out. I didn't like the idea of sending my passport somewhere in the mail, but alas I filled out the renewal, wrote a letter, printed out a copy of my teaching contract and got my passport pictures, and sent it express to Ottawa, ($16 for express mail with tracking).

Once it was received in Ottawa, according to Canada Post tracking, I waited about a week, and then called to check the status (the lady on the phone had told me to call back weekly to make sure it was being processed). There was no status on the first call, but a few days later when I called again the lady says to me, "Oh no one has called you about this?". She then went on to tell me that when they received my application, my current passport was damaged and therefore not only do I have to redo my entire application as a new applicant, and send it all in again, I also will not get my old passport back. This baffled me. My passport wasn't damaged. I had no idea what she was talking about. I pleaded with her, and she said that it would not have been damaged there, and she cannot tell if it was before it was sent or not. But they had strict rules and it could be as simple as a drop of water on one of the pages. This was now just too much for me. I am trying to get this all done, so I can apply for my visa and get my flight booked and she is telling me I have to redo my application, and can't have my old passport full of stamps and memories back. I also had to fill out another form about damaged passports, and write another letter explaining my situation and why I want my passport back… It's mine just give it back. Why else would I want it back other than sentimental reasons? Worst. I had a minor breakdown on my kitchen floor, because I am an emotional human and started to stress out.

So I went at it again. Thankfully I have one friend here I have known longer than 2 years to be my guarantor to sign all my stuff for the application. So I filled it out, got my passport pictures reprinted ($5, thankfully still on file) and this time had to enclose my birth certificate. My passport gets damaged on the way, and now they want my original birth certificate. Fantastic. Anyways, passport application done, letter written, all documents enclosed. I sent it off (another $16 for express and tracking). This was April 9, 2015. Also the next day I notice I was charged for my passport on my credit card, even though they weren't processing that application ($160 for the 10 year passport). Make sense to anyone?

On April 16, I check the tracking and it says it was delivered. I call on the Friday the 17th and there is no update, the lady on the phone tells me that it takes 5 days from when it says delivered to when it's actually opened and being processed. I call back on the Monday the 20th, same story. Not in the system, but they ask my tracking number. I told the lady the number the last time, and I had misplaced the receipt at that moment so she couldn't help me. I call back Thursday the 23rd, and the guy tells me there is no update and needs the tracking number. Once again I still couldn't find it but I knew it had been delivered the week prior. He was much nicer than the rest of people I talked to, but still was unable to be much of help.

So here is Friday the 24th, and I have a voicemail from Passport Canada asking me to call them back, as the last guy I talked to realized I was pretty stressed and emailed his supervisor to tell him the situation. The supervisor called me and said to find my tracking number so that they could get this passport process done for me. I got home, searched my room and found the receipt (my bad, I threw it in the garbage). I called Passport Canada and told her I had received a call, gave her my file number for my application and told her they needed my tracking number. I gave it to her, she inputted it into the system, after checking the tracking and realizing it had been with them for 10 days now. In so many words, she basically told me that no one has opened it or begun to process it, aka it very well could be lost. With my birth certificate in it. Thanks guys. So she was also extremely unhelpful, as all she did was put the tracking number in and say 'have a nice day'.

So here I am, wondering if I will ever get this application process finished, as the principal at the school in Marshall Islands patiently awaits my passport information to process my visa application and book my flight for me. I feel awful and that they probably think I am unorganized or slacking on it, but it is something so far out of my control at the moment. And I hate that.

And all the while I wonder, will I get my original passport with all my stamps back? Is it really necessary to withhold it from me because of a little damage? Or will I have to deal with the fact that I do not get to keep it?

Patience. I am needing some right now.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

#hashtag

Those who know me well, know I hated hashtags not too long ago. Something about the way people used them just rubbed me the wrong way. I guess I never really understood the use of them because truthfully, the people I saw using them on Instagram (I don't have Twitter) were using them to try to be funny, but usually just ended up being mean. And I wasn't cool with that. It made me uncomfortable, and a little sad. Without getting deep into the issues I dealt with, with former friends and their affinity for mean hashtags, I will say that I judged the use of the hashtag prematurely. My former use of hashtags was to write the word 'hashtag' before things instead of the ever popular '#'. Oh how funny I thought I was being. Can't just be like everyone else, can you Sara? Of course not.

But alas, fast forward to this day, and many will probably say I hashtag too much. There is no happy mediums in life, don't you know? But alas, I have given up caring what others may deem acceptable for the things I choose to do in my life. So I hashtag. Now also, I have come to the conclusion that I am not that funny. I have my father and sister's sense of humour and wit, but to be honest, they have both always been much funnier than I. So I do not hashtag to make jokes often, and I certainly do not hashtag to make fun of others. I hashtag to share my pictures with the world.

Now before you go thinking that I am dying for 'likes' and basing my self worth on how many people like my pictures or follow me, I want to explain. I am not going to lie and say that I do not enjoy that people are liking my photos. I wouldn't be hashtagging if I didn't enjoy it at all. But it is more than just the satisfaction of having a certain amount of likes, as I have been enjoying the ability to share my pictures with other people here in the Yukon, and almost feel like a part of a community of others who enjoy the same thing. I have been lucky enough to have picked up a few photography skills from dating a talented photographer for awhile, as well as being someone who is able to pick up things quite easily in general. So I feel proud when I am able to capture the views and the moments of my life so perfectly, so accurately, that I can't help but want to share them with my friends, fellow travellers, and adventurers.

I started hashtagging with a purpose on my drive through Canada, using the #explore_____, filling in the blank with whatever province the picture was taken in. I found it fascinating to look through the hashtag and see others doing similar trips, and taking photos from similar vantage points as I, but coming up with different ways of presenting it. I have always enjoyed travel photography, being a traveler myself, and I started following all kinds of Canadian Instagram feeds who feature other people's photos taken in Canada, as well as travel photography feeds. The world is such a beautiful place, it's amazing the pictures that you see on these feeds. So that's when I started hashtagging even more…

Since I got here, I have had a silly goal with my Instagram and hashtags. I really wanted one of my pictures to be featured on the Travel Yukon Instagram feed. For no other reason than the satisfaction of my pictures being worthy. It's silly I know, but being confident in my amateur photography skills, and seeing the pictures posted daily, I figured it wouldn't be a hard thing to do. But alas, it has yet to happen. My theory was that they didn't post them because I refuse to make my travel photos square, always making the whole picture visible through the pic frame app. But that theory was debunked recently. Perhaps they just don't like my photos? Meanwhile, I have had my northern lights photos reposted by Moose Knuckles (because I was wearing a Moose Knuckle jacket in the picture and tagged it), as well as Air North. I have had a few of my random Yukon photos reposted by Canadian Instagram accounts, and even won a photo challenge the other day with Flight Hub; though I was never told which photo actually won me the contest, they said they really enjoyed all the ones I tagged for it. So hashtagging won me $100 credit for flights, can I really complain about it now?

Some of my photos featured on other Instagram accounts

Oh and side note, last year I went to Costa Rica with Student Trip, because I won their 'Social Media Guy' contest, where I hashtagged pictures with #socialmediaguy and my picture of me holding a crocodile by the tail in Thailand was chosen as a semi-finalist and through social media, my lovely friends friends helped me by voting and got me into the finals. My awesome interviewing skills got me the grand prize though. I was lucky enough to experience a trip as a Team Leader with Student Trip, and meet some amazing 17-18 year old students who were on their March Break Grad trip. It may not have been how I pictured going to Costa Rica, but it was an experience I will never forget. And all because I hashtagged my pictures.

I don't claim to be a photographer. I honestly don't think my photos are near the skills of the real photographers I see on Instagram every day. And I am not trying to be one. I don't plan to sell my images, or try to make a living by doing it at all. I just enjoy taking photos of the places I go, or people I am with. And then I enjoy sharing them, for others to get a glimpse of the amazing things I am lucky enough to see in my life.

So you can see now why I am enjoying the use of hashtags. Being a part of a community of travellers, adventurers, and fellow photo sharing people, is kind of a wonderful thing. Through the use of hashtags in recent months, I have learned the ways in which to use social media in more positive ways. In the past, I had a few struggles with the negativity surrounding the use of social media, whether it be in friendships or relationships, and I wanted to distance myself from any unnecessary negativity in my life. Hashtagging and sharing my photos is just one of the ways I have reclaimed my social media for a better purpose, and so long as I am always aware that the number of 'likes' and 'followers' isn't a reflection of who I am or how awesome of a person I am (let's be honest, those who know me should know by now that I do not need 'likes' to know how awesome I am, my confidence, bordering on cockiness, has never been much of a problem) then I can't see it ever being a problem to want to share my photos, and have my photos featured, and continue capturing my life on film (or on SD cards as it may be).

So my friends, I say hashtag away, so long as you aren't using it as a means to bring others down. There's nothing wrong with wanting to share your life, or your photos of your life as it may be, with other people. Social media has a way of connecting you with other like minded people, there's no reason why you can't have some fun with it and enjoy that connection.