Hello, all! (By which I mean the 10 people that read this blog). Here is the long-awaited/long-threatened dispatch of my travels. It’s also the place for a little Q&A…

Q: Who the heck are you?

A: Didn’t you read the title? I’m the tall girl, venturing into the small world. Ok, ok, more specifically…. I’ve been a freelance writer for 10 years, an avid traveler for 20-some, and an over-analytical nuisance since birth. Though I love covering a variety of genres and topics, travel writing is a particular favorite of mine. 

I’ve dabbled in it for years, and was supposed to undertake a big backpacking trip/writing endeavor in 2020, but then… well, that year was a little hectic, so to speak. As was the next one. And here we are, taking it to 2022. Although it isn’t exactly a stable year, the hope was that it will at least be manageable enough to do some exploring.

Q: Annnnnnnd, you’re traveling? Now? In this economy? In the middle of a pandemic? Isn’t that, ya know…. kind of dumb?

A: ….Maybe? A little? For all of its personal and cultural benefits, travel is inherently a somewhat selfish act, and perhaps more so in times such as these. It would be disingenuous to not acknowledge the extreme privilege I have to travel right now, and the inherent risks. And I did spend a lot of time debating whether it was really the best idea to go right now. In the end, it came down to three factors:

1. My circumstances had lined up in a way that they never have before (and might not again) to enable long-term solo travel. I was at a crossroads, and couldn’t ignore the significance of this moment. (I know, I know, more me-focused things. But there was definitely a personal element to this trip).
2. While covid is still undeniably raging on, it had also reached a point where it felt somewhat safer and more navigable. (Quick sidenote: this was something I factored in before the lovely advent of omicron, which popped up as my trip was more or less already in motion. Its exact effects are still in progress, but it’s definitely made things more interesting). There are always new surprises and obstacles related to it, of course, but it seemed that the confluence of vaccine availability, decreasing cases, and reopening borders allowed for safer and more manageable travel. Again, it should be emphasized that there are still risks; the sheer level of global vaccine inequality is a modern foreign affairs disgrace. But I will spend my trip being careful, just as I would at home: wearing masks, socially distancing when possible, following local and national guidelines, and trying to patronize places that do the same. That being said, I’ve also put aside a nice little “oh crap” fund, because, you know, crap happens, especially during these times. In some ways, though, I feel safer traveling than I do in my home country right now. More on that in later posts. 
3. There was actually a certain journalistic incentive to go at this point in time. Years ago, when I first started considering this idea of travel (and writing about it), I had a lot of topics and ideas that I wanted to explore. But perhaps one of the biggest was that of a world in transition. Cultural, economic, and environmental disruptions were coming to the forefront (some good, many alarming), and it seemed like an ideal time to explore the world as it had this reckoning with itself. Of course, at the time, I thought I’d be covering simple things like, say, the potential collapse of vital ecosystems. I hadn’t really anticipated the whole Global Pandemic And Ensuing Extra Chaos With Sprinkles thing. But in a way, that has only furthered the thesis. While we don’t know the exact societal outcomes from this, we can hope, and dream, and work towards positive ones. And those paradigms are very actively shifting right now. As a traveler, a writer, and an aspiring world citizen, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least try to cover some of these changing sectors. I am by no means an expert in any of these fields, but I will certainly work to produce informed, engaged content. Of course, I’ll also be looking at shifts in travel itself, from the complexities of over-tourism and the impacts of the pandemic to the rise in ethical travel as a discussion and a practice. As the world reopens and reevaluates, I felt particularly compelled to write about it. And I feel particularly fortunate to be able to do so. 

Q: So, what else are you going to write about?

A: Stuff. Things. See the above. And also: nature, pop culture, history, the environment, social justice, the weird, the wonderful, and everything in between. Nice and specific, ain’t it? Some posts will be funny (hopefully), some more introspective; some may, depending on the topic, be a little angry. I suspect that most of them will be some mixture of all of the above. And while this blog is ostensibly and primarily about travel, it’s liable to go off in some strange directions at any given moment, because, well, life’s about intersections and oddities. 

Q: How often will you post these weird and rambling missives?

A: Hopefully pretty often! Depending on levels of busyness and/or wifi connections.

Q: Where else can we find your other equally weird, but less rambling content?

A: Instagram, mostly. tall.girl.small.world3 is where you can find all the oodles of photos that go with the adventures. There’s a possibility of a YouTube channel in the future, but that’s a big “maybe” at the moment.

Q: Good lord, do you have anything more concrete or specific to say?!

A: Yes, Invisible Questioner! Mainly, this: welcome to the blog. I’m glad that you’re here!