Thanks guys
Traveling is fun (duh). I love to see new places and experience new things, which is very unique. Watching how other people around the world do life, what they eat, and what they get to see day-to-day is fascinating. Some people get to see mountains, others tall buildings or just plains, some eat little to no meat, others plenty of fish. Getting to experience what locals do and see day-to-day is definitely a pleasure, and Lord willing, I’ll get to see plenty more in the future.
I got the travel bug when I was born when my family decided to do a bunch of road trips soon after. Now I don’t remember most of all of that, but whether I was aware of it or not, I was getting around. My first words were “look” as our family drove by the St. Louis Arch. Kind of funny now since I’m a photographer pointing out other things for people to look at. All throughout my life, my family has been traveling, especially to Mexico since my mom went to visit family there. In Coahuila Musquiz, where my mom is from, she would give all the kids pesos to buy snacks and stuff while we roamed through the town. Those memories have definitely been ingrained in me, and I really appreciate my parents for giving us that experience.
Mexico was the only place we traveled “internationally,” but domestically was a bit more varied. Kentucky, Arizona, Colorado, California, Virginia, and South Dakota were some of the places I remember we traveled to. We didn’t usually walk the city, but they would take us to national parks, like the Grand Canyon, which we visited 3+ times, which is crazy. My dad has sisters that live in Kentucky and Washington, so he took us to see them a time or two, which was awesome. I can’t remember a bad road trip, so praise God.
Because of these experiences, my desire to travel has only grown, especially after watching Departures (a show about three Canadian guys traveling the world) and Anthony Bourdain’s adventures. I had not been able to go international aside from Mexico, but that would change when my sister worked for American Airlines and gave us benefits to travel for cheap, which was amazing. My first overseas trip was to the UK with my brother and my mom in 2015, I believe. It’s mainly a blur, but I know I enjoyed it, and my family definitely made traveling more enjoyable. Sometimes I travel by myself, but traveling with loved ones is exceptionally better than by yourself.
Ever since then, I’ve been to Sydney, Seoul, Tokyo (x3), all of Western Europe, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Toronto, Mexico City, Israel, and 20+ major cities domestically. Either road trip or plane trip, I praise God for those experiences and how they shape how I view the world, people, and my faith. I realize that I’m incredibly blessed and thankful for all of the opportunities to travel, especially with friends and family. I hope I’m able to share the beauty of this world through my lens and inspire others to take on a new perspective.
