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Archive - November 2019

October in Belarus

October in Belarus: Wait…I Was Drinking Dirty Water?!

November 22, 2019

Time flashed before my eyes this month. I blinked, and my Belarus in October was over. I found my groove in Belarus this month. Naturally, I don’t have everything figured out, but I’m comfortably shopping, navigating, and living out daily life. Here are the defining moments...

eco-friendly travel

How to Avoid Traveler’s Guilt When the Environment is Dying

November 15, 2019

Last week on Instagram I asked for your eco-friendly travel questions (follow me here if you’re not already!) The following question stopped me in my tracks: “How do you avoid feeling guilty about travel since it contributes to environmental problems?” View this post on...

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞! 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰! Whether you’re a new or an old follower, comment below so we can get to know each other 😍 I’m Kendal, the girl behind ‘Getaway Girl’ (except I consider myself a young woman and kinda cringe at ‘girl’...but Getaway Young Woman doesn’t have the same ring to it) 🌚 I educate women how to wander without waste. Anyone can be a getaway girl and getaway from waste of all kinds (plastic, water, or even experiences abroad). I make sustainability accessible, fun, and a positive experience ✨ I’m currently physical distancing in my parent’s guest bedroom, but I’m moving next month (gotta work, ya know?). Previously, I was teaching with @the_fulbright_program in Belarus. I had 72 hours to pack up my life and return to the States 😭 Some of my cancelled travel plans include more Belarus adventures, visiting friends in Lithuania and Ukraine, and a retreat in Israel 😣 It’s all good though because I’m safe and I only lost 5% of my travel costs (and I’m helping other travelers not lose their money in my Coronavirus Traveler Support Group on FB). I know I’ll travel again eventually, and it’ll be an even greater adventure after the long separation! Currently, I’m learning how to be a better ally with @glographics guide. If you’ve bought the guide, and are looking for a safe space to unlearn and reflect, DM me and I can add you to a small Insta group we’ve got going on! Your turn! 🤩 1. Where are you? 2. What plans have you canceled? 3. Where are you on your journey to being a sustainable traveler? #introduceyourself #heynewfollowers #sustainabletravelers #sustainabletravelblog #sustainabletravelblogger #safeathome #travelersupportgroup
𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬? 🤔 I read somewhere that the plural form of priority is a relatively modern word. Traditionally, it was always singular. This kind of makes sense because it’s “the condition being regarded or treated as more important.” It’s hard to treat a multitude of things as more important. 🤔 Yet, I have multiple priorities. Exercise and cooking healthy meals is a priority to me, as well as reading and continuously learning. Participating in politics is important to me, and so is protecting the environment and traveling. My family, friends, and cat are all priorities in my life, but so is my alone time. As much as my blog is a priority, so is my full-time job (that actually pays the bills). I love learning languages too! 🤔 Some days, to be completely honest, I question if I need to simplify my life. But every single one of those things bring me joy and satisfaction! 🤔 Recently, I was told to work in 3s. First thing every morning, before I even get out of bed, name 3 things I’m grateful for and the 3 things that, if I could only accomplish those things, it’d still be a successful day. But what happens when all of your priorities are demanding you of something? 🤔 I’m still learning about balance and getting out of the “all or nothing” mindset. Having multiple priorities is hard, but I think it’s possible! 🤔 What do you think? Is it possible to have multiple priorities, or does that make none of them a priority?
Today I humbly come to you with my plan of action for the next two months to make Getaway Girl more inclusive of Black eco-travelers, support Black Lives Matter, and simply be a better human. I’m not perfect. This plan isn’t perfect. I have a lot of work. Things will change, always with the goal to be better and do better in mind. To my Black followers (and all POC followers)- You’re exhausted and I hope I can free up even the tiniest bit of mental space for you through these actions. I’m educating myself as much as possible without further burdening on your mental energy. But, if you ever want to suggest an improvement for me or call me out on something, my DMs are open for you. To my White followers- I encourage you to try some of these things too! Once I post my Code of Conduct for Travel, I hope you incorporate some or all of the aspects into your travels. Let’s be on this journey to better travel together! Also, follow @theblacktravelalliance if you’re an ally in the travel industry to know which travel brands are stepping up. Great organization by great people making moves and shaking things up. Show them support! I want to hear from you! • Do you have any Black eco travelers you want me to feature on Getaway Girl? If you are a Black eco traveler, feel free to comment below! • Do you have an awesome non profit in mind that’s fighting environmental racism? I have a few in mind but am open to more suggestions. As I said in the carousel, I want to form a long-term financial relationship with 1-2 nonprofits focusing specifically on combatting environmental racism. Hopefully it becomes something I can get involved with beyond financial support! • Any travel brands you’re saying “heck yes” or “heck no” to because of how they’ve stepped up (or haven’t)? • Anything Else? Sending love and peace to you 💚 #pullupfortravel #pulluporshutup #supportblackcreators #supportblacklivesmatter #supportblacklives #environmentalracism #trashtalk #blacktravelalliance #stopsystemicracism #blacklivesalwaysmatter #wemustdobetter
When I was in college, I took an ethics course. It was a general education requirement, but I love learning so I tried to find something that might resonate with me. I never expected that it would become the most life-altering class of my education. We studied a variety of ethical perspectives, but only one hit me. It’s by a philosopher named John Rawls. He asks, what if, before we are born, we all agree to a social contract? We live behind a veil of ignorance at this unborn moment, not knowing who we’ll become. We wouldn’t know our skin color, gender, sexual orientation, family dynamic, wealth, or anything else. We only know we would exist. If we all had to agree to a social contact not knowing who we’d become, Rawls predicts we would make things as equally opportune and equally fair as possible, while also leaving room for growth. Wealthy would get wealthier, but poor would also get wealthier. No one would be discriminated against. There would be fairness and opportunity for all. Before birth, we’d agree to a social contract that required the privileged to benefit the unprivileged. Ever since then, I’ve prescribed myself to this way of moral thinking. I question, what would I want the world to be if I didn’t know who I would be? To be honest, I’ve had to change some of my views of the world to fit this perspective. I’ve had to multiply some of my perspectives x10 and I’ve become louder about injustices. Sometimes it was uncomfortable and difficult to let go of my past beliefs. But I have. And I still am. Understanding how I view the world through an ethical lens has made me a better person to myself, my friends and family, as well as my community and country. We are 6 months into 2020. There’s only 150 days until Election Day. As we approach such an important election, I ask all of you to study ethics, too, and decide your ethical perspective. See what makes sense to you. And, if you must, change your previous beliefs on certain issues. I suggest the Crash Course Philosophy series to get you started. #ethics #rawls #criticalethicalperspectives #crashcourse #educatedvoters #studyethics #johnrawls #invisiblecurtain #socialcontract
𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. Getaway Girl condemns and does not tolerate racism. The police brutality and systemic oppression against Black people in this country is horrifying and disappointing. And this discrimination goes so much further than what we see on TV. Today’s post is my attempt to add to the conversation something you may not know. To further demonstrate the rate of discrimination our Black friends, colleagues, neighbors, and peers experience on a daily basis. And this is only the surface of it. White person to White person, I get that it can be scary to speak about race and not know if you’re saying the right thing. You know what’s worse? Laying your partner/child/friend to rest for something they didn’t do and didn’t deserve. That’s what the Black community is experiencing right now. They’re mourning decades—centuries—of loss and abuse. We can never understand it, but we can prevent it from happening again. Silence only prevails discrimination. DO NOT REMAIN SILENT. WE CAN’T STAY SILENT ANYMORE. To be honest, we should’ve broke the silence a long time ago. We didn’t. We must now. There’s no other choice now. Use the “scary” words, such as oppression and white supremacy. Because that’s what it is. Do not be a coward. Stand up. Show up. Speak out. The environment is a race issue. The criminal justice system is a race issue. The education system is a race issue. Everything is a race issue. If you’re White and trying to learn how to be anti-racist, my DMs are open. I’m learning too, but I’ll share what I’ve learned. Hopefully, with my efforts, I’ve opened up a bit more space for relief in the Black community. Dear Black people, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for how my ancestors have treated you and the system they created that perpetually discriminates you. I’m sorry for the system I haven’t worked hard enough to fix or dismantle. I promise to work harder today and in the future. Sincerely, Kendal #blm #blacklivesmatter #environmentalracism #environmentalracismisreal #blacklivesmatter✊🏼 #whitepeopleforblacklives #dismantleracism
I’ve read 12 books so far in 2020. Here are my top 5! (In order that I read them) • Beyond the Pill by @drjolenebrighten • The Cactus by @sarahjhaywood • The Alchemist by @paulocoelho • Becoming by @michelleobama • How Not to Give A F*ck by @markmanson If you’re looking for books to read from authors around the world, check out the crowdsourced list in the link in my bio!
I’m feeling restless HBU? I’ve been inside, living in my parent’s guest bedroom, for 9 weeks now. I was supposed to leave Belarus two days ago. To get by, I’m dreaming up my future travels. I’m thinking of Israel, Egypt, or Oman. Where is the first place you want to go? #stayathome #itllgetbetter #thingswillgetbettersoon #dreamingoftravel #dreamingoftraveling #backyardphotoshoot #howareyoureally
You’re not a bad person for using Amazon! Amazon is acting like a bad company. A few notes I didn’t get to put in the slides: • I hate personifying companies. It’s natural for English-speakers to use “they” for companies, but it’s not a person! I’m actively working to change the vocabulary I use in reference to companies/corporations/etc. • The only thing I still use Amazon for is to borrow books from my local library onto my Kindle. Recently, I looked into switching to books from Barnes & Noble, but that would’ve required me to purchase a new device unnecessarily called Nook in order to read books from Barnes & Noble. Plus, I would’ve lost the books I’ve already purchased on my Kindle. There should be one standard ebook size! I also recently learned that publishers will sell ebooks to libraries, but the purchase is really more of a lease because the ebook expires after a few years. Before digital libraries, libraries bought a physical book and owned it forever. Now publishers are trying to nickel and dime libraries for trying to share knowledge. If consumers can buy an ebook and own it forever, libraries should especially be able to as well. • DM me if you want a prompt to email/write Amazon! #amazonsucks #amazonisamonopoly #monopoly #unsustainable #unethical #amazonisbad #unsustainablebusiness #letstalktrash
How are you? No really, how are you? How is your sustainability journey? Mine looks like this: /\/\/\/\ (up down up down up down) (win fail win fail win fail) That’s ok! We’re doing the best we can and that’s what the planet expects of us! Remember, do what you can. Do more if you can. Do less if you must. Pivot when necessary. Reevaluate often. Prepare to avoid future #sustainabilityfails This is me playing around with my camera and angles some more #athome I never know what to do with my hands (see pic #2) 🤷🏼‍♀️ Ah well, practice makes perfect! #howareyoureallychallenge #howareyou #stayathome #journeytosustainability #upsanddowns #practicemakesbetter