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Why Study Abroad?

May 20, 2019

Our interview was going well. I had quick answers to every question. Sol, the other exchange student from Argentina, and I were enjoying our time with the reporter; we easily bounced off each other, adding more details and anecdotes to our stories. I had an answer to every question…until...

high school study abroad

This is the Best High School Study Abroad Program in 2020

May 6, 2019

When I was 16 years old, I was a foreign exchange student in Germany while in high school. Many high schoolers don’t study abroad, but they should! Today I’m sharing the best high school study abroad program and answering all your questions so you can travel abroad confidently...

📱 I’m logging off soon 📱 I’ve mentioned feeling apathetic towards Instagram recently. It’s an amazing platform that has introduced me to many people, connect with you more, and learn a lot. It’s also kinda taking over my life. 📱 So, I’ve decided to take a break for a while. I want to see if it’s possible to be a travel blogger without an active Instagram. How will my business be affected? How can I connect with y’all? 📱 Plus, I’m currently in the process of moving. I could use all that time on insta settling in and getting to know my new city (all within CDC and WHO guidelines, of course). 📱 I’ll be back in 3 months! I’m logging of on the 20th. 📱 There are so many ways we can stay connected. And I like those platforms more anyway! Click the link in bio to follow my FB page, join my newly created Zero Waste Travel FB Group, or join my email list. 📱 I posted a new blog post explaining in more detail my IG log-off. Check it out! (Link in bio too) 📱 I’m going to miss y’all! Please connect with me in other ways. Leave blog comments! Email me! I’m so much better at responding to email than IG DMs anyway! 💕Kendal (P.S. Another throwback photo. This is where I’d rather be than stuck in my car for hours upon hours) #travelblogger #quittinginstagram #socialmediabreak #newblogpost #travelbloggerslife #microtravelblogger #bloggingwithoutinstagram
Travel bloggers are not medical professionals. Travel bloggers are not medical professionals. Travel bloggers are not medical professionals. Travel bloggers are not medical professionals. Disclaimer: I’m also not a medical professional. A lot of people are quoting CDC’s guidelines for safe travel. But have you actually visited the CDC website? The first half of the page is politely asking you to reconsider travel because “staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting sick.” Even if you’re following your state’s guidelines, ask yourself, are the people making the rules medical professionals? Probably not. Medical professionals are seeing a lot of patients reinfected with covid a second time. They’re learning the antibodies aren’t lasting a long time, maybe just a couple of months. And, due to the scarring of your lungs from the first infection, the second infection has consistently been worse. This makes the prospects of herd immunity or a vaccines potentially less effective. Medical teams are doing their best to keep us safe for the long term and are frustrated that we’re not. They say if 80% of Americans wore a mask, then the virus rates would drop significantly. How are 80% of us not wearing a freaking mask? (A medical professional friend informed me of this; verified with scientific reports) Does all that worry you? It kinda should. Be uncomfortable. We’re living through a pandemic that’s resurging worse than the first time. We can be in control of our destiny. It requires vigilance. Travel local. Enjoy the outdoors and staycations. To my fellow travel bloggers, please pivot. You can be a travel blog and not travel all the time. Teach yoga online. Make digital products. Do an online retreat. Go on a virtual press trip. Work with your local tourism board. Even in a good economy, it’s a bad economy for someone. Right now it’s our industry’s bad economy. We can get through this with creativity and community. I know the industry is struggling, but we have to work together to get through this. Health and safety are the 2 things everyone values. Those are diminishing right now. Let’s discuss. Do you agree?
My TV show of choice this past week has been “Taste the Nation” with Jody Padma Lakshmi on Hulu. It exposes the heart of American cuisine (hint: it’s not pure American). It’s a wonderful reminder of how beautifully diverse the U.S. is, and the struggles of the immigrants who have adopted this country as their own. The most common struggle many immigrants (even of multiple generations) have voiced is not feeling American enough or enough of their heritage either (Mexican, Thai, etc.) The problem was different for the white Americans with Germans heritage though, who had blended so much that they’re trying to preserve their culture from being completely enveloped into American society. My family immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in the late-1800s (what a privilege to know that!). They lived in a German community in Midwestern USA. They spoke German until it was too dangerous during WW2. My great grandmother (who I met as a baby) was the last one to be raised speaking German. German-Americans blended in as much as possible to survive. Millions of immigrants could not blend in though. For example, the Japanese immigrants we needed to build our economy, yet threw into concentration camps on our own soil. Now we learn about this tragic and inhumane part of our history in a paragraph in our history books. (Comparatively, when I studied WW2 with my German classmates in Germany at 16, we studied WW2 for the entire year) American history is a beautiful story of cultures blending and unifying...but also a story of many tragedies. The first episode takes place in El Paso, Texas. I completed an internship there a couple of years ago and quickly fell in love with the city. It was exciting to experience it again through my TV, and also important to hear the stories of Mexican-American separated by the border from their loved ones. Those were the stories I didn’t hear while I was there. I’m grateful that Hulu has produced this very necessary show, exploring American history and culture through food. What are you watching that’s making you think? #tastethenation #tastethenationwithpadmalakshmi #huluoriginal #elpasotexas #elpasohiking
If you had 3 wishes that would come true, what would you wish for to make the travel industry more sustainable? Big or small, it all counts! I would wish for... • COVID to disappear • All plastic to be replaced with sustainable alternatives • Composting to be made widely accessible everywhere How about you? This one is a tough one! P.S. That funky filter on my sunflower photos is actually 2 fingerprints on my lens that I didn’t notice until post-processing 🤦🏼‍♀️
🌻 Traveling, but at home 🌻 My state moved into phase 2 of reopening a month ago and our cases have remained steady. Our governor has delayed further reopening to avoid the catastrophe of the south. Although we would’ve ideally listened to scientists and stayed closed for longer in order to continue decreasing cases, at least my state has stayed steady and has delayed further reopening. 🌻 Although you’re technically traveling anytime you leave home, I think this argument is futile. Essential services should not be considered travel because travel is and always will be a luxury, even if it’s in your hometown. Calling grocery shopping “travel” disregards the luxury of travel. 🌻 After observing my town and how seriously people are still treating the pandemic, I’ve felt comfortable exploring my town a little bit with many precautions (I’ll share how in a future post). 🌻 To be honest, my family was always at greater risk. We’re currently all living together. I flew internationally when my program abroad suddenly ended. My brother is a janitor. My cousin works at a fast food restaurant. My sister’s medical needs requires her to still attend appointments and pick up prescriptions regularly. We’ve taken serious precautions to reduce our risk, stay safe, and keep our community safe. Thankfully, we’ve successfully done so. That could partially be from luck, partially from living in a small town, and partially from our safety precautions. 🌻 I’m moving in a couple of weeks. My parents will sell their house in the next few months to downsize. They hope to move somewhere more retiree-friendly as they enter that stage of their lives. There’s nothing keeping me in this town, so who knows if I’ll ever return. 🌻 So, I visited a few places I had never been in this town. I took many precautions to keep the few people near me safe. As you can see, I was the only one in this photo! 🌻 I do not plan to even book international travel until 2021. I might visit family in Florida this winter (depending, of course)...but even this is wishful dreaming. 🌻 How are you traveling now? Are you? #travelduringcoronavírus #sunflowerfield #sunflowermaze #staysafeeveryone
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