Yesterday I completed a hike in Patagonia I’ve seen on the internet for years. It was the vivid scene of the granite towers looming over a turquoise lake in Torres del Paine that sparked my interest to explore the southern region of South America in the first place.

Hiking there was surreal for the broke, naive girl who used to work her ass off while trying to find ways to travel the world. Another “I can’t believe I’m really here,” moment for sure. And more immediately, it was a nice reward after hiking for close to 4 hours uphill. Let’s just say my body was suffering while my brain was on cloud 9.

But the more I travel constantly, the less I’m able to always live completely in the moment. You’d think it’s the opposite but sometimes things going on in the “outside” world penetrate into special moments. 

Maybe that makes me pessimistic, maybe human. Definitely not a saint though.

Sometimes I just can’t wrap my brain around why I’ve been dealt the cards I have, and it’s strange to me how someone can be living their absolute best day and others their absolute worst.

In this case, I’m talking about the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. While I sit at the base of an alpine lake snapping photos, someone is digging through rubble searching for their daughter. At the time I’m writing this, it’s been reported by NPR that close to 30,000 people are dead and as time runs out to find people, that number may rise.

As a fellow human, the amount of pain being felt right now makes my body shudder and my heart ache. I know tragedy is nothing new, it occurs everyday. In contrast, everyday people are being blessed with incredible moments we shouldn’t feel guilty for.

But when something of such magnitude happens even if it doesn’t affect you directly, I think it’s only human to share in that pain and help if you can.

When I started my travel blog, I told myself I never wanted to be an influencer who lived in their own bubble, out of touch with reality, unconcerned with others, niched down so far they talk about nothing but how to find a cheap flight.

I’m not trying to put myself on a pedestal, have a savior complex, or even claim I have such a huge platform to make a massive difference. 

But this contrast of life experiences is something I think of constantly when I’m sharing beautiful destinations on the same platforms people are spreading awareness, fighting for their rights, and begging for help.

So before photo dumping the beauties of Patagonia today, I decided to sit in my nuanced feelings,  write about it, and share it. 

If you’re reading this, I really encourage you to help if you can – and most of us can. This link is to a Turkish NGO so your money helps more directly, even $5 goes a really long way. 

Thank you ❤️