The morning rush hour in Addis Ababa is beyond alive. People are lined up for blocks to catch the city bus to work. Drivers wheeling overcrowded “blue donkey” taxis hustle to move people from the hubs of Kazanches and Mexico …
Category: Travel

Playing it Safe: 8 Basic Things All Smart Travelers Do
We all expect good things to happen when we travel for vacation or business. We will close the deal. We will sleep in. We will drink unlimited adult beverages. But sometimes bad things happen. I have the stories to prove …
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Hike Like a Girl 2018 | Scenes from Patapsco Valley State Park, Maryland
Patapsco Valley State Park in May is a treat for the eyes and ears. These photos of my May 5th, Hike Like a Girl adventure feature the park’s McKeldin area, a popular place for nature lovers, bikers, hikers, horseback riders, …
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If You Don’t Carry a Tiny Notebook When You Travel, Get One
In a world with no shortage of Instagram-worthy photos of people jumping off of cliffs or riding elephants on holiday, putting memories into writing seems far less exciting. Catchy photos get more “likes” than essays, which tend to be overlooked …
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One Trip To India Turned Me Into a Street Photographer
Inspired by the colorful people of India, guest writer Jenna Hurley shares how she discovered the joy of street photography. Her candid photos of everyday life in Delhi, Varanasi, Agra, Ranthambore, and Jaipu show us that India’s beauty is more than …
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I Found the Spice of Life on a Farm in Zanzibar
We visited Abdalla Abeid’s Spice Farm on our way from Stone Town to Pwani Mchangani during a trip to Tanzania’s Zanzibar. The farm was not anything like America’s commercial orchards, where apple trees grow neatly in rows. It was a …

A Visit to Your Hometown Might Be Exactly What you Need
When I ask people what they feel when they return to their hometowns, they almost always say, “at peace.” Folks from small towns talk about a pace that’s slower; having nowhere to be because there’s nothing to do. It’s as …
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Why Every Woman Should Spend Time Alone in the Woods
I recently took to the woods alone for the first time. When I started my car preparing to return home the first thing I noticed was that the radio sounded way too loud, even though the volume was normal when …
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Remembering Minty: Why the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Park Will Humble You
I discovered the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Park a couple of months after moving back to the U.S. while searching for places to learn about Black history in Maryland. So when Outdoor Afro Washington D.C. suggested we all take …

Trekking in Wenchi Crater
This weekend the kids and I headed out to Wenchi Crater, located about 120 miles (3 hours) west of Addis Ababa between Ambo and Wolisso. Hands down, this is the most beautiful place I have seen in Ethiopia so far. …