Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Larry Smith AKA Six Word Memoirs
“On the road, my brainwaves explode. …In a good way, of course!” – Larry Smith //@sixwords 047/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project
Year: 2015
Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Jules Julien
“The first thing impacting me when I arrive in a new country are people…how they look, how they speak, how they are dressed, how they live together. I go generally to cities. The countryside bores me. I can still be moved by a landscape, but one day is enough for me. About a city and its livings, when I like it, I can stay watching it as long as possible… Tokyo is my favorite place. After my first visit I have returned 6 times the following years and I will go back again. I love its places, its people, its fashion and lifestyles. The first time in Tokyo, I was shooting everything. I wanted to bring back with me to Paris as many memories as possible…people in streets, subways, bars, parks… During my second trip in Tokyo, I was contacted by email by a Japanese guy, just a coincidence, he didn’t know I was in Tokyo. He was the director of the Diesel Art Gallery and he proposed I have a solo show at his space. The …
Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Kivvi Roberts
“My travel style and philosophy go hand in hand. Wherever I go, I want to seem less like a tourist and more like I belong or at the very least live there. I love trying to pick out the subtleties of style and demeanor of the city/country I’m exploring. It’s such a great way to learn about a place, its people and its culture… One way to blend in Paris is through dress. They have such a clean, simple, chic vibe that I love. My style as of late has gravitated towards that aesthetic. The Parisian look is in the details…also one has to sit outside at a café for hours!” – Kivvi Rachelle Roberts // @kivvirachelle 045/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project
Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Elektra Carras
“The energy of Haiti makes you feel more real with yourself and others. It makes you feel like you’ve been stripped down to your core being, and naturally show your character that you’ve been building throughout the course of your life. A country with such a strong sense of culture, a harsh and violent past that demonstrates the determination of the country to be the first Black nation to win their independence, presents an energy that gives you force…though naturally presents challenges at times. You think about what it means to be in survival mode, and find yourself sometimes relating to this term, but in the best way possible. The people are far from being passive, robotic, autonomous, and quiet. If you are working here, you question why you are doing what you do, what it is bringing to people, how are people responding to it, and this makes you want to do the best you can. At the end of the day, you know that as a foreigner, you will never go unnoticed, and …
Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Gina Doost
“Beach hopping in Curaçao! I’ve never had so many turquoise water beaches to choose from — yes this was paradise!! On our last day on the breathtaking island in the Caribbean just off the coast of Venezuela, there sits this island that claims 38 different beaches with sunny skies along the southern and west coasts. We drove our car from beach to beach and took a dive in the crystal clear turquoise waters — so clear I could see colorful fish floating beneath me while I swam. It was one of the sweetest and most epic experiences in my life — nature at its finest! As a multicultural person, half Persian and half Afghan — born in Hungary and raised in Germany and California — I’ve seen and experienced a lot of beautiful cultures and lands. But never have I seen so much of paradise in one place like I witnessed on the island of Curaçao… My travel tip is to allow yourself to get lost, you’ll be amazed at what you’ll find. With my beach hopping …
Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Sonja Talwar
“Between two worlds. To live in two absolutely different cultures is like living in two different worlds. You know the famous places and the places you wouldn’t dare visit…the danger zones…But so often in my life, I had the feeling that I didn’t belong to anything. Neither to one world or the other. I was not a local…I was a sightseer…a stranger in my own life…I understood both worlds but I didn’t have a sense of belonging. Last year, I took a journey to the other side… My father is Indian and my mother is German. My parents got divorced when I was 4. But, I always asked myself why it was that I only existed in one of the worlds. So, I wanted to go back to discover my roots on my own…to see if I belong more to India or Germany. I wanted to know if I’m a German potato or if there is anything else in me, maybe a little Indian monk! It was a strange feeling standing in Delhi Airport. It …
Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Brandon Schulman
“I spent three months in Bolivia with my best friend in College where we did an extensive photo project documenting the country. For some reason, we got it in our heads when we were in La Paz to hire mountaineers and climb the second highest mountain in Bolivia named Huayna Potosí with a summit height of 6088 meters…It was a two-day climb, which by the way, started with a walk past the cemetery of all the dead climbers…Luckily I brought a mechanical Contax camera with me that could operate without a battery because all battery-powered objects stopped working about half way in due to the temperature… When we reached base camp for the night, we had to quickly eat, sleep and wake up at 1am for the arduous trek to the summit…Sadly my friend and his lady did not make it to the summit and passed out…thankfully my stubbornness along with the help of a Scandinavian man pushing me along (because if I stopped, he had to), we reached the summit to watch the sunrise …
Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Scott Dykzeul
“In a week and a half, I’m doing my favorite trip of the year. It doesn’t involve a plane, car or a train, but my bicycle. I’m riding 545 miles to smell the ocean, strawberries and hear people’s laughter between oak trees; riding from San Francisco to Los Angeles for the third time… It’s not a race, but a journey. Along the way, I’ll get time to think, meet new people, and hear stories from those around me…Stories that will make me smile, laugh, and cry. I signed up the first time after watching a close friend of mine ride. Every week he posted pictures of him riding across the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin…As a new Bay Area resident, I wanted to explore and meet new friends… The thing that brings me back year after year is the sense of community…The folks on the ride are genuinely interested in being there and the authenticity they bring is like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. For one week, 2,000+ strangers come together…It’s really magical. The ride …
Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Sue Ganz-Schmitt
“I am a children’s book author and a few years ago, I scribbled out a new manuscript about kindergarten being a metaphor for an astronaut launching into a new adventure. I didn’t finish it then – but tossed it in a drawer waiting for more inspiration. I had loved space as a kid which inspired the story. Then my best friend and her family moved to Orlando one summer and we went to visit them. We spent three days at the Disney parks and on the fourth day, she suggested we go to Kennedy Space Center. I was hoping for one more day at the theme parks with our kids. But my husband was done with the theme parks and was excited to go. Once I got there, I fell in love with space all over again…The astronaut suits, real moon rock, simulated mission, rocket garden, and recreated Mission Control re-inspired my interest and I went home and finished my manuscript and named it PLANET KINDERGARTEN. I was hoping the book would get kids excited …
Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Yasmine Ferdjani
“Listening to and singing my national anthem then watching my OWN country play live at the WORLD CUP in Brazil! As a football fan from a third world country, I grew up just hoping that my country would qualify for the World Cup. Then, when it happened and I was actually able to combine my obsession for traveling with my love for football, that was just priceless! A trip I will never forget even more so as the Fennecs made us proud! Walking around Rio de Janeiro streets and beaches with my flag, people recognizing it and telling me how amazing our team played and how it’s the first time they met someone from Algeria was pure joy!” – Yasmine Ferdjani // @layasmeen 038/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project