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round trip travel and lifestyle blog

Why A Picture is Worth a Thousand Lies

October 12, 2016
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I can’t think of many people who hate the holidays, but I know almost no one who enjoyed taking the family Christmas card.  Ever.  Just one more, kids.  Here, let me just lick my finger and get that random smudge off your face (#ew).  JUST SIT STILL ALREADY AND LOOK LIKE YOU LOVE EACH OTHER.  I’m confident that I’m not alone.  By the end of the session, you can’t be more ready to go back to school or work, stop putting your arms around your siblings and get out of this ridiculous, itchy outfit.  But the card sent out showcases your lovely and mildly fake smile and shows none of the groans and shoving.  A picture may be worth a thousand words, but at the same time, it can be worth a thousand lies.why-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-lies-lake-of-the-ozarks

Before my trip to Los Angeles, I was beyond psyched for two weeks on the West Coast.  I knew I’d meet new people, get a nice tan (clarification: this was a hope) and enjoy the beach.  I even snapped some pictures of the breath-taking views and posed for some model shots.  I posted 12 pics on Insta from my time in L.A. and appeared to have a phenomenal trip.  And yes, I did have a nice time.  But between these selfies at the resort and perusing the art museum were two trips to the urgent care and three different antibiotics for my nasty sty which was bigger than a woolly mammoth.  Hence, the sunglasses for almost every single picture of the last week of L.A.  Case in point: you can get killer shots in Hollywood and be in a lot of pain.  The pictures showed off the lovely views and my cheery smile but completely neglected to tell the world that I looked like I had a rare disease in my eye and that I definitely did not feel Hollywood gorgeous.Hollywood Sign Los Angeles California

This trip to L.A. also inspired another post about how to fly on a plane alone.  I felt like such a strong independent woman (#girlboss) navigating the airports and doing it by myself.  But it wasn’t all smooth.  I had a delayed flight which delayed my shuttle pickup time at LAX.  So I had to chill in LAX for several hours which made me late for the first meeting of my conference.  Woot.  Woot.

And for my recent post A Classy Afternoon in Columbia, I wrote of the fantastic French toast and thrifting with Cate, Molly and Claire.  I bought a cute little cactus named Joey, tried a new coffee shop (with coffee ice cubes!) and pet a cat.  A perfect and classy afternoon, right?  Well, not quite.  I had a *lovely* stain on the back of my dress that I didn’t notice till hours later.   I’m 99% sure Joey was dead when I bought him.  And I’d actually just met all these girls only weeks before that afternoon.  It’s easy to look like the bestest of friends with cute shades and a fun selfie.  But looks can deceive.  Yes, the afternoon was incredibly fun, but travel photos (and just photos in general) can make life look, well, picture-perfect.  And the fact of the matter is: it’s not.  Fortunately, Shout exists which saved my life and one of my favorite dresses.  Yes, I’m bummed my second succulent didn’t make it to adolescence or get to see his first Christmas, but it’s not the end of the world.  Plus, I may not have known these gal pals well on this day, but subsequent lunch dates, a trip to the lake and a few nose piercings later have grown these friendships.  Columbia MO Consign and Design Gal Pals

This past summer Riley and I spent almost the entire day exploring the city of St. Louis together.  The macaroons?  So yummy!   A stroll through the art museum?  Oh, so classy.  All our photo opts?  Fabulous (#humblebrag).  Here’s what you didn’t see: I dropped a macaroon.  Sad day.  And they made me coat check these goodies at the art museum.  And we both were really tired by mid-afternoon and not incredibly chatty.  And it was one of the last times we’d see each other for months.  While I really enjoyed our day together, it was very bitter-sweet, knowing tears and lonely days would come all too soon.La Bonne Bouchee Macaroon Case St Louis MO

Photos have incredible power to tell stories and capture memories for years.  They’re not evil, but when we manipulate them to achieve this lofty and idealistic idea of status, we’re missing the point.  When you’re a slave to Instagram because you have to post a pic to let everyone know that you definitely weren’t sitting in your pjs watching Friends all night alone, it’s not fun anymore.  And to let you in on a little secret: you’re never going to reach the status you desire.

By all means, bring your camera on your next trip.  Go wild with the number of selfies you take.  I personally believe you can never take too many photos.  But don’t be so engaged on how hot your bod looks; focus more on the experience: the laughs with your friends, the ice cream that takes your taste buds to another planet, the sheer terror yet exhilaration of not speaking the language well.  A picture can be worth a thousand lies, but choose to make it worth a thousand laughs, experiences, memories, grins.  Picture-perfect isn’t real, so don’t hold yourself to that ridiculous standard, friends.

Bises,

Kristin

{Why do you love photography?  Do you hate it at the same time?}

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  1. 4 Lessons I Learned from Travel (+Free Desktop & Phone Wallpaper) – Round Trip says:
    October 26, 2016 at 11:00 am

    […] fingers and become the classy picture-perfect friend that everyone aspires to be.  But this really isn’t reality.  Travel is about development and personal growth; it’s not exchanging you for someone […]

    Reply
  2. DIY Travel Prints – Round Trip says:
    February 8, 2017 at 11:06 am

    […] If you take your time and don’t copy the entire New Testament, you’ll be golden.  While a picture can be worth a thousand words, there’s something about a great travel quote or phrases.  And with these DIY Travel Prints, you […]

    Reply
  3. Round Trip Roundup: MAY – Round Trip says:
    May 31, 2017 at 10:16 am

    […] one month ago, one year ago, etc.  Leaving home this month was difficult, but if I think back to when I first moved there only a matter of months ago, the transition was very difficult too.  Celebrate the fact that you […]

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Kristin. I'm a content creator teaching English in southern France. I'm all about exploring new places, practicing my French and sharing blogging tips. Allez-viens!
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Hi, I'm Kristin. I'm a content creator teaching English in southern France. I'm all about exploring new places, practicing my French and sharing blogging tips. Allez-viens!
learn more about my story

Want free access to my 30-minute travel budgeting course?

A staycation truly isn’t the worst thing when yo A staycation truly isn’t the worst thing when you live in southern France🙈😂

☀️This weekend I had a college friend come visit me in Marseille. I showed her some of my favorite spots for walking, biking and obviously ice cream-eating🍦 We hiked to one of my favorite spots, la calanque de Sugiton. Can’t recommend it enough!

⛴And together we explored some spots I’d never been to either. We took a boat to a nearby island, it’s casual💁🏼‍♀️ And we tried an Asian food spot I’d passed countless times but hadn’t gotten around to trying. It was life-changing tbh😋

I’ve had lots of people ask me, what are you doing with your 2-week vacation in February? And I said, hanging near home. And that ain’t a bad thing! The past week of nearby exploring, sleeping in, submitting my taxes (super sexy right?), taking walks along the beach and living life *even* more slowly — this is exactly what I needed🥰
Let's talk crushes😍Ever been somewhere that giv Let's talk crushes😍Ever been somewhere that gives you butterflies in your tummy and a warm sensation in your heart? Truly all the signs of a crush, but it's a place, not a person.

🛤️This weekend I visited Bordeaux for the first time, and let me tell you, I am ~CrUsHiNg~ This charming city sported a vibrant attitude, and its cobblestone streets leaked hints of modernity and irreverence. @ToriHantak and I strolled the streets, and we just looked at each other and said, "I am in love with this place."

💗From the kindest wine shop owner who was eager to chat about our move to France to the cute, old man at the boucherie who jokingly invited himself to our charcuterie night, Tor and I were smitten.

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💟Ever have those moments in crush-worthy places that send you into an enchanting trance? I will cherish this dreamy Bordeaux weekend with a sweet college friend.
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Do we have any adrenaline junkies here?🙋The one Do we have any adrenaline junkies here?🙋The one who loved the thrill of the high diving board growing up? The human who loves being thrown every which way on a rollercoaster? The person who wants to skydiving for their birthday?

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And when I finally boarded my flight, I still wasn't sure how it would turn out. It could've been une catastrophe, truly. But even with the bumps and bruises, I have reaped a much bigger reward than if I'd stayed in the comfortable + familiar.

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One year ago, @torihantak and I were in a freezing One year ago, @torihantak and I were in a freezing cold queue line to get into crowded, sweaty bar👀 Just a few weeks before the world turned upside down.

We’d taken several French classes together and recently submitted our TAPIF applications to teach English in France.

We dreamed that night with our fun French exchange pal @manon_salgues about all the amazing adventures we’d have in Europe together over our hard apple ciders and vodka Sprites.

Wow, a lot can change in a year🙈 A year later, Tori and I find ourselves in Bordeaux eating ice cream, eating charcuterie + cheese, and soaking up the southern French sun. 

Sure, this year hasn’t looked the way we expected, but what a sweet privilege it is to look back and see how our leap of faith has allowed us to follow our dreams.

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🤔Intrigued, I popped onto her profile and saw she too was doing the #TAPIF program. I slid into the LinkedIn DMs and said, hey it's been a minute, but I think we're doing the same thing!

💬We quickly connected on WhatsApp and decided to meet up in Lyon this past weekend. We drank good wine, ate amazing Thai food, saw the sights and froze our lil booties off in the snow.

🌎Quel petit monde ! The world is a lot smaller than we give it credit for. Don't be afraid to say yes and to slide into someone's LinkedIn DMs because you might just make a new friend, or rather reconnect with an old acquaintance.

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🇺🇸I was the only American. It was hard at times when it came to feeling at home, language and culture wise. But it was unbelievably cool to have neighbors from all👏over👏the👏world👏

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✅Styling tip: Pick a road map, any road map. And simply use clear tape to create a backdrop for your open bookshelf.

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#homedesign #homedecor #wanderlustinspo #interiordesign #shelfdesign #shelfideas #maps #map #roadmap #roadmaps #designidea #designideas #bedroom #bedroominspo #livingroom #livingroominspo #globe #traveladdict #travelhome #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder10k
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