thespicytravelgirl

Due to current circumstances I'm temporarily disabling my account. Hopefully I will be back soon. Please know I'm currently safe and all necessary steps are being taken. Stay safe everyone 🙏

This road is never a bad idea 🛣️ 👗: @j.bibi_collection #makrancoastalhighway

TRAVELER OR TOURIST? One topic I see a lot in travel groups is the question of being a "traveler" or a "tourist". People, usually experienced but snobby travelers, write long lists to compile alleged differences between the two groups, usually arguing the being a "traveler" is superior to being a "tourist". They argue that travelers explore more than tourists, go out of their comfort zone more, and their style of traveling is the "real deal". Popular landmarks and cute poses? Not for travelers, not for tourists! I just wanted to drop these to prove you all wrong!!! You can be a badass traveler and travel as far off the beaten path in red zone areas and still take selfies, make tiktoks, and pose for the gram! You have no idea what adventure I went on after this that none of these touristy poses would reveal! In fact, there is absolutely no difference between a "traveler" and a "tourist" as long as you travel for leisure purposes. You can visit the most remote villages and you're still a tourist; likewise you can stay in a beach resort all day and you're still a traveler! I believe drawing a deliberate difference between the travelers and tourists is just a snobby way to feel superior to others. If you've really seen the world, you have better things to do than comparing yourself to others. As long as you are respectful and don't harm others, I don't give a flying frick about what you do with your free time. We all need a break sometimes. 😎 This is just my personal opinion on the topic. I'm curious what you guys think. Is there a difference between travelers and tourists? Discuss below! 👗: @j.bibi_collection

Is it clear enough yet that I love sand dunes? It's all fun and games until you get it in your eyes 😅 I found these amazing dunes when my friend stopped to refuel his car. This area is part of a private beach belonging to a sand filtration plant. This means other than the workers of the sand filtration plant, nobody ever comes here, not a single tourist. Last winter I had the privilege of camping at this completely untouched beach with not a single person around. This is why few beaches or camping spots can impress me nowadays. 😉 👗: @j.bibi_collection #balochistan

LAHORE CRAZE One can never get enough of Pakistan's cultural capital of the east that I've been lucky to call home for the past few years. These clips were all captured in 2020 but the Mughal era charm of Lahore is timeless. Have you ever been to Lahore?

Could you possibly reject this call? #puertorico #beautifulpuertorico #caribbeantravel #travelpuertorico #solofemaletraveler

MY LONELY, LONELY PARADISE 🏝️ If you're traveling all alone and you follow an inconspicuous path into the wilderness, it's either a very bad or a very good idea. Luckily, for me it was the latter when I discovered a small jungle path from the beach and decided to follow it. On my way, a couple of things were on my mind. First and foremost, the wildlife. Tropical regions are known for harboring all kinds of venomous creatures and wandering off into the wilderness without a local's guidance might be a bad idea. But then I remembered that most of the venomous snakes only come out at night, so I went ahead. When in isolated places, there's also always a risk of criminals lingering around ready to do their job without anyone watching. Luckily, the area was so abandoned that it looked like not even a criminal had been there in a long time. I kept walking and crawling until the jungle finally cleared up and I ended up in one of the most gorgeous, untouched places you could imagine. The secluded beach cove that I found there reminded me of some hidden beaches I had discovered in Balochistan before. Such pristine beauty and no trace of human destruction. Since the sea in this part was quite rough and there was no lifeguard around, I decided not to get in the water for my own safety. Instead, I just lay down in a spot away from the water and mediated under the warm tropical sun. 🌞 If there had been someone with me to click my photos, these would have easily been the most gorgeous pics on my feed, but unfortunately crabs don't know how to operate a phone. 🦀 These photos is all you get while the most beautiful memories are still in my mind. 😉 The most difficult part was finding the path back because it was impossible to find my footsteps in the wilderness. Luckily, I had remembered this lone cactus in the middle of the bushes (last slide) as a landmark and I was able to find the path back based on this location. Have you ever just wandered off into the wilderness?

Do you ever just want to go to the beach by yourself but have no idea what to do with your belongings? As a seasoned solo traveler, this is how I take care of my stuff when going to the beach alone. 🌴🏖️ #solofemaletraveler #solotravelingisfun #solotraveler #sofetravel #travelbuglife #travelhacks #traveltipster #puertorico🇵🇷 #laisladelencanto

TIME TO GET DIRTY! After visiting mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan and Balochistan, I thought it couldn't get any muddier - that was until I visited El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico. Located just one hour drive from San Juan, El Yunque is a small but ecologically diverse rainforest in Puerto Rico. It is the only tropical rainforest in the US forest system and popular among tourists for its water activities. And it's very, very muddy! In order to reach the river where all the main activities take place, one must hike about half an our along the mud paths. The tour operator had specifically told us to wear old sneakers but since I didn't have any old, worn-out shoes, I made the tough decision to sacrifice my neon yellow sneakers. And they were not the only thing that got muddy on the way! Check the photos to see what I looked like after multiple falls on the slippery mud path! The good news is, I was able to clean all my clothes including my sneakers with a water hose. 😃 Would you be willing to sacrifice your favorite sneakers for a rainforest hike? 🌴 #puertorico

THIS IS WHAT YOU GET YOURSELF INTO WHEN YOU SIGN UP FOR AN 'ADVENTURE TOUR' IN PUERTO RICO 😱 I should have taken the "not suitable for people with fear of heights" warning seriously when I booked the tour. 😳 In this video, I compiled clips from two levels of daredevils, Level 1 (me) and level 100, in the all-natural leisure park of El Yunque Rainforest, Puerto Rico. Would you dare to do this?

THE POWER OF SOLO TRAVEL I'm not going to lie, when I embarked on this trip I was at one of my darkest places mentally. I'm sparing you from the details but it was very, very tough for me to go on with everyday life and especially academics. When my long-awaited five days of spring break finally arrived, I was even wondering if I should go somewhere at all or just lock myself in my room. Eventually, I ended up booking my flight in the very last minute and decided to go somewhere relatively nearby with warm weather. When I landed in San Juan, I was completely unprepared and didn't leave the airport for the entire night and waited until the afternoon of the next day. Eventually, I picked up the motivation to go out and find a hostel and at least make something out of my few days of vacation. It could only be better than the previous weeks. And as soon as I left the airport and was greeted by a happy, laid-back taxi driver, things only got better and better. Puerto Rico turned out to be one of the most beautiful places ever and traveling on my own was definitely the right decision. There's something magical about solo travel. You can completely disconnect from everyone who's bothering you, stop picking up calls, and just wander around in a place where nobody knows you and nobody cares about you. You can truly be you and do whatever you want. If you just want to sit by the sea and meditate for a few hours, nobody is rushing you. If you want to do something completely crazy, nobody is stopping you. You can be all alone. Solo traveling is like a temporary escape from your dark reality, a true vacation. But of course, I know that traveling is only a form of escapism that I've been exploiting for way too long and it all gets back to you once your trip is over. So if you are experiencing any mental health issues, it's very important that you reach out to a licensed professional, since this is often the only safe way out. Treat your mental health like any other aspect of your health and see a specialized doctor if you're experiencing issues!

This is Puerto Rico, baby 😍🇵🇷🌴 #sanjuan #discoverpuertorico #caribbeantravel #beautifulplacestogo #solofemaletraveler

A SPLASH OF COLORS That's what I thought when I set foot in Old San Juan for the first time. Founded in 1512 by Spanish colonists, San Juan is one of the oldest colonial cities in the Americas, after Santo Domingo and Panama City. It was founded after Puerto Rico was "discovered" on Columbus' second voyage, which decimated the indigenous population through warfare and Old World diseases. There is no doubt that the colonial period was was a very dark time in the history of the Americas. Therefore it might seem paradoxical that it keft behind some of the most colorful cityscapes. The buildings you can see in the background here are all Spanish colonial-style architecture, characterized by its vibrant colors and wooden balconies. I sometimes wonder if we would view this cityscape any differently if we remembered who built it. On the other hand, this colorful city is until today the home of nearly 400,000 Puerto Ricans and welcomes large numbers of tourists every year who come to admire the gorgeous architecture by the blue sea. In this way, San Juan is truly like a splash of color in the dark history of the Americas. #puertorico #oldsanjuan

¡HOLA PUERTO RICO! 🇵🇷 The first thing you will notice when you leave the airport in Puerto Rico is the tagline on car license plates: "La isla del encanto" (the Island of Enchantment) and it couldn't be more accurate! Puerto Rico is a relatively small Caribbean island just about a thousand miles southeast of Miami. Politically, it is neither an independent nation nor a state but a territory of the United States. This means that Puerto Ricans are US citizens and must abide federal laws but cannot vote in presidential elections while residing on the island and the territory has no voting representation in Congress. It also means that US citizens may travel to Puerto Rico without a passport. No wonder many American college students had the same idea as me and traveled to Puerto Rico over spring break. And you can't blame us! With white sandy tropical beaches and warm clear water, lush rainforests and a dramatic coastline Puerto Rico is indeed nothing short of enchanting. Stay tuned and join me on this short but incredible trip to the Island of Enchantment! 😃 #puertorico

Some memories are so precious they lift you up even from the lowest lows... Just editing this short clip was a meditation exercise for itself 😌 📍: Gadani Beach, Balochistan ❤️ #sunsetlover #beachvibes #beautifulbeaches #beautifulplacestovisit #asiatravels #balochistan #gadani