Chandra / 41 / Broughton Archipelago and Kootenay Lake, BC, Canada
Valerie Anne / 30 / St. John, US Virgin Islands
“A group of nine coworkers-turned-friends going on vacation together could have been truly disastrous but it ended up being one of the most relaxing and enjoyable vacations I’ve ever had. The food was all delicious, the beaches were clean and bright and beautiful, the sea turtles were huge and majestic, and I spent about 80% of the time in one body of water or another because I wore swim trunks for the first time in my life and therefore felt comfortable in a bathing suit for the first time in my life.”
Imogine and Tat / 26, 28 / Westport District, Kansas City, MO
“Tat and I met online in a group chat and slowly moved into our own one-on-one chat. About 10 months later we met in person for the first time and started Officially Dating. We met in Kansas City! Our Anniversary has passed but we still wanted to have a mini vacation in Kansas City to reminisce and also to re-visit our favorite shops and restaurants and cruise the flea markets. This photo was taken at the incredible Air B&B we stayed at(thanks, Alison!). We both live in different cities in Missouri currently so it’s nice to not have to travel far but still go to an awesome location. You’d never think a city in Missouri could be so great but Kansas City really takes the cake. It’s young and hip and has a slew of unique stores to visit. Stores we recommend are: Oracle, a shop that sells taxidermy, bones, stones, and everything you need to complete your spell-casting shopping list, and Aquarius, the most beautiful, chillest(and cleanest) New Age type store we’ve ever seen. As far as restaurants go, Beignet in the City Market is truly incredible and has the best staff and atmosphere. Succotash is another gem, but prepare for a lengthy wait as it’s a local hit. Don’t forget to hit up the booths selling odds and ends in the City Market on a Sunday, you’re bound to find something incredible!”
Emma / 26 / La Crosse, WI
“Can you tell my brother and I are tourists? Nothing like riding a segway while wearing a bike helmet and stopping for staged photos at city landmarks to really drive home the point. (10/10 would recommend a segway tour though, just know you will get stares of confusion, envy, and annoyance).”
Hannah Leffingwell / 24 / Opoul, France
Christina and Lucia / 25, 24 / NYC Pride
“We met while I was in Peace Corps in Guatemala (Lucia is Guatemalan) and still live there. This was taken when went back to the States to see my family and to finally enjoy being OPENLY gay AF.”
Carmen SanDiego / 37 / Where In The World
Here I am in Sequoia National Park, CA; Devil’s Pool in Victoria Falls, Zambia (you can only visit the Devil’s Pool during summer, the dry season, so the water is surprisingly warm); Roatan, Honduras (it is incredibly loud in that “personal submarine”); Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; American River in Coloma, CA (when your raft the American river you go by Sutters Mill where they first discovered gold in California); Cape Town in South Africa (Surf lesson with the majestic Table Mountain in the background).
Lindsey Perkins/ 30/ Key Largo, FL
“While visiting my hometown I went out on the boat with four of my best friends. We’ve known each other for 29 years. It was perfect.”
Jay / 22 / Eugene, OR
“Spent the weekend catsitting Bart and Charlotte (not pictured – very fast) for my best friend of almost 20 years while she went on vacation. Read a lot while cuddling with the kitties; best introvert vacation!”
Katy / 31 / Coastal South Carolina
“While most of my summer has consisted of the usual reading/writing/meetings/crying cycle that is grad school, I was afforded one wonderful week off to travel with family where I kayaked with dolphins and took in the ocean breeze while exclusively reading things that cannot be found via a PubMed search.”
