An open letter to my fellow women travelers: PLAY NICE

Some of my best memories while traveling are with other girls. Whether it was a last minute flight to Istanbul with two coworkers who didn't even know each other, or a surprise trip to South Africa with a stranger (we met on GLT) who is now an amazing friend and probably the person I have traveled the most with my entire life or a crazy airline trip of 7 girls going all the way to Palau, I cherish all these memories. 

PALAU 

MAURITIUS

SOUTH AFRICA

ALASKA

30,000 Feet in the air 

HAWAII

ISTANBUL 

                    

However I will be the first to admit that traveling with girls can be complicated. I would even go as a far as saying that it can be very complicated. 

Some of us get ready in 5 min, some need about 5 hours … Some of us want to plan every little detail, some of us enjoy getting lost a little … So here and there, personalities clash, arguments happen, but two margaritas later, they are forgotten and we are on to the next adventure. Unfortunately written arguments tend to be a little harder to solve and to forget, especially with strangers. And I must admit that I am a bit perplexed about how mean women can be to each other on social media. 

I am not talking about teenagers fighting over cute boys. I am talking about grown adults just plain mean to each other, in situations that really don’t warrant any of it. Let me explain. 

I am part of this amazing travel group called Girls Love Travel aka GLT. It’s fun and really helpful, whether I am  looking for restaurant recommendations or more in depth questions about culture and customs, I always get an answer and the answers are always encouraging and sweet, which is nice because women can be very catty. We've all been there. We all have "ex-girlfriends." (if you don't, you are very lucky) 

But lately I have seen threads on posts that just make me wonder: why? 

These two fellow women travelers were on vacation in Mexico and feared for their safety. Now I have been to Mexico many times and have always felt safe. But who am I to judge their experience and call them liars? And who am I to judge that they were not being safe enough and “brought it upon” themselves to be followed? I use quotes because those are some words other women used, not mine. And last but not least, who am I to judge an entire country based on this one experience I am reading about?

But the real question is why would I or anyone feel inclined in a potentially dangerous and for sure stressful situation to comment if he or she has nothing helpful or nice to say? 

Now I am a writer, so I am not denying freedom of speech to anyone. 

By all means there are so many things on social media that make me cringe and I very much dislike any kind of discrimination or racism - being half Tunisian half American, racism and profiling makes me cringe even more -  and trust me my poor husband has to listen to me rant over and over again about anything I read about it that makes me upset. But what is the point of starting an online feud? 

I mean for fashion bloggers to be at each other’s throats, that’s pretty expected. Fashion is a pretty ruthless world. But we all love travel. Travel is our common interest and it is about being open minded and kind and respectful and curious about our differences and similarities. Travel to me is about almost living in this dream world bubble where for a few days life is perfect. 

So next time you disagree with someone on social media, maybe send them a private message if you must, or just go call your boyfriend or your girlfriend or your Tinder/ Bumble hook up and rant to them ... trust me, it is better then starting a comment war on Facebook. Who has the time for that anyways? 

Go pack for your next destination instead 😉 and whether you are a yoga pants kind of girl or a summer dress and floppy hat kind of girl, none of it really matters either. Apparently some women thought they had to voice their opinion about whether dresses are appropriate to travel ... Really?  Just go pack whatever your little heart desires 😊

As long as it is wrinkle free 

And please if you are thinking of dropping a comment below saying I am infringing on your freedom to voice your opinion, don't. You would be wasting your time because it won't affect me and I will just delete it. No offense. 

PS:if you are a girl and love to travel, you have to join this group: Girls Love Travel  is AMAZING. I took a last minute trip to Ireland and thanks to the girls in the group, I had the best time ever. Check out the day I ended up in Ireland with just a T-shirt -:) 

EAT WELL, TRAVEL OFTEN, TAKE PICTURES 

SARA