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Spin the Globe Project

Inspiring adventurous souls and socially conscious hearts

Rwanda

Home Blog Travel Africa Rwanda

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A Weekend in Rwanda

updated on February 21, 2019July 30, 20130 Comment on A Weekend in Rwanda

About Me

Welcome! I’m Anna, a nomadic storyteller with an appetite for adventure and a passion for social justice and sustainability. Hence why I backpacked around the globe solo, traveled in a tiny home on wheels for 3 years, and now I’m based out of a small off-grid house building a farmstead.

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If you had told me 5 years ago that I’d be an en

If you had told me 5 years ago that I’d be an engaged homeowner, with two dogs, living off grid in the middle of nowhere, looking at this view everyday—I would have said you’re crazy. It’s always been difficult to picture myself “settling down,” because I felt defined by my nomadic tendencies, addiction to change and allergy to the conventional.

September 2017 (my words)~
“Sure, I’d love to “settle down” with a guy, but by settle down, I mean- live a nomadic lifestyle where we both pursue all of our wildest dreams.

One day, maybe I’ll meet a man who enjoys hiking to campsites near glacial lakes, summits mountains for fun, actively seeks out new adventures and self-improvement, and is passionate about his hobbies.

I don’t want a guy who will anchor me to one place. I want one who will help me conjure up our next great adventure.”
~
Well I certainly found myself a man who I can conjure up endless adventures with. And while covid has anchored us in so many ways, it’s also given us the time to establish some much needed roots, and plant seeds that will hopefully grow into some of my biggest adventures yet.

P.S. this picture is the first time I’ve put on anything other than jeans, sweats or leggings in a year.

For over 3 years, I have traveled and lived full-t

For over 3 years, I have traveled and lived full-time in my van without a shower or hot water. Pre-pandemic, I had a Planet Fitness membership just to be able to use their showers across the country. But now, finally, I can have hot showers on the road (and in the middle of nowhere)! Thanks to @joolcaco who gifted me their HOTTAP V2 Nomad kit to review, which is basically a portable all in one system for taking showers and doing dishes with hot water off-the-grid. You can check out their kits and get one for yourself via my link in my bio under “Partners & Discounts” or you can watch my video on YouTube to see this hot water setup in action (just click “Follow along on YouTube” in my bio link and then scroll down to my van life videos playlist).

📍Jicarilla Apache land

It is National Park Week. And while the National P

It is National Park Week. And while the National Park Service uses this time “to celebrate America’s treasures”, I think we should expand that to spread awareness on how our beloved national parks came to be.

Long story short, they were founded on land that was either stolen by forcibly removing or killing indigenous communities, and sometimes by treaties that were developed while the native communities living on the land were under duress, and many of the promises in those treaties (such as allowing native people to access the land in the same ways they had previously) were not upheld.

For reference on the toll of colonialism and the creation of parks on the people who inhabited this land: “Some estimates put the original Indigenous population of what would become the contiguous United States between 5 million and 15 million at the time of first contact. By 1890, around the time America began creating national parks in earnest, roughly 250,000 Native people were still alive” (David Treur).

But Native people do not just exist in the past, there are over 5 million Native Americans in the U.S. today. So it is only right that we learn about the past, so we can make better choices (that respect our nation’s living indigenous people) when it comes to conservation in our parks and in general.

That being said, I always advise visiting national parks for your vacations. I’ve been to 32/63 of them myself, and I’ve experienced firsthand the power and beauty of nature in these special places. I’ve visited the Grand Canyon in particular, 9 times, and I hope to visit it many more.

But when visiting, please take the time to learn about the indigenous tribes who were forced to move (and still don’t have the rights to their land) so that you can pay the government to visit the park in the first place.

I also highly recommend donating to indigenous causes and reading the Atlantic article “Return the National Parks to the Tribes” written by David Treuer a Leech Lake Ojibwe tribal member (you can find a link under “Recommended Reads” in my IG bio).

📍Hualapai, Havasupai, Navajo, Hopi, Paiute, Yavapai-Apache, and Zuni lands (now known as Grand Canyon National Park)

New Blog Post is live 📝44 Bucket List Travel De

New Blog Post is live 📝44 Bucket List Travel Destinations & Adventures (around the world)🧳✈️🌍. This list of big and small adventures are based on my favorite places I’ve visited and activities I’ve done while traveling to 52 countries on 6 continents over the last decade. So if any of them call to you, add them to your bucket list for when this pandemic is more under control. You can find the link in my bio, under “Blog Posts” I hope you enjoy it 💛

I’ve had a lifelong battle with mental health an

I’ve had a lifelong battle with mental health and I struggle to find the line when talking about this. I don’t want to make people uncomfortable. But a lot of my emotional pain has stemmed from feeling like my problems were not worthy. So if sharing my story helps one person, then the awkwardness of vulnerability will be worth it.

TW: suicide, rape

When I was 18, I was seeking professional help and being prescribed strong medication for my anxiety and depression. At the time, my mom was doing a tour in Afghanistan, I had been raped by an acquaintance, I had been arrested for possession of marijuana, forced to spend a night in jail, and enter a rehab program. I had undiagnosed Celiac Disease and was still consuming gluten, making me malnourished and causing chronic abdominal pain, migraines, vomiting, depression and panic attacks.

Despite all of this turmoil that I was drowning in, I was being fed the narrative that I was a melodramatic hypochondriac rebel without a cause.

At my lowest point, I ended up in the hospital for an overdose on my anxiety medication. I just didn’t want to feel pain anymore.

Things got better. In fact, things were great for years. Then, it struck me again at 23. Another sexual assault thrust me into a state of numbness that stole 6 more months of my life.

Over the years, I’ve had a pendulum of ups and downs, but none as severe as those lows. When I think about why, it’s because I have consumed so many stories that validated my struggles by hearing them told in someone else’s words. And knowing there is another chapter where things are lighter if you just keep going. I’ve also gotten much better at exiting unhealthy relationships and toxic environments that tend to nourish negative spirals.

I know that it’s hard as hell to crawl out of a black hole, but if you choose to hang on in your darkest moments, slowly, you will gather the strength to see your way out of the darkness. And eventually, you’ll have proof that no matter how bad it gets, it can always get better.

PLEASE, if you’re struggling with mental health, reach out to a loved one or if you feel more comfortable, call: 1-800-273-8255 or text HELLO to 741741 #speakupforlee

Meet my Farmstand from @lettucegrow 🌱This thing

Meet my Farmstand from @lettucegrow 🌱This thing is an all-in-one hydroponic vertical garden. It literally only requires 5-minutes of maintenance once a week, and you can grow all your own fresh produce from the comfort of your home (no green thumb required)! And it takes 95% less water💧 than traditional gardening.

I’m so obsessed with how easy it is to set up and manage your plants’ needs through their app. Plus, the farmstand is made out of recycled ocean plastic ♻️, and every ten purchased, they donate one.

If you want one too, you can use my code below👇🏼to get $50 off and click the link in my bio under “Partners & Discounts”.

My discount code: FRIEND-G7RD

FYI: This isn’t a sponsored post, I paid full price for this system after doing weeks of research and comparing products and reviews from multiple companies. I only wish I got one sooner!!

In January of 2017, I decided to quit my toxic NYC

In January of 2017, I decided to quit my toxic NYC job and then I backpacked around Asia for 2 months. At the time, I had an apartment in Hell’s Kitchen and no job prospects lined up. Everyone thought I was crazy.

But the truth is, I didn’t have much choice. I had been applying for jobs in my field of international development for months before I quit, I had even been meeting with a military recruiter, desperate for a lifeline.

Mentally exhausted, I finally just put my two weeks in, and pitched a spontaneous plan to my fellow recently unemployed roommate. I did the math, and it would be cheaper for us to rent out our Manhattan apartment (which I paid over $1k/month in rent for my room), and travel around Asia, using our airline miles to pay for flights. We could job hunt online, while saving money and traveling.

We put our small apartment up on the Facebook marketplace, chose some renters, booked our tickets, and two weeks later we were on a plane, bound for Japan.

My roommate ended up flying back home after a month, but I flew to Thailand solo, and kept going for another month. I was living on $5-$25/day (paying for food and accommodation) in Thailand. Meanwhile, my sublet in NYC was paying for that and my rent.
~~~
Travel often comes with the misconception that you have to be rich to do it. Granted, it is MUCH easier for me than for some people, because I started with various privileges due to my white skin, American Passport, and lack of student debt. Plus, in this scenario, I had an apartment to rent out, and a credit card for unexpected expenses, which are privileges unto themselves. But I’ve also traveled with way less to my name.

I will never go as far as to say “anyone can do it” but I will always do my best to be honest about how I’ve accomplished backpacking around 52 countries.

Check out my post “10 Cost-Saving Travel Hacks” (click the “How I afford to travel” link in my bio) for more budget travel tips and ways I’ve managed to travel the world on a tight budget and sometimes even for free.

📍Oak Hostel Cabin (Capsule Hotel) - Tokyo, Japan

New YouTube video is live! This one is all about h

New YouTube video is live! This one is all about how we survived winter (mentally and physically) in our small off-grid house in the middle of nowhere at 8,775 feet of elevation! It also has Ryan proposing to me and a little intro to Juniper 🐶

Link in my bio, under “Off-grid cottage series”

Since my life has changed dramatically since I fir

Since my life has changed dramatically since I first started sharing my journey online, I thought I’d let you know who I am for those who are new, and what you can expect from me on IG going forward~

Hey, I’m Anna! A dreamer, a world traveler, a nomad, an adventurer, a storyteller. After retiring from a short-lived career in international development and the non-profit sector, backpacking solo and on a budget around the world, converting a Ford Transit cargo van into my tiny home on wheels, and spending 3 years exploring everywhere roads and my feet would take me in the U.S. and Canada, then working on two of my mom’s political campaigns, the pandemic happened and my fiancé @ryanthompsontravels and I decided to adopt some dogs @novaandjuniper, and buy an off-grid house in the middle of nowhere.

Now we are slowly renovating our small cottage, building a sustainable farmstead and an eco-resort on our 5 acres.

We are still traveling part-time in Casper the van, and plan to take a 3-month west coast trip this Fall, but after that, big van trips will be paused so we can start raising chickens and goats.

I enjoy hiking, kayaking, scuba diving, coffee, sci-fi movies, and run-on sentences.

I’m passionate about social justice, human rights and sustainability. I thrive on adventures that end with epic views, contain good company, and test my limits.

My most commonly asked questions are how do I make money and how do I afford to travel so much. And I have blog posts answering both of those questions linked in my bio. You can also find all my van details there too.

You can expect off-grid living, farmsteading, van life, and outdoor adventures, plus some international travel content. Basically, I use this space, my blog, and YouTube channel to share tips and stories about adventure travel and alternative lifestyles.

In my stories and captions, you can also expect me to touch on mental health, social justice, and politics.

My blog’s tagline is: Inspiring adventurous souls with socially conscious hearts. And that pretty much sums it up.

If any of that isn’t your cup of tea, no worries, just move along. To everyone else, thanks for following my journey💛

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