Paper Planes & Mascara began after my first backpacking trip through Southeast Asia.

At the time, I had never traveled outside the United States and had no idea what I was getting myself into.

What started as a way to document that adventure gradually became something much bigger.

At first, I was simply trying to remember where I'd been. Over time, I found myself writing less about destinations and more about what travel revealed — the feeling of arriving before your body does, why coming home can feel lonelier than leaving, and the people who only exist in one version of your life.

This is a collection of essays about the places I've been and the details that stayed with me long after I returned home.

Less about perfect itineraries. More about the moments in between.