Latest adventures

Hey, I’m Zai.

And I’ve just started living my dreams of self-employment and world exploration.

I’m a Florida wedding photographer who talks to strangers, is distracted by butterflies and trips over her own feet several times a day. So, yes, life is always an adventure.

I didn’t grow up with much opportunities to travel. The first time I got on a plane, I was 3 years old, moving from Puerto Rico to Florida. The next time I got on a plane, I was 19, on my way to an all-expense-paid trip to Japan behind my parents’ backs.

Today, I am grateful to have the financial means and time to feed my curiosity of the world and the people who inhabit it. I’ve got many places to see, and I want to take you with me.

Read more.

 

 

Bucket List

Top Destinations I Want to go to:

National Parks and monuments: Yosemite National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Zion National Park , Grand Canyon National Park,  Joshua Tree National Park, Glacier National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Denali National Park,

Cities & States: Portland, Oregon; Washington; Nashville, Tennessee; Boston, Massachusetts

Abroad: Australia, Iceland, Cuba, Hawaii, Peru, Ecuador, Thailand, Morocco, Egypt, Greece, India,  Indonesia, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal

*If you’re planning on getting married at one of my Bucket List locations that I’ve yet to get to, I’ll shoot your wedding for free. Seriously. More information here.

 

Upcoming Adventures

 

2017: Thailand, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Mexico, California road trip, Nashville

 

2018: Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Italy, Greece, Switzerland 

 

 

 

 

 

Instagram
My Italian friend says so... . . . . #shutterbug #wanderlust #exploringtheglobe #travelbug #livelovetravel #outbounderlife #worldnomads #travelmore #travelphotography #travelblogger #traveling #outbounderlife #outbound ##natgeotravel #natgeoyourshot #intothewild #travellife #wearetravelgirls #girlswhoexplore #thetravelwomen #womewhoexplore#wearetravelgirls #contiki #amalficoast #limoncello #italy #contikimartina #contikieurope #contikimedescape #contikiitaly #amalfilemon
Fun fact: When the war against Sparta was won, a soldier ran 26.2 miles from the town of Marathon in Greece to Athens. When he arrived, he shouted, “Nike!” which means “Victory.” So that’s why the marathon is the distance it is, why it’s called that, and the meaning of Nike. . . . #shutterbug #wanderlust #exploringtheglobe #travelbug #livelovetravel #outbounderlife #worldnomads #travelmore #travelphotography #travelblogger #traveling #outbounderlife #outbound ##natgeotravel #natgeoyourshot #intothewild #travellife #wearetravelgirls #girlswhoexplore #thetravelwomen #womewhoexplore#wearetravelgirls #contiki #athensgreece #acropolis #greece #contikimartina #contikieurope #contikimedescape #contikigreece #athens
Yes, it’s that beautiful. . . . . #shutterbug #wanderlust #exploringtheglobe #travelbug #livelovetravel #outbounderlife #worldnomads #travelmore #travelphotography #travelblogger #traveling #outbounderlife #outbound ##natgeotravel #natgeoyourshot #intothewild #travellife #wearetravelgirls #girlswhoexplore #thetravelwomen #womewhoexplore#wearetravelgirls #contiki #amalficoast #italy #positano #contikimartina #contikieurope #contikimedescape #contikiitaly #italia
What an unexpected treat to have been inside the famous Blue Grotto in Capri. 👉🏼Swipe to see a video of what it’s like inside. Swimming is forbidden inside the sea cave so we entered by rowboat through a tiny entrance that is only accesible when the tide is low enough. It’s that hole that allows light into the cave, making the water appear electric blue. If you listen closely in the first video, you can hear the Italians serenading anyone who will listen. You can also see how tiny the entrance is in the second video, when we had to duck in our rowboat to get through. . . . . . #shutterbug #wanderlust #exploringtheglobe #travelbug #livelovetravel #outbounderlife #worldnomads #travelmore #travelphotography #travelblogger #traveling #outbounderlife #outbound ##natgeotravel #natgeoyourshot #intothewild #travellife #wearetravelgirls #girlswhoexplore #thetravelwomen #womewhoexplore#wearetravelgirls #contiki #contikimartina #contikieurope #contikimedescape #italy #italia #capri #bluegrotto #grottoazzurra
The best day. This was it. It’s hard to narrow it down, but of all the days on this European tour, this day wins. We were laughing and singing and swimming. On a boat. In Capri. Next to the Faraglioni. So yeah. This day. It wins. . . . . . #zaiadventures #thelifeofzai #shutterbug #wanderlust #exploringtheglobe #travelbug #livelovetravel #outbounderlife #worldnomads #travelmore #travelphotography #travelblogger #traveling #outbounderlife #outbound ##natgeotravel #natgeoyourshot #zaiadventures #intothewild #travellife #wearetravelgirls #girlswhoexplore #thetravelwomen #womewhoexplore#wearetravelgirls #contiki #italy #bluegrotto #capri #contikimartina #contikieurope #contikimedescape
Greece wins for best food during this tour of Europe. (Give me all the gyros, souvlaki and tzatziki.) Its views don’t fall far behind, either. . Dress/skirt: @vicidolls . . . . . . #zaiadventures #thelifeofzai #shutterbug #wanderlust #exploringtheglobe #travelbug #livelovetravel #outbounderlife #worldnomads #travelmore #travelphotography #travelblogger #traveling #outbounderlife #outbound ##natgeotravel #natgeoyourshot #zaiadventures #intothewild #travellife #wearetravelgirls #girlswhoexplore #thetravelwomen #womewhoexplore#wearetravelgirls #contiki #contikimartina #contikieurope #contikimedescape
We English speakers are so spoiled. Everywhere we go, people speak our language. I’ve been spoken to in English and Spanish by the locals and as much as I appreciate it because it makes things easy, I wish I were forced to speak some butchered Italian here . . . Outfit: @americaneagle . #zaiadventures #thelifeofzai #shutterbug #wanderlust #exploringtheglobe #travelbug #livelovetravel #outbounderlife #worldnomads #travelmore #travelphotography #travelblogger #traveling #outbounderlife #outbound ##natgeotravel #natgeoyourshot #zaiadventures #intothewild #travellife #wearetravelgirls #girlswhoexplore #thetravelwomen #womewhoexplore#wearetravelgirls #contiki #contikimartina #contikieurope #contikimedescape
Standing in the world's largest ampitheatre, built in AD 72 by Jewish slaves, is absolutely surreal. This is the place where gladiators battled, hundreds of thousands of people were executed, and an estimated million animals were slaughtered for entertainment. Roman society considered compassion a moral defect. One of the primary purposes of the gladiatorial games was to rid Roman citizens of this "weakness." Vicious, right? Being here will get you sentimental for sure . . . . #zaiadventures #thelifeofzai #shutterbug #wanderlust #exploringtheglobe #travelbug #livelovetravel #outbounderlife #worldnomads #travelmore #travelphotography #travelblogger #traveling #outbounderlife #outbound ##natgeotravel #natgeoyourshot #zaiadventures #intothewild #travellife #wearetravelgirls #girlswhoexplore #thetravelwomen #womewhoexplore#wearetravelgirls #contiki #contikimartina
Adventures are the best way to learn. Exploring Italy this week. Where are you today? . . . . #zaiadventures #thelifeofzai #shutterbug #wanderlust #exploringtheglobe #travelbug #livelovetravel #outbounderlife #worldnomads #travelmore #travelphotography #travelblogger #traveling #outbounderlife #outbound ##natgeotravel #natgeoyourshot #zaiadventures #intothewild #travellife #wearetravelgirls #girlswhoexplore #thetravelwomen #womewhoexplore#wearetravelgirls#italy#amalficoast #contikimartina #contiki
Fun(?) fact: The center of the colosseum was filled with sand to absorb the blood of the animals and people that were killed here. Sand in Latin is “harena.” And this is why we call amphitheaters “arenas.” Now you know... . Outfit: @americaneagle . . . #zaiadventures #thelifeofzai #shutterbug #wanderlust #exploringtheglobe #travelbug #livelovetravel #outbounderlife #worldnomads #travelmore #travelphotography #travelblogger #traveling #outbounderlife #outbound ##natgeotravel #natgeoyourshot #zaiadventures #intothewild #travellife #wearetravelgirls #girlswhoexplore #thetravelwomen #womewhoexplore#wearetravelgirls #contikimartina #contiki
Sunday checklist: do nothing and enjoy the long weekend . . . . . #zaiadventures #thelifeofzai #shutterbug #wanderlust #exploringtheglobe #travelbug #livelovetravel #outbounderlife #worldnomads #travelmore #travelphotography #travelblogger #traveling #outbounderlife #outbound ##natgeotravel #natgeoyourshot #zaiadventures #intothewild #travellife #wearetravelgirls #girlswhoexplore #thetravelwomen #womewhoexplore#wearetravelgirls
The best view comes after the hardest climb . . . . . #zaiadventures #thelifeofzai #shutterbug #wanderlust #exploringtheglobe #travelbug #livelovetravel #outbounderlife #worldnomads #travelmore #travelphotography #travelblogger #traveling #outbounderlife #outbound ##natgeotravel #natgeoyourshot #zaiadventures #intothewild #travellife #wearetravelgirls #girlswhoexplore #thetravelwomen #womewhoexplore#wearetravelgirls

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

vanillapapersblog.wordpress.com/

A lot of world to see

A blog about traveling and living outside the comfort zone

The Life of Zai

Musings of a wanderluster

Discover

A daily selection of the best content published on WordPress, collected for you by humans who love to read.

The Daily Post

The Art and Craft of Blogging

The WordPress.com Blog

The latest news on WordPress.com and the WordPress community.