The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth

Travel writing is hard

Before we moved, I created this Substack to chronicle my adventures in this new phase of my life. Much of those adventures are through travel. But I have to admit, I struggle with travel writing. I really struggle with posting on Instagram. If you follow @nicolefromcalifornia on Instagram, you know that I sometimes make a reel when we’re in a new place. I love the reels- they turn my live photos into cute little movies set to some song I heard that day. Saved in my phone, they make for a great little memory of the trip. But posting them out there, on the world-wide web, honestly feels obnoxious to me. And so does a lot of travel writing. Sometimes, reading or seeing other’s travels can feel like an escape or an inspiration. But other times, it can feel brag-y and vapid.

We were in Rio over Semana Santa (Easter Week). Home from the trip, talking to my sister, she said, “Rio looked like a dream!” I laughed because- no… that’s just Instagram. But now, sitting down to write, to tell you the whole truth about our quick little jaunt to Rio, I am worried about coming off as complain-y. The bug bites! The visa issues that cut our trip from 7 to 3.5! Waking up at 3am to fly back to Paraguay! No, I’m never going to complain about getting to travel. It is a true luxury to be able to see different parts of the world. It is sometimes a pain in the ass. But it is nothing to complain about. So here’s my struggle. How to give you the full picture, not just the dreamy one, without sounding like a spoiled little brat?

Please know that I’m working on it. Here’s a rundown of Rio. Let me know how I do.

Rio was magical in so many ways. I was unprepared for the beauty of the place. A city squeezes itself right in between the mountains and the coast.

The beaches are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen- white sand, clear, clear water.

The people were so kind and the food was so, so, so good.

Our hotel was a house on a cliff overlooking the ocean. This was our view everyday for breakfast:

But our room itself was kinda uncomfy. The air conditioner was broken and the shower was really old. It felt a little overpriced.

Because of the visa situation (I won’t bore you with the details, but it was an unavoidable issue), we didn’t arrive until 1am on Thursday morning and we left at 3am on Sunday, so we really only 3 full days there. They were amazing, it was a fantastic trip. But I can’t help feeling like I’ve only dipped my toe in the waters of Rio. I can’t wait to go back.

Tomorrow, we are off to Valparaiso in Chile with some friends. If you’ve ever been, send me your reccs.