Taking a swim with happy children in Freetown, Sierra Leone
Travel is amazing for an unlimited number of reasons; history, ideal weather conditions, putting your feet up and relaxing in exotic locations, taking on new adventures, a platform to build lifelong memories, experiencing culture diversity and thinking outside the box…but without the friendly faces of others smiling back at you, travel wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable nor would it have the same loving impact. Faces of joy, happiness, laughter and curiosity have greeted me in 111 countries so far. Old friends, new friends, family members and strangers have all walked the bumpy, dirt roads with me, sat beside me on torturously long bus and train rides, lighting my path with their happy, friendly faces.
Please enjoy this photo essay on FRIENDLY FACES! Remember to always wear your smile.
Enjoying breakfast with our neighbours in Conakry, Guinea
Always happy in Mongolia!
Curious, friendly faces on a local bus headed to Kabul in Afghanistan
Mountain Dendee, our sherpa who trekked with us to Everest Base Camp, Nepal
Meeting local ladies working in Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Meeting new fellow travellers, Roman from Belgium in China
An unforgettable new friend whose friendly face never faded, Mongolia.
Adorable, shy Mongolian children peeking into our ger in the countryside.
Happy kids in Lhasa, Tibet
Meeting local women on the beaches in Sri Lanka.
Teaching local Nepalese sherpas how to make “funny faces”.
Camel safari in India’s Thar desert with longtime family friend Alysha
Children happy to see us in Lahore, Pakistan
Being invitied to tea and a meal in Pakistan
Making new friends in Uzbekistan
A wonderful bonding moment spent with village children in Sierra Leone
Husband Kees and I met friend of a friend, Monse, who guided us around Santiago, Chile
Stopping to ask directions in a rural village in Kenya
Sharing a special moment with overjoyed children who see themselves in a photo on our camera for the first time, Namibia
Dancing with the litte gilrs on the side of the road in Ethiopia
Meeting friend of a friend Monse, who guided us around Santiago, Chile.
Even when we got stuck in the mud in the middle of the jungle we found smiling faces, Cameroon
Village children in the countryside of Uganda chase after us on our motorcycle
Friendly, familiar faces of my family, Guinea
Local kids overjoyed and surprised to see us in their village in rural Zambia
Uyghur children stunned by our presence in Kashgar market, Western China
Taking a swim with happy children in Freetown, Sierra Leone
Every Tuesday at 1pmNYC/6pmUK we chat about a new travel topic with fellow travellers. Last week’s topic was FRIENDLY FACES. Search the hashtag #TRLT on Twitter to find us and don’t forget to include the hashtag #TRLT in your tweets to participate with fellow travellers! You can find me each and every week hosting with fellow founder and friend Shane Dallas (public speaker, visited 100+ countries, currently living in Kenya) and amazing travel host, and good friend, Jessica Lipowski (accomplished author and “foodie” in USA) and host Anton Magnin (specialist in family travel in South Africa).
Safe Travels Everyone and keep spreading those friendly smiles!
