Category: Passion blog
Critical Essay Reflection
This is a piece written for my Women Studies class I would like to share here.
The lesson this week, Feminist Public Policy- Gender & Poverty, offered astonishing information for me that I was never educated on before. I was always aware of the rising poverty epidemic and I was not sure of who the main demographic was that was primarily affected by it, I always figured it was mainly people of color. I was shocked to come to learn in this week’s lecture that those affected the most by poverty is women, but especially women of color and single mothers. I found it interesting that I continuously saw a similar statement through all the readings, which was that being in poverty was subjected to being equated to being lazy, unemployed or criminal behavior; and if I’m being honest when I was younger, I thought this as well.
I really was intrigued by this topic and how it is associated to being a feminist issue and I wanted to become more well educated on in the financial struggles’ women are faced with. I feel this lesson helped me learn of all the work, societal and economic hurdles they are faced with to escape poverty and establish a life for them. The way welfare and government public policies are set up kind of makes it inevitable for women and even LGBTQ people to dig themselves out of this deep hole. It is also interesting to see that we acknowledge women being the main victims of poverty and labeling it the feminization of poverty but there is so little effort to help them out of it.
In this paper I am going to focus on how public policies and the gender gap in the workplace affect women, especially those considered outsiders of society such as women of color and LGBTQ+ community.
It is important that I first address the statistics of the demographic affected by poverty so I can emphasize who the biggest victims are. According to this week’s lecture, it is stated that worldwide 70 percent of the poor are women, and to breakdown this percentage, 21.4 percent of US Black women, 22.8 percent of US Native Americans, 18.7 percent of US Latinas and 10.7 percent of US Asian women live in poverty. We see more women of color than white women face difficulties with poverty because of institutional racism that is extremely persistent in our country to this day. This institutional racism results in lower wages, less job opportunities, unfair treatment in the workplace, more health challenges and less educational opportunities that impact their ability to make do with a fair, livable wage. According to the article, “Poverty, Gender and Public Policies” by Cynthia Hess and Stephanie Roman, poverty rates don’t do the numbers we are shown justice and much more women of color and single mothers are suffering than we know. In the 1960s, the Federal poverty threshold was established and adjusted for inflation within the government “but not for increases in widely accepted living standards and, therefore, does not accurately measure the resources needed to avoid economic hardship” (Hess and Roman). Based on this threshold, the proportion of women who face economic hardship is much higher than calculated.
Like I mentioned before, a main cause of women of color facing more poverty is because of strong institutional racism. For example, the roles of African American women in society since slavery have always connotated that these women are meant to hold low wage, domestic and service jobs. African American were in the workforce primarily as low-wage caregivers for white families, which helped secured the well-being of white families. According to the article “Black Women’s Labor Market History Reveals Deep-Seated Race and Gender Discrimination” by Nina Banks, “The state would simultaneously undermine the well-being of black families by denying black mothers the cash assistance that they needed to support their children and leaving black women with no other option but to work for very low wages”, African American women were set up to fail and cannot even acquire help from their own government. Black women have also been left vulnerable to workplace exploitation by excluding them from various worker protections. African American women and many other women of color are eligible for public benefits but “usually do not receive the support they qualify for due to complicated application and eligibility determination process, lack of transportation and inconvenient appointment times to complete the application process” (Hess & Roman). It was also found that only 36 percent of families with children in poverty received TANF benefits (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). It is horrible to see the government showing little care for these struggling families, creating welfare that they know will not even make a difference.
LGBTQ+ members also face extreme workplace discrimination and receive significantly lower salaries than their heterosexual counterparts. Many LGBTQ workers have left their jobs because of how unwelcoming the work environment was. In this week’s reading of the book Gendered Voices Feminist Visions by Susan M. Shaw and Janet Lee, in the article by Anne Swartz titled, “This is the Hidden Financial Cost of Being an LGBTQ American Today” it was mentioned Federal law does not cover gender identity and sexual orientation, which means private companies have the right to choose who can receive benefits and who cannot. According to a study in that article it was found that lesbians made more than $5,000 less than straight women, bisexual women made about $15,000 less; in my opinion sexual orientation should have no say on how much you get paid for your job, if you are working hard. I think to myself that it is so hard to believe that race and sexual orientation can have such detrimental effects on their economic status.
A question I would like to pose is this, how can big businesses, the government and even society make changes to create better policies and even bring more awareness to our society on the uprise of women of color in poverty and workplace discrimination?
To give a partial answer to this question is in connection with previous lessons and looking at this term gender gap. The gender gap is the discrepancy in opportunities, status, and attitudes between men and women. In the workplace it is imperative to start paying women and men equally for doing the same jobs, and even paying women of different races the same wages. By closing the wage gap, we would see a decline in the number of women suffering from poverty. Closing the gender gap is not easy and will take time but corporations and businesses can start within by promoting change in how they and other workers treat women. For example, another article part of Gendered Voices Feminist Visions, the article “Which Country Will Be the First to Close the Gender Gap- and How” by Vesselina Stefanova Ratcheva and Saadia Zahidi, there were examples of successful companies introducing more internal measurement and monitoring of the gender gap. Some effective interventions “have ranged from legislation promoting non-discrimination in hiring, appropriate paternity leave, child subsidies & tax credit, gender neutral taxation for families and quotas in economic and political life” (Ratcheva & Zahidi). Other companies are trying to create a safe workplace environment by developing awareness and accountability among senior staff and provide training on understanding biases in management. By creating a safe workplace and closing the gender gap, it will encourage more people to stick with their jobs and promote good work, leading to them not having to quit and file for unemployment and live off welfare.
By establishing better public policies, closing the gender gap and offering a safe workplace environment, we can move towards a society of diminishing poverty and equality in compensation. Both women of color and LGBTQ+ community face a number of hurdles now, slowly but surely, we are seeing a change.
Bibliography
“Poverty, Gender, and Public Policies.” Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Feb.2016. Web. 1 Nov 2020. https://iwpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/D505-Poverty-Gender-and- Public-Policies.pdf
“Black Women’s Labor Market History Reveals Deep-Seated Race and Gender Discrimination” Economic Policy Institute. 19 Feb 2019. Web. 1 Nov 2020. https://www.epi.org/blog/black-womens-labor-market-history-reveals-deep-seated- race-and-gender-discrimination/
“Which Country Will Be the First to Close the Gender Gap- and How”. Gendered Voices Feminist Visions. 2016.
“This is The Hidden Financial Cost of Being an LGBTQ American Today”. Gendered Voices Feminist Visions. 2017.
April 22/Off to Somewhere a Little Warmer
Last post I had discussed a vacation to Iceland, which was more on the colder side of suggestions I could’ve given. Since warm weather is approaching, the place I would love to visit and suggest to you all is Antigua. Antigua is one of the two major islands that make up the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua is ringed with coral reefs and known for its sandy beaches. Over 22,000 natives live in the capital, St. Johns, which is situated in the north-west and has a deep harbor which is able to accommodate large cruise ships. The population of Antigua is 80,161 and is growing. A flight out of New York to Antigua would be roughly around seven or eight hours. Antigua is prone to receiving hurricanes and the official hurricane is July to November; this coincides with the best time to visit which would be June to August. The risk of enduring a hurricane is really low, so at most you would run into a tropical storm. But prices are lower during hurricane season so it is a great time to travel and you may be able to see turtles nesting along the beach. Antigua has highest temperatures in July and minimal precipitation.
Antigua is a great place to visit because of the historic sites, cuisine and lively cultural scene all around the island. But there is beauty and versatility of the island’s 365 beaches; you can find a party in the sand, shallow water for children and a place to get a great tan. Most of the popular beaches include Galley Bay Beach, for surfing, Half Moon Bay, for those who like peace and quiet, and Dickerson Bay, supposedly the island’s best. If you are tired or bored from all that lounging around at the beach, you can take out those hiking boots and head over to Shirley Heights; the admission fee is $8.00 and the best time to trek this trail is early in the morning so you can beat the heat. To educate yourself on the island’s culture you can head over to Nelson’s Dockyard, a former sugar plantation where you’ll find a museum detailing the island’s colonial past. Some Antiguan cuisine finds to give a try are conch, a popular shellfish used in chowders, Ducana, a side dish which has the appearance of a tamale but is wrapped in banana leaf, and Fungee; the national dish of Antigua, similar to polenta and usually served with stews or meats and plated alongside saltfish. The top restaurants to try to and check out are Stella Ristorante, The Cove Restaurant and Fred’s Belgian Waffles and Ice cream.
Antigua is a beautiful island with a lot to offer to a variety of tourists and I hope to get to go there one day!
April 8th post; Get Ready For a Mardi Gras Party…
Last post I brought you guys somewhere that was nearly on the other side of the world, today I am deciding to stay a little more local which would be within the United States, that is the famous New Orleans. New Orleans is located in Louisiana on the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. It is a city known for its outrageous nightlife, live music scene and cuisine that represents African, French and American culture. The historic heart of the city is the French Quarter, known for its Spanish and French architecture and vibrant nightlife occurs on Bourbon Street. The French colonists founded New Orleans in 1718 and was the largest city in the American South from the Antebellum Period to after World War 2. The city is extremely vulnerable to flooding due to high rainfall, low elevation and poor drainage. New Orleans is a relatively very warm place so if you are looking to visit not during the hottest months I suggest traveling in March, April, May, September, October and November. There are numerous transportation options such as streetcars (preferable for traveling downtown), buses, ferries, taxis and even bicycling. Even though New Orleans is a city environment and that may not be preferable to everyone, there is also some nature exhibits not too far from the central city, there is definitely something for everyone.
I would 100% recommend staying at a hotel in the French Quarter because then you are really in the heart of all the nightlife, bars and great restaurants. A renowned restaurant in the area that many tourists attend is in the French market called Cafe Du Monde, which is famous for their cafe au lait and beignets. A bunch of New Orleans dishes I would make sure to try before leaving are gumbo, jambalaya, etouffee and red beans and rice( a Louis Armstrong favorite). For a more historical route of your trip I suggest checking out The Historic New Orleans Collection, New Orleans Museum of Art and close to the Treme community check out the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park and New Orleans African American Museum. For nature lovers there is the Audubon Nature Institute which consists of Audubon Park and zoo and home to gardens which include Longue Vue House and Gardens and New Orleans Botanical Garden. Mardi Gras is a huge festival that is celebrated on the last Tuesday before the Christian season of Lent . There are also a bunch of music festivals held there including New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Voodoo Experience and Essence Music Festival. New Orleans is such a diverse area to visit with many things to do no matter who you are traveling with. I hope I get to go there soon in this lifetime and I hope you all do too.
April 1 post/ In For the Long Haul
The next place I am choosing to persuade you all to look into visiting is Tokyo, it is definitely an extensive trip that requires a lot of traveling but is 100% worth the trip. I used to find Tokyo very off putting just because to get there is about a twenty-nine hour plane ride straight through, I could barely do seven hours to Italy! In ways I always thought Tokyo was just like New York City, with the bustling movement and big bright lights, but it contrasts in very different ways and definitely stands out. Tokyo is Japan’s and world’s most populous metropolis with a population of 9.273 million. The architecture in present-day Tokyo mixes the ultramodern and traditional, with neon-lit buildings but historic temples nearby. According to Travel U.S News, the best time to visit Tokyo is between March and April and September and November. The Autumn season brings great scenery of foliage and soothing temperatures; while the spring season has amazing foliage including world renowned cherry blossom trees. I would avoid traveling there in the summer due to the temperatures and it being peak tourist season. The best way to get around and navigate Tokyo is by the subway, it can take you anywhere in the city as soon as possible; the bus system can become confusing and taxis can become costly.
Even though Tokyo is an urban environment there are many diverse activities to take place in to make your trip super memorable. To learn about the history of Tokyo I recommend visiting the Tokyo National Museum or Edo-Tokyo Museum. To get an amazing overhead view of the city to see all its glimmering lights, take a trip over to Tokyo Tower or Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. For some more historical sites, head over to Sensoji Temple and the spiritual Meji Shrine; Sensoji Temple is the oldest religious site in Tokyo and is dedicated to Asakusa Kannon, the Buddhist god of mercy and happiness. There are many guided walks and tours that may interest you as well, for example Mizumoto Park is Tokyo’s largest waterfront park that also offers family bike tours. Tokyo also has amazing diverse culture and food to explore and some unique customs to learn about. My recommendation would be to visit a great Soba restaurant to have some great soul food, but remember it is part of customs to take off your shoes and no food or drinks should be brought it. I hope one day, like all the other places, I get to see with my own eyes one day. But for now I will admire Tokyo’s beauty from a distance.
https://www.gotokyo.org/en/plan/diverse-culinary-culture/index.html
https://travel.usnews.com/Tokyo_Japan/Getting_Around/
Off to Yellowstone National Park
This is another place I have always wanted to go but was never given the opportunity to in the past. This is a place I’ve grown up hearing my parents talk about as one of their favorite places on their cross country motorcycle trip and I am just dying to visit. Yellowstone National Park is a great trip you can take with your family or friends and can either be turned into a fun road trip or a short flight if that’s what you prefer. The best thing about Yellowstone is that it is filled with amazing scenic locations that are mostly free and they are views that will stick with you forever. Yellowstone is definitely for the outdoorsy type; filled with multicolor pool swirls around hot springs, volatile geysers, lush forests and miles of mountains. Yellowstone covers 2.2 million acres from the northwest corner of Wyoming into Idaho and Montana. There are a number of hot springs, trails and wild life watching opportunities. The best way to get around Yellowstone is by car, especially since they don’t have a transportation system, which also gives you the option to rent a car.
The best time of year to visit this national park would be April, May or June; temperatures in April can go as low as 10 degrees and highs of 60s, meanwhile May would be right in the middle and June is more on the warmer side if that is what you prefer. In May there is also the Montana State University Billings Foundation’s Wine & Food festival. As I mentioned before Yellowstone is known for its natural features that attract so many tourist a year. Old Faithful is probably what you all are most acquainted with, but it is one of the world’s most renowned geysers with its eruptions averaging around 130 feet high and is completely free to see. The next spot I would go to is Yellowstone Lake which is more west in the park; it is the park’s largest body of water and you can find many grizzly bears and bison trekking the shallow ends of the water. This lake is overlooked by a beautiful mountain range with the bluest of waters. The next location is something I really would love to experience and this is Grand Prismatic Spring, it is the largest hot spring but its rainbow waters are what makes it so mind blowing. These colors are caused by pigmented thermophilic bacteria that thrive on the rich materials produced by the geothermic activity. There are also many walking tours, guided hikes and wildlife sight seeing activities but those must be paid for.
I am a very outdoor centered person and I believe this would be the perfect place to visit soon, I definitely recommend taking a trip here soon to see these amazing views.
https://travel.usnews.com/Yellowstone_National_Park_WY/
Staying Local This Trip
New York City is the next location I will be discussing as a place to travel to, I am from Long Island, NY and my town is about 30-35 minutes from New York City. I was hesitant to write about NYC because I didn’t want to give too much of a biased opinion and I know it is a very controversial place that has its pros and cons. I particularly have a love/hate relationship with NYC just because of how frequently I am there or to certain places I’ve been too. I think the great thing about New York City though is the versatility of it and how much culture is present there. There is the stereotype that it can be very expensive but there are many things to do for a very wide price range. I think each borough has something to offer too many various tourists and New York City truly lives up to be the melting pot it is acclaimed to be. What I would advise though is to not spend too much time in Times Square, it is really not worth it and sometimes very dirty looking. The city is also versatile in the way that there are many different things to do in summer and winter.
Traveling to New York City, whether that be a short car ride, train ride or flight is worth the visit no matter what time the year you go, it’s just one of those places you have to see for yourself. Metropolitan lifestyle may not be for everybody but there are some things to do that make you feel that you are not even in a city setting. In the summer the best things to do are take a visit to either Central Park, Bryant Park or the High Line. In Central Park in the summer they hold free early morning concerts by Good Morning America and the Today show, I’ve seen artist such as Demi Lovato, Halsey, Selena Gomez and Keith Urban. The High Line is also a beautiful sight seeing walk, it is located on Manhattan’s West Side on an abandoned train track and stretches over three of the cities very lively neighborhoods; there is a handful of food vendors there and beautiful public art installments. No matter the season, if you like to shop and eat great food I recommend heading over to SoHo in Lower Manhattan, you”ll be sure to find a great brunch spot over there. In the winter Bryant Park is also amazing where it is all beautifully decorated for the holidays and they have an ice skating rink and little shops set up with hot chocolate in churro cones. Also the Macy window setup, Rockefeller Center Tree and Saks 5th Avenue has amazing light setups.
For a more spring or fall approach I recommend going to one of the many museums found in New York City, in my opinion they don’t get enough recognition. I went to the MoMA, The Museum of Natural History and The Museum of Moving Image (which is in Queens) when I was very young and those experiences are some that I cherish the most from my visits to NYC. Another activity for this season is The Big Onion Walking tour in Brooklyn which takes you through ethnic, close knit neighborhoods where you get to learn about the history of many cultures and try amazing food. Broadway shows are also a great thing to attend if you are able to, Wicked was awesome when I saw it.
I could go on and on about all the different things available to do in this city and I think it is truly something to check out because there is always something for everybody. You’ll get to see all types of different people and try new things without having to leave the country, unless you live outside the United States then you have a journey ahead of you. It is a place filled with unity, great food, great stores and amazing people (just don’t get in a New Yorker’s way).
Just a plane ride away… or two.
Welcome back to my travel blog, or welcome if you are new and this is the first time you are visiting my page. I hope you enjoy this first post of the spring semester and future post from here on out. I started out with the travel blog just going off of places I have visited or would like to go to in the future and I will still be incorporating that. Although it is not the most ideal time to travel across the ocean or country right now, despite what celebrities show you, my travel post come from an angle of hope and optimism to be here in a COVID19 free environment.
For while I was having a blank mind on where I would like to travel to next, which then leads me to search up ideas on Google. The first website I come across has the 30 best places to travel too, of course this is just the author’s opinion but I would have to agree with their top choice which is my pick today. My next location I would like to travel to and recommend to you all is South Island, New Zealand. Now this location is a far long trip from where we are in the United States, a little over a day being on an airplane, which could be torture for absolutely anyone, but I am dedicated to make the trip and I think you all will be too once you see the pictures. The South Island is also known as Te Waipounamu and covers 58,084 square miles, making it the twelfth largest island also hosting a moderate climate. The South Island is shaped by the Southern Alps and includes New Zealand’s highest peak, Aoraki/ Mount Cook. It is home to the Canterbury Plains, rough coastlines with a high amount bush and national parks. January and February would be the best time to visit if you are looking for a summer feel, while July is the coldest.
Once arriving to South Island, New Zealand there are a multitude of different activities to partake in and sites to see since it is a very diverse piece of geography. Warm weather activities would include kayaking in the Abel Tasman National Park where there would be a high chance of seeing dolphins and seals riding along side you coastal waters. Another activity would be visiting the Hokitika Gorge on the West Coast; here you may lay your eyes upon the most beautiful turquoise water filled with lush native bush. A location that has activities to do for both seasons is Mt. Aspiring National Park in Wanaka; this area is filled with glaciers, river flats, mountains and turquoise waters once again. In this national park you can find yourself hiking, jet boating or even taking scenic flights. Besides the locations for the outdoor enthusiasts, they have a great street art trail on Christchurch Street in Canterbury with great cafes there as well. I throughly encourage you all to travel here if you have the time, money and resources because it sounds like a beautiful all around place, despite the long plane ride; this place is definitely now at the top of my list.
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The Next Location
Another location I will hopefully get to travel to in my lifetime is the island of Santorini in Greece. I have always wanted to go to Greece because within my nationality I am a little greek and it is one culture in my heritage I never got to fully experience. For example I am also Italian and Irish and I am able to celebrate those cultures through holidays celebrated here in the United States that are still linked to those countries across the Atlantic. There are also designated places in New York City that have roots of Italy and Ireland that you are able to experience, such as Little Italy. I have had Greek food maybe once or twice but I would really like the opportunity to travel their and experience the culture first hand. Santorini is part of a chain of islands known as the Cyclades in the Aegean sea consisting of Thira, Thirassia, Aspronissi, Palea, and Nea Kameni. The islands that form Santorini came into existence due to intensive volcanic activity. The most recent volcanic activity that has occurred on the island was in 1950 and this place is now a huge natural geological/volcano museum where you can observe a wide variety of geological structures.
Santorini is known for its’ low lying cuboidal white house with royal blue roofs, made of local stone and lime-washed or whitewashed with various volcanic ashes used as colors. These houses are high up and can overlook the beautiful blue Aegean sea and it a very aesthetically attractive sight that appeals to many tourist. In recent years, Santorini has had a growing reputation of being a wedding destination. It is unique fro couples to get married here because not every wedding location or even travel destination for weddings will have exquisitely clear waters while perched on the rim of a massive active volcano in the middle of the sea. Although you can participate in all water sports/ activities that I mentioned were possible in the previous destinations, this is more of a location were you can relax and get to explore the history through meeting locals in town. Some of the villages offer more night life activities while others are more calm and peaceful. They can surrounded by vast vineyards, white-washed clifftops that overlook the Aegean. Another unique experience is the culinary aspect including trying goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, capers, and fava. You can try these varieties of foods at vineyards or local restaurants. Finally another attraction is to venture into Santorini’s seaside highlights which have red and black sand beaches, spectacular rock formations and impeccable lunar landscapes.
Another Worthy Site Seeing Location!
I think the best natural wonders are ones that are right in our backyard and don’t need a an expensive plane ticket to get to these locations. It is always fun to have a road trip once in a while with family or friends, even though your family may get on your nerves very quickly. I encourage people to also start taking more road trips that require a car ride that is longer than 4 hours. Especially during these trying times of COVID19, staying within your own car to travel may be the quite best possible option, rather than going to an airport or train station. The place I recommend to travel to in this weeks blog is Apostle Islands located off the coast of Wisconsin. I had never been to Wisconsin before but I all I ever heard about it was they have great cheese and it’s cold. The Apostle Islands are a group of 22 islands in Lake Superior, off the Bayfield Peninsula in Northern Wisconsin. The majority of the islands are located in Ashland county- only Sand, York, Eagle and Raspberry Island are located in Bayfield county. Fun fact, this chain of islands was named by a New France historian who chose the name based off the twelve apostles (for the twelve largest islands).
Enough about the history, I will now try to give the most accurate description possible of what this location is comprised of. As I mentioned before, it it nice to take a road trip with friends to this location, and it is but once you drive to the shoreline of Lake Superior you will need to take a boat or paddle out to the islands to stay there or just take a look around. The islands are surrounded crystal blue-green water, which is such an interesting combination for me to see. There are underwater rock formations and above ground reddish cliff, rock formations, similar to what you would see in Arizona and Utah. The interesting feature part of these islands is the Sea caves. The sea caves such as Swallow Point on Sands Island and the North Shore on Devils Island have such prominent arches. In the winter, visitors are able to see the caves freeze up and can also see frozen waterfalls and chambers filled with delicate icicles. Like all the other places I have previously recommended, there are a multitude of activities to partake in. There is kayaking, water taxis, and even sight seeing cruises. Travelers are allowed to walk along the shorelines, hop from island to island and swim/walk in the sea caves. Visitors are also welcomed to utilize the camp grounds provided if they want to spend the night. If you are not quite comfortable traveling to this location yet, they also offer a virtual visit of the park found on their website that I will link below.
https://www.nps.gov/apis/index.htm
Where to next?
Although I have traveled outside the country, I have never had the luxury of experiencing a cruise or traveling to a tropical island. I’ve always wanted to travel to a tropical island because I think they offer one of the most authentic sceneries than other places I would have visited. Even though these tropical islands have been touched by corporations that set up resorts and hotel chains there is still something about the landscape that seems to never change. There are so many tropical islands to visit and I honestly could not narrow down where I would want to travel to in the future and I had to ask my friends to give me ideas. One that stuck with me was the Maldives, I have always heard good things about this location but I can never remember what it looks like because no one I know has traveled there or I can not recall any celebrities traveling there. The Maldives is a small archipelagic island country in south Asia located in the Arabian sea of the Indian ocean; now this is a long hike all the way from Long Island, New York. I know for some people when they see how long a flight will be, it immediately deters their desire to travel to that location anymore.
The Maldives is known for their natural environment of crystal blue ocean, white sand beaches and clean air. The climate is ideal for tourists to engage in water sports such as swimming, fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling or water skiing. It is important to note that the Maldives is not just one large island, it is a collection of smaller coral islands with each being surrounded by their own shallow lagoon; which makes the location so unique from other island destinations. The Maldives is not the cheapest location to travel to and has become listed as one of the most luxurious places to stay, which explains why you will not see most of your friends traveling their during their summer breaks. It is also not the easiest place to get too, it includes a lot of connecting flights which is tough of travelers coming a long distance. Additionally, there has been increased terrorism conduction remote attacks on surrounding islands around the Maldives which also lengthens the time for authorities to arrive at the attacks. I am not trying to discourage you from visiting this gorgeous place, but I feel it is important now to include all the positives and negatives from visiting this beautiful, hidden location. I hope once COVID19, the attacks and financial issues lighten up, I will be able to travel there and capture so many images that document my trip.
