I hadn't left the United States until just before my 18th birthday. I went to Kosovo with brief stop-overs in Macedonia and London along the way.



In the following five years, I travelled to more than 20 countries, spending a year studying in Argentina and another year teaching in Spain.



These photographs are the result of those trips. They represent the good and the bad of places and bare witness to moments I've come to cherish.



Traveling with a dSLR wasn't always easy. I've had to argue with, and repeatedly explain myself to, customs officials in countries like Peru, Kosovo (then a territory of Serbia, administered by the UN) and Turkey ("You said you were a student. Why do you have this camera?" "Yes, I am a student: a photography student.") I've had a battery run out just as I was reaching the Devil's Throat at Iguazú Falls in Argentina. My camera lenses have set-off numerous metal detectors forcing me to unpack my bags at security points.



No matter what happened along the way, it was always worth it. These photographs validate the plane flights and nights in hostels, yet they also serve as a diary or journal of five years of my life. Enjoy.