Summer Delehanty's Portfolio

The earliest I’ve ever packed for a trip in my entire life is approximately 46 hours before departure. I set this record two days ago. My bags have sat expectantly in the corner ever since, waiting for 5:30pm on Friday. Which is finally here!

It was March of last year that I took my first trip dedicated solely to birding, spending a brief three days in Tucson, Arizona with my Mom. Since then, I’ve done a good amount of overnight birding trips: Eastern Washington with the Birds Connect Seattle crew, the California coast on my own, New Jersey on my own, South Carolina with my partner, and Puerto Rico with my family. Not to mention the countless day trips I’ve done around Washington D.C..

For spring this year, I set my eyes on my next big US destination: Texas! I thought about it anxiously for a few weeks, obsessively googling flights and going back and forth. On the one hand, if I waited, I could go with friend(s) and split the cost. On the other hand… it was, inexplicably and intensely, calling my name. I couldn’t get Texas out of my head. Late at night on my birthday, I finally just booked the flight and requested the time off. Once the initial rush of stress subsided, it was hard to think about anything else. While I’ve done my fair share of solo travel, it’s never been somewhere I didn’t drive—a flight to Texas was both terrifying and exhilarating, but the allure of an adventure outweighed my anxiety. 

So, in a mixture of nerves and excitement, I packed two days early, and now the moment is finally here. I’m sitting in a window seat en route to San Antonio, wearing a Texas birdwatching shirt I designed and printed to celebrate the occasion. Stay tuned to hear how it goes!