• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Jess McGlothlin Travels

Updates on travels, adventures and news from Jess McGlothlin Media.

  • Blog
  • Blog Archives
  • Portfolio
  • Jess
  • Contact
  • Partners

COVID

Andiamo Firenze

September 26, 2021 By Jess McGlothlin

The Arno River in Florence, Italy, with bridges including the Ponte Vecchio.

It finally happened. In early August, after 18 months of relatively steady travel, I finally caught the c-bug. And it knocked me for a bit of a loop. August was largely a blur; sleeping a lot and managing my symptoms solo in my little Missoula apartment. I lost all sense of taste and smell, and things got a little strange for a while. (As always, very grateful for family members in the medical field who could give savvy advice.)

Realistically, it’s a bit of an inevitability, and I’m very glad to now have the natural immunity. It’s amazing what our bodies can do, even if we have to help them along sometimes.

Being sick gave me a lot of time to think. In the last 18 months, I’ve spent less time working in person with teams, and more time staring at a computer screen than ever before. And it’s shitty. Don’t get me wrong — I’m very, very grateful for the ability to be able to work from anywhere, but I’m also a very firm believer in face-to-face work. There’s something about a good, old-fashioned handshake that doesn’t translate over Zoom.

It was also a good reminder to take opportunities while you have them. With a positive test in hand, I had to cancel another stint as the Guest Fishing Director at El Pescador Lodge in Belize. Another trip canceled due to the pandemic. Less human interaction, more time solo in my apartment.

In this age of dehumanization and separation, I realized it’s more important than ever to celebrate those things that are inherently human… Art. Food. Travel. 

And so, as soon as I felt well enough to do so, I bought a ticket to Florence.

Rape of the Sabine Women statue, photographed at night with people in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy.Why Florence? Why Italy?

I wanted a place totally removed from usual fishing-centric destinations. A place where I didn’t speak the language at all, where I could just wander a city for days, finding my own adventures. Some place with fresh, good food.

Somewhere that would remind me of just how transitory we are.

And so I headed to Florence. I walked miles each day down old cobblestone streets, camera in hand, shooting what I wanted to shoot, not fulfilling a client assignment. I ate gelato every day, and found a new favorite way to cook tripe. I sat under statues that have seen so many centuries pass by; so many pandemics and wars and dramas. I bought coffee and a pastry every morning and sat in the shadow of the duomo, watching the city wake up.

And one day, I booked a ticket to Rome and logged 14 miles on foot, exploring the city. Just because I could.Equestrian statue of Cosimo I in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy, photographed at night.

I’m back stateside now; actually in Austin, Texas, as I write this, for a quick client trip. I’m missing the tastes, smells… the air in Italy. But getting ready for a very busy autumn — three trips / projects coming up in October alone — and determined to make the most of whatever’s thrown my way.

Life is very strange right now. So find the little victories. And keep fighting for those things that make us human.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: 2021, coronavirus, COVID, Florence, Italy, pandemic, photography, solo female travel, solo travel, travel

What Travel to Belize Looks Like Right Now

October 18, 2020 By Jess McGlothlin

I’m just back from a shoot at El Pescador Lodge in Belize—my first international travel since March. This trip was a long time coming; I held a total of five different ticketings since July, as the reopening date for Belize continued to shift back. Finally, on 1 October, the country re-opened and I hopped a plane to head south.

Here’s a brief look at what international travel looks like right now:

  • Step 1: Get a rapid PCR COVID test within 72 hours of your originating (departing from your home destination) flight. I was able to do this in Montana, so the odds are you can do it where you live, too. There are also a number of companies now offering rapid tests by mail.
  • Download and fill out the Belize Health App. You’ll go through a quick questionnaire (it felt similar
    to a customs form, but with additional health questions), and be given a QR code, which you’ll have to show several times upon arrival at Belize City Airport. It took about five minutes to fill out the questionnaire and get my code. This must be done no less than 72 hours prior to your arrival in Belize.
  • My route to Belize was this: Missoula to Denver, Denver to Houston. Overnight in Houston. Then Houston to Belize City. Right now only United and American are flying to Belize (Delta supposedly will resume flights in late November). I’m not a fan of United, but the routing wasn’t bad and the overnight was easy in Houston; I was able to book a Hampton Inn near the airport for about $70. Even before the COVID era, I didn’t have an option to get from Montana to Belize in a single day; my normal routing is on Delta with a red-eye through Atlanta. I’m a die-hard Delta flyer when possible, so I’ll resume that route when Delta is flying to Belize once more.
  • Honestly, I was just very, very happy to be flying and traveling once more. There are a plethora of sanitizing stations in most airports, and I felt very relaxed flying. Airports were still more quiet than they used to be, but are looking far busier than in April and May. I’ve always loved airports, and that certainly hasn’t gone away, even in this weird era we find ourselves in.
  • Upon landing in Belize City, we deplaned and queued up on the tarmac near the airport. Officials were very careful about spacing travelers out on the “social distancing” dots that had been placed on the concrete. I was the sixth from last person out of the airplane after a seat change from United that left me 14 rows away from my Pelican case in the overhead bin (thanks, United). Being at the very end of the line, I waited outside for about 50 minutes before making it inside the terminal.
    • Once inside the terminal, we moved through a “Hospitality Meet & Greet” room, where Belize Tourism Board team members greeted travelers, and verified that we’d downloaded the Health App and had a negative COVID test to present. Those with a negative test and healthy temperature were given a slip of paper with a green star on it. A red mark on the paper indicated that someone would need to take an on-site COVID test (available at a cost of $50 for those who chose not to test in advance).
      I did have a friend not receive his test results in time, and therefore was required to test in Belize City. He said the process was easy, quick, and pretty painless.
    • We were also given bight yellow bracelets to wear during the duration of our stay in Belize. These bracelets let locals know that the wearer is from outside the country. For a while Belize was only allowing travelers to stay at “Gold Star approved” lodgings that met rigorous health requirements, and the bracelets would help identify if anyone strayed off-property. As of mid-October, however, it appears travelers are no longer tied to the Gold Star properties.

      • After the health screening room, we were sent down a long hallway where test results and the Health App QR code were once more verified.
      • Once passing this secondary check, travelers proceed through Customs & Immigration as usual. This part of the process was quick and easy. All told, I was through the airport in about one hour and 45 minutes.
      • I was traveling on with Tropic Air to San Pedro, and so carried my luggage to the Tropic desk. I love this little airline; they accepted my three heavy bags full of photography gear with no questions, and I was sent on through to security for the domestic terminal. There was no line in security, and I quickly passed through.
      • In domestic departures, there was plenty of room for everyone to spread out and relax. I grabbed a cold water and waited about 20 minutes for my Tropic Air flight.

All in all, travel to Belize was easier than I’d expected. People were happy and friendly. I was last in Belize in February, and while the process feels quite different now, eight months (and what feels like several lifetimes) later, it was very doable and an encouraging first international experience after the arrival of COVID.

El Pescador is one of my favorite lodges around the world—it’s homey, and the staff and guides are like family. I’m planning a return trip this winter, and will readily jump through the travel hoops (we’ll see what the world presents us with) to get down to the saltwater flats once again.

And you know what, after seven months of not seeing angling pressure, the fish seemed pretty damn happy to see us, too. See a few images here.

New friends! We were very lucky to have a fun, savvy group of anglers at El Pescador for the opening week.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: airport, Belize, Belize City, Caribbean, COVID, current, fly, process, requirements, steps, travel, where

Sometimes Things Go to Hell

June 16, 2020 By Jess McGlothlin

Old ice house and railroad tracks in Celina, Texas.I’d never thought about having a “pivot” section of my business plan for a global pandemic. I never really considered what would happen if I couldn’t leave my home; if I couldn’t get on a plane and get places. Never planned for what would happen when the local market ran out of meat, or we couldn’t be around other human beings.

The business plan, the one I drew up eleven years ago with big aspirations, didn’t really account for what would happen when people became afraid of other people because of something we couldn’t see.

As I kid, I’d written a handful of fiction stories that touched on some of the same themes; words on paper for my reading only. About people adapting when the world changes rapidly and dramatically; surviving when the “ordinary” suddenly doesn’t exist. Can’t say I really expected to live something similar, and yet in a way so wholly unanticipated.

But here we are, in the something-month of a global pandemic, and the old paradigm—the one we’d all built our lives around—is gone. The world shifted dramatically within the space of weeks. New lines were drawn in the sand, new sides were taken. Fear became a fact of daily life for a while; mostly because true facts were scarce and, when they were available, they were buried. The world’s changed, and there’s no rule book.

Red, purple, blue, and pink sunset near Celina in north Texas.

My business, like so many others, is pivoting. Adapting. Changing. I’ll still be traveling as soon as it’s possible; camera in hand and notebook in my pocket. The why isn’t going to change. The how might shift for a while.

The 2020 work schedule was thrown out the window in March, when I got off the plane after a project in Chile, where I’d been wholly unconnected, camping in the Patagonian wilderness and far from the news cycle, and saw a year’s worth of trips, clients, and projects vanish in the space of a week.

It wasn’t a great week.

But we adapt. It’s what we do.

One of my favorite quotes, jotted into a notebook years ago (from a book long since forgotten), is this:

“Sometimes things go to hell – it’s a natural order of things, they simply can’t stay simple. The difference between a pirate and a sad slob of a man who thought he could be one is the nerve and ability to unfuck things when needed.

Or fucking them up, whatever the situation requires.”

And so, piece by piece, I’ve been working on unfucking my business world.

I’ve spent a lot more time writing, confined to my 550-square-foot apartment here in Missoula, working with a few clients I’m very grateful for. I’ve spent more time on video call these past three months than I’ve ever wanted to. My “desk” (in reality a Costco plastic folding table and a balance ball) offers those joining me on calls a scenic view of my camera gear shelving unit and, on occasion, a fly tying vise.

I’ve traveled within the United States to document current events, and caught weird little moment of history through the lens of a beaten camera. Empty airports and empty streets.

I was the only person waiting on the curb at a DFW Airport terminal in April, a camera in hand and a press pass in my pocket. It felt a bit like the apocalypse, but with a sunny wind in my hair and the smell of Texas instead of whatever I’d imagined as a child.

I spent long hours walking the streets of Missoula, seeing people cross the road to avoid waking next to me; worried to pass another human being on the sidewalk. I counted stuffed bears in windows, and soaked in children’s chalk scrawls on the sidewalk. I listened to countless hours of music while my brain worked.

We had an earthquake here in Missoula, on week six or eight or something (they run together now), and I remember watching a picture come off the wall, and watching with an odd sort of detachment. Thinking, “Okay, what next?”

I’m grateful to live near the tiny little airport here in Missoula. Early on I’d lay awake at night, listening for the planes that were due to land. I memorized the flight schedule—at one point less than four flights a day—listening for each incoming plane, and was grateful every time I heard the engines in the air. It meant something was still happening; someone was still flying somewhere. Now, the wildland firefighting planes have joined the other air traffic and I hear more planes overhead. Any time a firebomber with an orange tail crosses overhead I smile; remembering the old World War II firebombers than flew over northwestern Montana when I was a child. These newer planes carry a different sound, but they still bring back memories of a time that, these days, seems very long ago.

We adapt, don’t we? I’m exceedingly grateful to the clients who have shifted to writing work this spring instead of my normal writing / photography combination—you’ve kept me going. And I’ve never been more grateful for the blank page; one day last week I drank a French Press full of coffee and scrawled more than 14,000 words on the page before coming up for air. Nothing that will be published; nothing that will see the light of day. But words on paper, which means they’re out of my head. And that, these days, is a good thing.

One of these days we’ll be traveling again. It’s going to be each person’s decision what travel will look like for them. I’m ready.

I’m not sure what the future will look like, but I know I’ll still be here, camera in hand and notebook in my pocket, looking for stories.

Filed Under: Jess McGlothlin Media Tagged With: 2020, coronavirus, COVID, COVID-19, Jess McGlothlin, Jess McGlothlin Media, photographer, travel, traveling

Primary Sidebar

Looking for the Old Blog?

Looking for the many posts from the FireGirlPhotographyBlog.com archives? They’re still alive and well—click the link above to read 10 years of tips and tricks, travel reports, fishing photography news and more.

Instagram

jess_mcglothlin_media

It’s always worth waking up before dawn when I’m on a lodge shoot. (Coffee tastes better when it’s still dark out, too.)

Last week in Belize for @elpescadorbelize.
I’ve got just one spot left to join me from Febr I’ve got just one spot left to join me from February 2-7, 2025 in Argentina on the @goldendoradorivercruiser! This mothership-based golden dorado program is a great winter break and offers some of ridiculously fun fishing, excellent cuisine, and comfortable quarters with good company. DM me for more info to grab this last spot; it’s well worth the $4,200.

📷: me and @martinanderssen, last season.
Grateful for wide open waters and the people who c Grateful for wide open waters and the people who choose to make their living on them. 

Image: Belize last week for @elpescadorbelize.
Despite the pretty massive challenges 2024 has bro Despite the pretty massive challenges 2024 has brought, I’ve been so damn grateful to have gotten to meet and work with incredible folks all over the world, in some pretty stellar fisheries. January and February were Argentina, visiting lodges I can’t wait to get back to in a few months to see friends. March was Baja and Las Vegas. April and May were the Darien Gap in Colombia. June brought me back here to Montana to shoot a friends wedding and a couple fishing jobs, and then it all came to a screeching halt with an injury. I canceled eight international shoots in all, spending August and September in Texas having surgery instead of abroad. But November’s brought me back to the road with a return trip to Belize, and I’m keenly looking toward to what 2025 brings. It’s going to be a sprint… and a marathon. A sprinting marathon? We’ll see.

I just know I can’t wait to be back on the water with both new and old friends, capturing stories and chasing fish. 

Thanks for following along, all. Grateful for you.

(Photo credit on the final shot goes to the awesome @highpeaksrep, who caught me on the other side of the camera this past May in Colombia.)
Posted @withregram • @elpescadorbelize Well, tha Posted @withregram • @elpescadorbelize Well, that’s all from me, folks! About to board my flight back to the States. Thanks for following along this week as I’ve been shooting and fishing at @elpescadorbelize. If you’re looking for a fishing getaway this winter, put Belize on your list. This crew will take good care of you. 

If you’re seeking more on fishing, travel, and what happens when the two combine, follow along at @jess_mcglothlin_media. Thanks for joining me this week, and I hope to run into you all down in Belize one of these days!
Ten weeks ago I was learning how to walk normally Ten weeks ago I was learning how to walk normally again after endoscopic spine surgery at @texasback. Four weeks ago I started to slowly add weight workouts back into my PT and training routine. Today, I am on the tail end of my first trip back on the road, on a shoot down in Belize for @elpescadorbelize. Though I’m still a bit limited on my activity, I’ve grateful to have snuck in a few days fishing with friends. This tarpon, caught while fishing today with @jrflyhighbaby and @portillomariano7, isn’t my biggest by a long stretch, but it’s going to forever be a memorable fish as it marks a (still slow) return back to work. 

Some things are meant to be. We were about to reel up and check another spot, and I asked Junior to wait a moment; I wanted to throw one more cast… something just told me it might not hurt. And you know what? It didn’t. This tarpon came up out of nowhere and smashed my home-tied purple-and-white tarpon toad. 

Thanks @jrflyhighbaby for the picture and the day, to @peterdermanmd and his team for a surgery very well done, to @epicflyfish for making a very fun fiberglass rod for tarpon, and to the entire @elpescadorbelize team for welcoming me back… always feels a bit like coming home.
I’ve learned it’s best to embrace and work wit I’ve learned it’s best to embrace and work with the conditions on any given day—with the cameras, fishing, and just about everything else. So when the light is bright, hazy, and full of glare, we adjust and work with it. 

@elpescadorbelize manager @ebenschaefer hooked into a snook a few days ago here in Belize.
Awesome to be back to work, back on the water, and Awesome to be back to work, back on the water, and back in Belize. I’m down at @elpescadorlodge this week doing a bit of photo work and an Instagram takeover for the lodge. 

Yesterday was my first day fishing since injuring my spine in June, which led to surgery September 10. I’m incredibly grateful I’m able to be back on the water (saltwater flats, no less) at 10 weeks post-op—we had this snook (and a lot of his buddies) in the first hour on the water! I’m still on very modified duties (careful of fast boat runs on choppy water, twisting while casting, and bending awkwardly), but being back on the water is good for the soul. 

Y’all know me… I’m usually behind the lens, not in front of it—and I’m happiest there. But consider this post proof of life. 😆 I’m slowly getting back into the field once again. 

Big thanks to guide @mikey_so_fly and Shawn for a good first couple days back on the water. Working at the lodge tomorrow for an architectural shoot, and then have a few more days of fishing. All’s well here in Belize.
And off we go again. I’m finally (and very car And off we go again. 

I’m finally (and very carefully) back on the road, (slowly) resuming work after a summer / fall of injury-surgery-recovery. I’m still somewhat limited in my activities, but am thrilled to be heading to familiar waters at @elpescadorbelize for a week of photography and fishing. The fishing program won’t be quiet my usual—no targeting the big tarpon this trip—but I’ll be plenty happy to play around with other critters. Belize just had Tropical Storm Sara pass through last night, so we’ll see what the conditions hold. Stay tuned this week here on IG for daily IG trip report stories as I get back to work on the flats of Belize.

And if you’re in an airport and see a tall girl with a tan @pelican case covered in fishing stickers, say hello! I have a day of flying and five airports to hurdle through before I hit the dock at the lodge.
Getting close to final call on this trip! If you’re looking for a winter escape or feeling a bit celebratory, come fish Argentina in January. I’ll be at @estancialagunaverde on Lago Strobel January 25 - February 1, 2025, and have a few spots open for anglers. (I’ll also be offering basic photo instruction for those who are interested.) Join me as we fish for massive rainbow trout, enjoy the stunning scenery and epic fishing, and relax with excellent food and lodging. 

Pricing is $7,500 (7 nights / 6.5 days fishing); private room and shared guide. DM for more info.
Cheer on your people. And if the air temp’s belo Cheer on your people. And if the air temp’s below freezing, it just means your beer stays cold longer.

Image: @katmai_sky toasts to a fun, frigid girls’ day on the Missouri River. Montana, March 2023.
Happy 135th birthday, Montana. Image: Missouri Ri Happy 135th birthday, Montana.

Image: Missouri River, Montana. Summer 2013.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Follow Along on Social

RSS
Follow by Email
Facebook
Facebook
fb-share-icon
Twitter
Visit Us
Follow Me
Tweet
Instagram

Categories

  • Drone
  • Fishing
  • Gear
  • Hunt
  • Jess McGlothlin Media
  • News
  • Published
  • Random
  • Tips and Tricks
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • West
  • Writing

Recent Posts

  • We’ve Moved to Substack
  • Documentary Photography: 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party
  • New Workshop Announcement!
  • Thoughts on Thanksgiving
  • Stats Breakdown: The Past 11 Weeks on the Road

Recent Comments

  • Jess McGlothlin on Andiamo Firenze
  • Meg on Andiamo Firenze
  • Jess McGlothlin on Montana Summer
  • Victor on Montana Summer
  • Jess McGlothlin on Thoughts on Thanksgiving
  • Blog
  • Blog Archives
  • Portfolio
  • Jess
  • Contact
  • Partners

Copyright © 2025 · Jess McGlothlin Media · Log in