From JuJu with Love

Apparently wind is the one souvenir every country gives me.

Some people travel the world collecting postcards.

Apparently, I collect bad hair days.

Not just ordinary bad hair days — I’m talking about the epic, wind-blown, gravity-defying, “what on earth happened to my head?” kind.

When you travel as much as I do, you quickly learn that Mother Nature doesn’t care about your hairstyle. Oceans, wind, ships, and open decks have a way of turning even the best hair day into something… memorable.

And luckily, I seem to have documented several of them.

Auckland, New Zealand

New Zealand is famous for its breathtaking landscapes, rolling green hills, and dramatic volcanic peaks. What travel brochures don’t usually mention is that when you climb to the top of those peaks, the wind has absolutely no respect for your hair.

This photo was taken at the top of Mount Eden in Auckland, standing on the rim of a volcanic crater with incredible views of the city. It’s one of those places where you want to stop, take it all in, and capture the moment with a selfie.

Unfortunately, the wind had other plans.

Within about three seconds, my carefully brushed travel hair transformed into something that looked like I had just stepped out of a wind tunnel. Sunglasses on, jacket zipped, scenery stunning… and my hair doing whatever it wanted.

But honestly, that’s part of the fun of traveling.

The views are spectacular.

The memories are priceless.

And sometimes the photos come with a little extra wind styling.

Australia: Where My Hair Officially Gave Up

Australia gave me many wonderful things — incredible beaches, stunning harbors, unforgettable wildlife…

…and some of the worst hair days of my entire life.

Apparently the Australian wind has a personal vendetta against hairstyles. Bondi Beach turned my carefully styled bob into a windswept tumbleweed. Sydney Harbour rearranged it again just for fun. And somewhere in Queensland, the wind simply said, “Forget it, we’re going full chaos now.”

By that point I had stopped trying. When your hair is doing its own international sightseeing tour, the only logical response is to stick out your tongue and document the disaster.

Travel lesson learned:

The more beautiful the destination… the worse the hair.

French Polynesia

A beautiful sea day in paradise.

Turquoise water. Warm breeze. Stunning views.

And apparently hurricane-force wind aimed directly at my head.

My hair had completely different plans for that afternoon.

It looked less like vacation hair and more like I had stuck my finger in an electrical outlet.

But honestly?

Totally worth it.

Drake Passage – Antarctica

If French Polynesia was a bad hair day…

Drake Passage said,

“Hold my beer.”

For those who don’t know, the Drake Passage is famous for being one of the roughest stretches of water on earth. The winds are legendary.

Which means stepping outside on deck instantly turns your hair into something that looks like it belongs in a science experiment.

The cold didn’t help either.

Between the Antarctic wind, the waves, and the heavy expedition jackets, my hair wasn’t just messy.

It was fully airborne.

And judging from the photos, I was having the time of my life.

Iceland greeted us with dramatic skies, icy water, and wind strong enough to turn three reasonably put-together women into a shampoo commercial gone terribly wrong.

I’m the one on the left, attempting to smile like everything is under control while my hair is actively negotiating independence.

And then there was Greenland.

The fjords were spectacular.

The sky was clear.

The Arctic air was crisp.

And the wind?

Well… let’s just say it had very strong opinions about my hairstyle.

Somewhere behind all that hair is my face — I promise.

The Truth About Travel Photos

The funny thing is, these are the pictures I love the most.

They’re real.

They capture the moment — the wind, the laughter, the unpredictability of being out in the world.

Perfect hair is overrated.

Adventure hair tells the better story.

If you ever see me traveling with a hairbrush in my bag, don’t worry.

It’s just there for decoration.

Because apparently, wherever I go…

the wind always wins.

The Moral of the Story

Travel teaches you many things.

One of them is that sometimes the best moments are the ones where everything — including your hair — is completely out of control.

And honestly?

If a bad hair day means I’m somewhere incredible in the world…

I’ll take it.

Every single time.

You might notice the same heart necklace in several of these photos. I bought it before my first trip to Australia and New Zealand in 2016. I never travel with my good jewelry — too sentimental to risk losing — but this one reminds me of my mom, so it became my unofficial travel companion. Apparently it has now survived windstorms on multiple continents… even when my hair didn’t.

In the end, I’ve learned something important from my bad hair days around the world. Wind doesn’t care about your hairstyle. Humidity ignores your blow dryer. Ocean breezes laugh at hair products. And apparently my hair has decided that whenever I travel somewhere beautiful, it’s going to stage a full-scale rebellion.

But honestly? That’s part of the story.

Because years from now I won’t remember whether my hair looked good that day. I’ll remember the freezing winds of the Drake Passage, the salty breezes of French Polynesia, the wild gusts of Greenland, and the beaches of Australia where my hair officially gave up trying to behave.

And judging by the number of travel selfies where my mouth is wide open and my hair is flying in every direction… it’s pretty clear I was having a great time anyway.

Bad hair.

Great adventures.

Totally worth it.

Stay tuned. My hair and I will be conducting further wind research around the world.

I have a feeling I’m not the only traveler with a collection of wind-blown photos hiding in their camera roll… so tell me — where in the world did you have your worst travel hair day?

From Juju with love 💙✈️