Traveling Abroad

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - St. Augustine

Traveling is a great thing to do (if you can afford it) and it is something that I believe everyone should get to experience. Whether it just be a road trip with good friends, or backpacking across Europe, traveling is a right of passage. To discover who you are, you must first have experiences that help you grow.

I was lucky enough to get to go to London my senior year of high school for a school trip. Although it was only for a few, rainy days, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Because of my brief trip across the pond, I have discovered something about myself that I would not have otherwise: I love visiting somewhere so new to me that I can hardly wrap my head around it.

London Bridge (only weeks after they took down the Olympic Rings!)

My experiences in this wonderful city had my head spinning with excitement, and had my head full of ideas of travel to come in my future!

I even got to visit Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter!

I had such a great time with my friends I knew that someday I would have to come back. Hopefully if my parents are feeling generous enough, I might get to study abroad for a semester there.

Because of my amazing experience in London, I've already made plans to travel to other countries (not very solid plans, but plans nonetheless). I hope someday to visit France, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Australia, Egypt, South Africa and many more places! I wish I could find a career where I could just travel from country to country (it would be a dream come true) however, I would be content having a job where I could take two weeks out of the year to visit a country of my own choosing.

However there are a few things I would advise you about before traveling to different countries:

• Google the type of outlets they have in that country and get an adapter!! I can't stress this enough. When I went to London, I had to share my adapter with the girls I was sharing a room with because they hadn't thought to bring one.
• If you have a safe in your hotel or hostel room, make use of it! Put everything of importance with you in there such as your passport and your credit cards (Only bring as much money as you know you will need/use for the day). If you get pick pocketed, you will not want them taking your credit card.
• And finally, make sure you have your camera fully charged or better yet, have a charged, spare battery for your camera (I did this when I was in London). You will want to capture every moment and why wouldn't you? You are in a new place and you want to remember all of it when you go home.

Be adventurous, plan a trip for yourself, and be sure to have plenty of fun. If traveling to a different country for just a few days can change my life, imagine what a week in a different country could do for you. Be brave and go somewhere. Live your life before it's too late.

xoxo, Alex