Student of the World
During the summer before my junior year of high school, I traveled to Spain with the world language department at my school. I did well in my Spanish class and could speak enough Spanish to order food,...
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Grand Canyon Rim2Rim: A Test of Fortitude
My eyes traced the trail ahead of me until it was reduced to the size of a thread as my dad and I approached the South Rim trailhead. We woke up early, ambitious and ready to embark on our hike. Both of...
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The Tales of a Commuter
I had come to Chicago from Atlanta for a summer internship for high school students at Loyola University. Yet, I had not once ventured out of the four walls of my dorm to experience the bustling city life....
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Angel Island’s Mysteries
Angel Island was lush, green and beautiful. A typical vacation spot, obscured by forests which resembled the Amazon Jungle. The Golden Gate Bridge overlooked the tiny speck of paradise. However, it had...
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As White as Snow
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Pure white sand, going on for miles and miles. As we drove down the winding road, my family and I admired the mounds of sand. We watched the sun’s rays reflect off the shining...
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My Mom and I
This is a picture of my mother and I, standing atop the famed botanical garden in Eze, France. It was the summer after my sophomore year, and my mom and I were travelling through southwest Europe after...
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Welcome to the Rock
“We drove 2,400 miles, 35 painstaking hours in the car to see a jail, much less one that’s abandoned?” I rest my arms on the boat railing and glanced over at my exhausted family. After a long journey...
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Her name was Xochitl
Christmas had arrived. Through the colored picturesque streets of San Miguel de Allende I walked, taking in the smell of warm churros and the fruity scent of ponche. Christmas lights hung above the streets...
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The Discovery of a New Language in Haiti
As the sweat dripped from my forehead I couldn’t help but wonder - was it from the intense heat, or was it from the butterflies currently inhabiting my stomach? I had just landed in Cap Haitian, Haiti,...
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Finding Home
After an eighteen-hour flight from Los Angeles, I finally arrived in New Delhi. It had been five years since I last visited and I don’t remember much from my past experiences, but I do remember my unwillingness...
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Making Memories in the Mediterranean
My family and I eagerly dipped our toes into the golden sand of Costa Brava and admired the crystal clear Mediterranean Sea after over an hour of scenic driving through the suburbs in Spain. The crisp...
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Vancouver! On a Budget!
"Little one! Little one! Would you like a fresh baked cookie Little one?" My 4 foot 6, 11-year-old sister (who HATES being called short) whipped her head around in anger only to see a friendly, elderly...
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Bitter Teas, Sweet Views
In June, the Tea Club from my school took a week-long trip to Japan. Japan has an incredibly rich culture revolving around the growth, presence, and consumption of tea, so we thought it would be an amazing...
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Land of the Royal Bengal Tiger
“Who are you?” The question that appeared on my last summer English assignment kept lingering on in my head as I flew back to my home country, Bangladesh, for the first time since I came to America....
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To Hell and Back
This was the summer of our epic father/son journey out West. My dad and I set out on a six-week adventure full of camping, hiking, mountain biking, rafting and fly fishing. We mountain biked the Deadman’s...
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India: A Tale of Two Worlds
As the plane descended, I peered out my window toward Chennai and witnessed a stark contrast. Surrounding gleaming skyscrapers and glimmering hotels were slums that stretched out from the city center....
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Discovering My Irish Family Heritage
My heart raced as the van slid around yet another tight corner, narrowly missing the oncoming traffic by inches and sending me sliding into my fellow passengers. Was I in a car chase? An action movie?...
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A Sicilian Timetable
By the time my two aunts, grandmother, and I finally boarded our six-hour-late Volotea flight from Venice Marco Polo Airport to Palermo, Sicily, it was way past dinnertime. I had long since stuffed my...
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Ponds, Pagodas, and Prayer at NanPuTuo Temple
A warm blanket of heat enveloped me as I clambered out of the group van. I had prepared for a fun school-organized trip to China, but hadn’t prepared for these conditions. Sure, I had faced high temperatures...
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Into the Great Wide Ocean
My family seems to have an aversion to flying unless absolutely necessary, so we drive everywhere. Fifteen hours to Texas to visit friends. Ten hours to Kansas to visit grandparents. And most importantly...
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Ice Cream, Donkeys, and Dingle
It was July 7, 2015 and we were four days into our family vacation to Ireland. I was standing on a grassy hilltop, overlooking this gorgeous, shallow, green valley. Small clovers and blades of grass twitched...
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Something Bigger
We handed the key to Ms. Lyza, and she was elated with gratitude. Her broad smile is one that will stick with me for my entire life. During April vacation last year, I went on a school service trip to...
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Lady Liberty: Larger than Life
Forty-five kids, two chaperones, one bus; all headed to the world renowned monument known as the Statue of Liberty. This already sounds like a recipe for disaster, considering the usual, troublesome antics...
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Polebridge, Montana, You’re My Huckleberry
When I think of summer, I think of road trips. I think of cramped back seats, novels read in one sitting, and my Dad buying mentos at every gas station. I think of our scratched Proclaimers CD, milkshake...
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Temperature and Elevation: An Inverse Relationship
When I was thirteen, my father bought my family matching t-shirts that said, “My Dad is type-two fun.” This referred to my father’s tendency to take us on stressful, mostly outdoor, adventures that...
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In the footsteps of the fallen.
June 7, 2017 the French coast is quiet. Waves lap the sands in the low tide, seagulls fly through the air, ships, of all sorts sail into the English channel. The beaches are quiet, and undisturbed, save...
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Puerto Rico: A Rich and Vibrant Hub
In 2017, Hurricane Irma and Maria churned and strengthened along their catastrophic paths across the Carribean, showing no mercy as they tore apart communities, homes, and families-- including those in...
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The Most Amazing And Slightly Terrifying Travel Experiance I’ve Yet Encountered
I've been to many places but it's this one that resonates in my mind when asked about the trips I've experienced: Two years ago, six members of my family including myself piled into our 2006 Denali for...
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Turkish Muse
It is mid-June and I am sunburnt from head-to-toe by the scorching desert sun, but as I roam the crowded streets of Istanbul, the Turkish breeze revives me. As the Blue Mosque commences the call to prayer,...
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The Traveler vs The Tourist
“Do you know the difference between a tourist and a traveler?” That was the first question my tour guide, Don Marlon, inquired of our group on the first day (Don means “sir” or “Mr” in Costa...
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Found in Bulgaria
Last year, I decided to diverge from my usual visits to my motherland - Bulgaria. Instead of sitting on the beautiful beaches of the Black Sea, or meandering down the clustered alleyways of Sozopol, I...
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The Gas Station Glance
My watch made another insufferable beep. I counted in my head: three. Three hours of sedentary riding on an itchy seat that had turned travel into a game of scratching and ever-shifting posture. I longed...
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My Second Home: Japan
It didn’t take long to realize the Japanese values-- kindness, gratitude, harmony. The significance of unity and relationships was evident in everything I witnessed. There was a constant undertone of...
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The Magic of Botswana
Botswana, Africa: a place so far away yet now so close to my heart. This country’s name alone conjures up an image of exotic intrigue. From the moment of arrival, the beautiful smiles of people welcomed...
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Art and Travel
As an aspiring artist, one of my favorite things to draw are environments. There's something freeing about being able to create settings from your imagination, or adding an unfamiliar twist to an ordinary...
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Hidden in Plain Sight
The island of Kauai is a home in the sense that, when you visit, you feel the urge to stay. She welcomes you with her gorgeous flowers and calm, and she compels you to simply embrace life. When I met her,...
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The Summit
My ankles ached as we trekked along the dirt path surrounded by towering trees. In front of me my friend’s dad, John, set the pace. I tried to enjoy the miles of untouched nature, but my 25 pound backpack...
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Fight-or-Flight: An Adrenaline Rush in the Jungle
“This will be our most difficult climb yet,” my trip leader stated during our lunch break, comforting the group. I looked up at the overcast sky of the Costa Rican rainforest, unsurprised. At that...
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New York: The Hard Hitter
New York. I had only ever dreamed of such a place. I’d only seen it the movies of a small-town girl with enormous dreams and so she travels to the Big Apple, and so on and so forth. I had never thought...
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Home is Where the Heart is
Ever since I was little, my heart was set on living in California. I didn’t know how. I didn’t know why. All I knew was it was where I wanted to be. You know, in astrology they believe when you’re...
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Okinawa 2.0
Back in 2017, I was finishing up school when my father asked me how I would feel if we moved during my senior year. I was a junior at the time, and had been attending the same high school for the past...
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“My Week at the Stone Forest”
Out of all things in life, I believe that you learn the most from a hands-on experience. Traveling is one of the best ways to open yourself up to new ideas and information. One of my most influential traveling...
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Spain: An Exploration of Bureaucracy
When my family traveled to Barcelona last winter, we planned on acting like regular tourists. That was not the case. On the train to Font Mágica, as my mom walked toward the metro’s exit doors, a man...
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My Trip to the Flattest, Saltiest Place on EarthSawa r
My alarm yanked me out of a deep sleep at 5:00 am. I stretched, flipped on the light, and let my eyes adjust to the unfamiliar surroundings. Surprisingly, my bed was comfortable, and the room was pleasant...
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First Solo Trip to Europe
As a child, my mother and I always dreamed about visiting Europe together, specifically Paris. We dreamed of sitting at a café, sipping coffee, while overlooking the Eiffel Tower. A few months ago, I...
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Butterflies in the Rain
Compared to its year-round average, it rains very little in Amsterdam during August- except, of course, when I’m there. My family and I were riding bikes back from the grocery store (an adventure within...
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How to Suceed in Time Traveling Without Really Trying
When faced with the "Would You Rather" game question of: "Would you rather travel back into the past or into the future?" I pick the past every time. Unfortunately, I really can't time travel (If I could...
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Beyond Moscow: Notes from Small-Town Russia
When Americans think of Russia, it is usually a very limited picture: cold weather, the Kremlin, the Bolshoi ballet. In fact, most of our understanding of Russian culture is based around the capital city...
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Jamaica Journey
The sun's warmth clung to my body as we strolled down the beach. My feet sank into the milky white sand with each step, and the mellow breeze ruffled my already tangled hair. About 200 feet away stood...
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