Hidden Treasures in Poverty
One of the best trips I have ever been on was my mission trip to Nicaragua. That trip was the first time I had ever been in a primarily Spanish speaking country. We flew into the capital,...
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Our Trek from Beaver Bay to Castle Danger
This summer my family and I took a backpacking trip along the Superior Hiking Trail that runs from Duluth, MN to the Canadian border. We started at the Beaver Bay trailhead and hiked thirty-two miles...
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A trip to Spain: Redefining Family Time
In my travels to Spain this summer the idea of "family time" has been redefined. A major part of this realization had to do with the challenge our tour guide gave us at the beginning of...
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Touched By an Angel….Actually 31 Angels
A trip I’ve taken as a teenager that has impacted my life greatly is actually a trip I’ve been on 4 times and plan on...
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The Streets of Ecuador
I have recently been given the opportunity to experience something very humbling; something that has changed my outlook on life dramatically. This summer, I found two weeks...
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Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, Lake Placid, New York
Families and outdoor enthusiasts alike will enjoy the down-home feel and state of the art eco-friendly accommodations at Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort in Lake Placid, New York. The...
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Tent Near a Picnic Table
With the sky darkening and clouds becoming too full for the sky to hold it’s gathering weight, rolling threats from thunder had us scuttling to find a nice open place to unfold...
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Lake Placid Eco Resort Hosts Family Farm Tour
Lake Placid, a scenic, mountainous getaway in upstate New York, has earned a world-renowned reputation as an athletic haven. Not surprisingly, the landscape of the Adirondack region is part of what...
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Traveling Far To Reach A Close Distance
Travel has always taken place within the human race, raising the question: what drives the need to travel and why is the pursuit of travel never ending amongst our kind?
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Europeans Don’t Believe in Air Conditioning
Of course Europeans don’t believe in air conditioning. They are acclimated to the climate and don’t have a problem with the humidity unlike some foreigners (ahem). And I’m not just...
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My Eye Opening Experience to the Country I Never Knew
Traveling is not only a dream in my life but it is also my passion. So when my parents told me that I would be going to Bangladesh over the summer I couldn’t wait. This would be...
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Spiritual Family Vacay
My family and I went on a trip from May 26, 2012 – June 1, 2012. This was a religious trip that not only us but, other people went on as well. We are Jehovah’s Witnesses so, the trip...
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There and Back Again: An Abnormal Teenager’s Tale
As I was up in Bishop this past week, I journaled everything that happened. Words cannot express how happy I am to be HOME. But, while writing, I've mentioned a few of you because something reminded...
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The Opportunity of a Lifetime in Germany
I have been studying the German language for three years at my school, Central Valley High School. Every year, there is a national exam we take. I took this exam, the National German Exam,...
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Depths of the Unknown
Gliding along the dusty path on my stomach, I grab whatever jagged rock I can reach, dragging my body forward down the deep, dark shaft. Stones jump into my pockets as I scrape my knees along the...
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Relax to the Max
Have you ever felt like you just need a few days to let everything go? Well that was me a few weeks ago. I needed a break, from everything. And guess what? One day when I got home from practice,...
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From Rome to Athens; A Trip Like No Other
I took a trip to Italy and Greece in the summer of 2012, and it was one of the best trips I have ever taken. On the first day, exploring around the city of Rome, I saw some things that some...
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A Croatian Relaxation
My trip started off as any normal, long-distance trip starts. I hopped on a plane and hoped that I would find enough entertainment to last the flight, so books are a must on those eight...
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Best of the West: Mesa Verde and Arches National Park
Nothing can compare to the thrill of packing the car, hitting the highway, and allowing a toddler to navigate. Oh yes, when my family travels we have one tradition: never choose the destination beforehand....
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Stars, Trees, and Turning 17
The stars above me were unlike any I had seen before, first in the multitudes that existed, and second in their extraordinary...
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Paying It Forward
The traveling experienced that changed my life forever happened in spring of 2012. I signed up to go on the Pay It Forward Tour. Note, that when I decided to embark on this journey I had no...
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Graffiti and Lunar Landscape… in Hawaii?
Graffiti, rundown buildings, and lunar landscape engulfed my eyes as I ventured along the islands. I was not expecting to see any of those features at all! My family and I traveled to Hawaii in July...
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Smiles Galore in Jeremie, Haiti
I’m going to Haiti today. That was my first thought when I woke up this past May 6th. The reality still hadn’t hit me, partially because it was 1:00am and I was insanely disoriented,...
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My Trip to Lackland Air Force Base San Antonio, Texas
On January 25, 2012, my boyfriends family and I went to San Antonio, Texas by plane to see my boyfriend graduate from USAF Basic Military Training. We arrived at the San Antonio International...
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Sleepwalking in New York City
Ever since first grade when I moved to Texas from Vietnam, I’ve fantasized about an unreachable dream; walking under the lights and concrete jungle of New York City. I...
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Our Croatian Vacation
Have you ever wanted to go to a different country, but didn’t quite know what to do or how to plan it? Planning a trip across the sea is one of the most exciting things to do....
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Spring Break 2012; one I will never forget
My trip to Washington D.C. was better than I could ever imagine. I felt like I was like going to different world full of exotic breeds of people encamped around beautifully architectural buildings...
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Lake Summersville to Lake Norman
My family and I go on a camping trip every summer to Summersville Lake, West Virginia. When I say family it means my huge, crazy, mountaineer loving, extended family that comes from all over. ...
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Nauvoo: A City of The Faith
During the summer of my sophomore year of high school, the youth of my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, had visited the magnificent city of Nauvoo, Illinois: the...
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Lost in Translation
The ambiance was still less than perfect. And I hadn’t come to Rome, Italy to experience anything less than perfection. So almost indignantly, I closed my eyes. I pushed my lids far into each...
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From Everything to Nowhere
We woke up at 3 a.m. to leave our warm beds and the comfort of our homes to embark on...
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Buenas Tardes from Costa Rica
The first thing you notice as you arrive in Costa Rica is all the beautiful scenery. Traveling from San Jose to our...
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Unexpectedly Amazing
Big, bright, and glamorous is a teenage girls dream. Being the youngest in my family, I never have had much say on what goes on. Always being overpowered by my two head strong older brothers, and...
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My Trip Across The World
At the age of 15 I have traveled and first hand experienced what life was like in Italy, France, and Spain. It was a once in a life time experience and I am glad I took it. I traveled with...
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The Wonderful World of Earth
Every since childhood, I have been inspired by the masterpieces of the Walt Disney company. Their stories are filled with beloved characters and memorable songs. Like most children, I...
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The Waves Are Calling My Name.
Once that breeze hit me, I knew that I was never going back; back to the heat, the sweat, the tans, the obnoxious and drunk tourists, the big casinos, the night life, and all the commotion that...
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Exploring a new World
Bolivia a country that educated me to live in every situation that life has. I never thought that my life would change in a blink of an eye. Decisions changed my life, whether to...
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Lions, not Tigers, and Elephants
When people hear “Africa”, they think: poverty, wild animals, the Lion King. Initially, my brain was flooded with these same ideas, scenes of singing animals contrasting the reality of...
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Sand, Sunsets, and a Myriad of Shells… Sanibel
12:00 pm EST in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania. The van is packed. We have a headcount of 6. Destination:...
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What’s Up East Coast?
My family's "What's Up East Coast?" trip starts in southern Florida - my home. I slept for probably most of the six to eight hour drive to get to just the border of Georgia so I...
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Real Rome
A taxi driver, talking quickly on his cell phone in Italian as he whizzes down the busy street, passes by the ancient Colosseum. He comes dangerously close to other vehicles. People...
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Gettysburg
In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue...oh wait, that wasn't us. But, I guess it kind of was. We started off by loading up the blue SUV for a long trek across this great land known...
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Dachau Concentration and Meditation
0900 hours. Dachau, Germany. The tour bus comes to a slow halt as I lift my head to peer outside the window. All are...
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The Mark Of A Shadow
Standing in the claustrophobic elevator, I stuffed my hand into my pocket, waiting for the doors to slide open. When they finally do, what hits me is a wave of dusty, humid air, rancid and nauseating....
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Tourist or Native? A Chinese Adoptee Returns to Hangzhou
Sipping Hangzhou’s famous Dragon Well tea from a small plastic cup, I hear the company representative through our translator, who talks of the tea’s color, texture, temperature... I turn...
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Cozumel: Island of the Swallows
Cozumel, Mexico. How to begin? Paradise. Nirvana. Heaven on earth. “Cozumel” comes from the Mayan name for it: Cuzamil, meaning “island of the swallows,”...
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