At 17 years old, I believe myself to be very globally conscious-I desire to make a difference in the world, primarily through creating a system that will help those in poverty live in harmony with the environment while also trying to work with political heads and create economy and environmentally friendly policies.
And yet, due to my little brother's rare condition, CCHS, which does not allow him to breathe while asleep and requires him to rely on machinery to breathe, my family has not traveled since his birth 9 years ago. But this summer I decided I wanted to experience the world before I started college.
â–º QUARTER FINALIST 2012 TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP
On a whim-inspired by my desperate attempt to escape the boredom if summer-I accepted at au pair job (live in nanny) for a family in Italy, more specifically the shores of Forte Dei Marmi in Tuscany.
In just one week, my summer plans went from hanging at the beach with friends, trips to sea world, and reading by the pool, to speeding the next two months in Italy.
Talk about last minute plans.
So I was stranded abroad in a county where a few rare people speak English, assigned to a family of 5-A bipolar Mom who owns a cake company but hates cake, a golf-pro father, a shy, beautiful eyed 10 year old boy who only cared about video games and soccer, an 8 year old nicknamed "sexy girl" due to her flirtatious squealing and animosity towards pants, and a 4 year old "principessa", none of whom liked to behave. As a bonus, there was a wonderfully witty maid who helped me keep my sanity-and protect me from the mother- and a new kitten to keep things fresh. Not to mention a bazillion mosquitoes that seem to have an affinity for Californian blood. My only form of transportation-a bicycle with one gear-broken.
It began with terrible jet lag. I’d like to see you make it through a 13-hour flight and a time change of 9 hours, paired with no sleep and constant movement until the 8pm the next day without collapsing at the end of the day! But the next morning I was put to work-sent to the beach and suddenly in charge of three children. At first, I thought, “I can do this!”-Well, actually, I thought, “Boy am I tired!” But I soon came to realize that the children wouldn’t be my problem, it would be the parents.
The mother claimed that she wanted me to “join the family”, which I took as “feel comfortable, at ease, and loved”. However, she seemed to think it meant, “I can treat you as I would a daughter”-complete with yelling, manipulation, and absurd expectations. In short, I was being abused in the household and after a month, I needed to get out of the situation. But I didn’t let her ruin my experience.
I took advantage of my few hours off at the end of the day to run around Forte Dei Marmi and adventure through nature, both on foot and on pedal. I escaped one day to explore Pisa, took my first train, taxi, and careened through the mighty airport of Milan all on my own. It’s crazy to imagine that just last month my mom let me take the bus for the first time, and now I am in another country!
But, in the end, I learned how to hold my tongue and deal with terrible bosses, how to overcome adversity, and enjoy myself even when things look their worse. I gained patience, strength, cultural experience, and most importantly, I came to realize how strong the bonds of family can be. Although it was tough, I have no regrets!
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Great information. I love travelling and the winter holidays are best to go out with family and friends. there are many places in India for the best winter holiday. here is the list 5 Best Winter Holiday Destinations In India
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Can you tell me a estimated amount required to spend 6 days in Washington including hotel price . thanks in advance .
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Hi, thanks for the huge list of good ideas! I reconnected with an old childhood memory of travelling on house boats.
Wow, that’s a great list. The Free Tours By Foot sounds amazing and such a great way to explore a city. Have you guys ever tried indoor skydiving? It’s not cheap, but it’s a great activity for the whole family. Some of the centers even offer a Virtual Reality experience. With more and more tunnels popping up it’s become quite easy to find a spot nearby. For those interested check out dropzone.com/indoor/ . They’ve got a nifty tunnel finder.
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Hi There,
Thank you for putting together a list for Fall vacation. It is so informative and exciting. We love the nature! We should be planning a trip to Aspen Mountain, Colorado soon. The infographic on emergency is so well done and very handy for travelers.
visiting california is always enjoyable. thanks for sharing your feelings about california. Have traveled any other countries? I’ve been travelling for last 2 years and I would like to share some of my great experinces with you. do you accept guest post?
Everything in this blog is nice. Fabolous infographic and presentation also. I also want to go there for these types of rides which are shown in this blog.
First of all, you need to find out what type of vacation each member of your family prefers. At lunch, dinner, or watching your favorite TV show in the evening, try discussing your upcoming vacation together. Listen to suggestions from everyone, remember where you have already visited and, taking into account the interests of the child, try to choose the right direction. It should be borne in mind all the details: the possibility of excess spending, the size of the vacation budget, the presence of health problems, interests, hobbies and hobbies. If you are organizing a trip with your child, you will have a wonderful joint vacation!
NYC is a great place to celebrate Halloween, and good opportunities for celebrity sightings too!
Please meet the winners of the 2019 FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholarship at this post: https://myfamilytravels.com/family-travel-forum-announces-winners-of-2019-teen-travel-writing-scholarship/
Hi, just wondering who won, every time I click the link it just takes me back to the homepage
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Thank you for sharing … I love to do a river rafting….thankyou so much for giving details about all things
Thank you for sharing the Information and images… Its very good and I am traveling soon on this place
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The moon landing marked the culmination of America’s Cold War human spaceflight program and positioned itself as a global leader in science and technology. Apollo 11, the mission Armstrong and Aldrin flew with colleague Michael Collins, represented the U.S. accomplishing a seemingly impossible goal on a seemingly impossible timeline. Fifty years later, the world is remembering the historic mission and its impact on society and science, thanks to all these 50 COSMIC WAYS TO CELEBRATE SPACE.
I am also a collector of space memorabilia and I run a website dedicated to Space Exploration memorabilia https://www.space-collectibles.com . In fact, I leave in Paris, France. (Yes, that does mean I drink too much wine and eat too much cheese) . Since the age of 21, I became a big fan of Space Exploration as I studied in Cap Canaveral Florida, and worked with the engineers that put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon. So, this is perhaps the reason why I became a pasionate Space Collectioner of photos from the space race in the 60’s from Nasa and Soviet programs. I whish I could be in all these 50 COSMIC WAYS TO CELEBRATE SPACE
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I love traveling and I will take my parents to another country. Your writing gave me some useful information, I can arrange an effective trip.
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Hey, Grandparents are the blessing of God to there kids and I am a professional travel agent of “Thia’s Travel Services” planned lots of successful tourism if you are planning or looking for more luxury trip and affordable tours with your friends and family feel free to keep in touch
Hey thanks for such a nice article, there is nothing better than getting away with the fam or group of mates into the wilderness and just relaxing while staring into those embers. I go camping regularly and I know you stated unplugged but if you dont play an instrument I highly recommend bringing along a nice loud Bluetooth speaker to jam away with all of you friends into the late night. That and beer ofcourse.
Thanks again and keep up the good work
Hershey is such a fun town to visit with so many family-friendly activities. We loved driving up to spend the weekend when we lived in Maryland.
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Doing so saves money on your shipping costs. Most travelers are charged for gas as they are free. Tourists save money on car rentals and pay for their travels.