The King in the Holy Land
I stared at it. What stood before me was utterly unexpected and made me reconsider the sanity of the human race. I had always known some of the Israelis were a little out of touch with the rest of...
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My Dinosaur Trip
I have been fascinated by dinosaurs my whole life and am interested in studying paleontology. So, four years ago, my parents took me on a 3-week trip to all the museums and places where I could...
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All 8 Of Us Tear Through the Southwest
"Now these are called 'hoodoos'," calls the guide of our horse-back tour of Bryce Canyon in Utah. "Hoodoos" are tall stacks of rock that have been formed through...
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Massachusetts on a Foggy Day
We left the hustle and bustle of a soaked Boston in mid-afternoon. The rainy...
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Visions of Italy
BEEP. BEEP. My alarm clock drones just as groggily as I do at six on a Sunday morning. As I get ready for work I think about the day ahead. After I get off work at noon, I will spend the rest of...
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Devil’s Loop
I’ve always wanted to see the world. Countless times, after a long beach run, I would gaze out at the Pacific Ocean. With my back turned to my town, and the salty winds rushing past...
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A China Experience!
Prior to my trip to China, I hadn’t grasped the idea that I was actually going to walk the streets of Beijing, Xi’ an, and Shanghai. But the very second I stepped out of that airport...
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Allons-y, mes amis!
My trip to Québec city and Montreal, in Canada, was a different kind of vacation that I have never experienced before. I went with my school's French club that I am a part of. My...
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J’adore France!
On spring break of 2012, my school took a select group of French students to see France itself. Unless one counts going to the Bahamas on a cruise, this was my first time really leaving the country....
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My Indescribable Journey
Many young people take advantage of their travels, looking at the sights and soaking up all that location has to offer. My trip to Laos was a trip that I'll never forget and it changed my life...
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Paris&Ireland
Day 1: April 4, 2012 The other 16 students and I arrived to school with our luggage ready to head to JFK, but not before reluctantly attending the first two classes of the day while the...
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Adventures in Taradise
I viewed the ruins of the Forum in Rome with awe. It was breathtaking, everything I'd imagined it to be. It was a step back into history that I had taken, one I thought I'd...
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The Wild Heart of Cambodia
It was the size of my palm, and it could have eaten me. Well, that’s an exaggeration. But the spider was enormous, marked with war stripes, its black legs poking at the metal roof...
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My Trip to Buffalo, New York
05/15/12 We left at 6 in the evening. The 18-hour journey to Buffalo, New York gave me plenty of time to think. My family...
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Ashley’s Life Changing Adventure
My experience in Japan was more than just a fun time in another country....
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Almost Ireland
“Hello?" "Hi Honey, come straight home from school with Sajina. They won't let Grandpa on the plane..." Her voice tapered off. 3:00 AM. I finally let myself cry....
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Road trip to Mexico
I would first want to thank you for taking the time to get to know me and my family a little more by sharing with you great moments that we have had together while...
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The Road Less Traveled
It seems like nearly every vacation I’ve been on, I’ve mostly known what to expect. While I’ve been on too many trips to count, they’ve...
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An Asian New York City
In an embarking journey through a Thailand, I experienced many traditions that are not common in the United States. Bangkok had...
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Indiana Discoveries
I have discovered that Indiana is an awe-inspiring state, the scenery, the weather and the people will all make you want to stay. I decided to make my visit to Indiana in April 2012, it was supposed...
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Trains and Charlemagne
"In South Korea, nail polish is so cheap! Cheap, cheap cheap!" My face broke into a smile as I turned to look at Min, eyebrows raised in disbelief. "How cheap?" I inquired....
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Soaking in the Sierra Nevada
Deep within the Sierra Nevada, there exists a rock whose superior ergonomic form would cause even the most accomplished designers to turn green with envy. Standing just below hip-height, its...
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Kool Kayaking
On May 5th, 2012, I did something I thought I'd never do before: Kayak. Instead of going by myself, I went with a group of friends from my Florida...
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My Enchanted Islands
My Enchanted Islands Imagine yourself walking through white, sandy beaches. You can hear the splash of the waves against the volcanic rocks at your feet....
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La Vita Bella
Many traveling experiences include people like parents, family and friends. In my case, my experience was shared with 17 high school students that I knew through class;...
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Becoming Beijing
Sticking needles into my arm, they told me not to tense up. I shivered, the pins sitting in my skin. The Chinese nurses seemed to know what they were doing though, claiming their techniques would...
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Journey to Jordan
I applied about two months ago for a key, and that key was going to open a door to another world for me. I applied to go on a trip to Jordan to learn about my roots, Arabic culture, and to...
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Getting Lost in The Floating City
We docked at the harbor not far from city’s center, we walked through the knee high water. The tour director told us how Venice can flood...
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Life Changing
In the fall of 2009, my parents and I took a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea for 12 days, stopping at 9 different ports in 5 different countries. I always have a great time on cruises, but I knew...
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Teens Westward Bound: It’s More Than a Trip, It’s an Experience You’ll Never Forget!
After packing for days for Teens Westward Bound, the day of departure finally arrived. As my parents drove me to Davidson College, the point of departure, I suddenly began to feel ...
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Parlez-Vous Français?
Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I glanced out the airplane window preparing to land into Nice, France. My first glance of the French Alps lining the sparkling Mediterranean...
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Breaking Latina Expectations
I have in my deepest memories the times that my father went deep-sea fishing and arrived home with few fish. Since age seven, I dreamt of holding a fishing pole and reeling in...
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South African Bush: An Untouched and Invisible World
I awoke to clamoring sounds on the rowdy bus. It became increasingly evident we were approaching our intended destination, as the scenery was devoid of familiar architecture. We were surrounded by...
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A City on the Edge
The taxi pulsed with cool air that taunted the domineering sun above, as if it was coyly escaping its relentless blaze. Seeping into the pores of the local people outside, the sun’s rays crawled into...
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¡Bienvenidos a Ecuador!
Until two years ago, I had never been anywhere outside the United States besides Canada, and the idea of jungles and wild tapirs seemed like something out of a fairy tale story....
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The Journey: Be A Man
After stuffing suitcases, duffels, chairs, and an assortment of other odds and ends onto the short bus, the 17 of us climbed in. The trip we had been looking forward to for weeks...
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Old City Jerusalem, Arab Quarter
A marketplace. To anyone else my age, this might be considered “ghetto.” But to me, this is beautiful. The walkway is narrow and composed of smooth rocks, with small steps every few feet to follow...
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India’s Hidden Secrets in the Midst of Wealth and Indigence
My journey to India was unlike any other. Europe and South America are in my blood, but Asia is a whole other creature, and India was simply chaotic. The car ride to the Halcyon Apartments in Koramangala...
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Goodbye Chicago! Hello Europe!
When we boarded the plane in Chicago, my peers and I knew there was no turning back. No more hiding in the comforts of our hometown. No more kisses from mom and dad. No more communication...
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Moroccan Immersion
In January, I visited Morocco with my grandmother. It was the first time I'd ever visited a country and seen how most people really live there: I met with Moroccans in the town...
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Jazz? Jubilee? Old Sacramento? Oh my!
"You have reached your destination." said the GPS. I looked excitedly out the window. "Ahh, Sacramento." You know, Downtown, in the middle of no where with Farms surrounding...
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Turning the Page of life (An Escape)
In the words of St.Augustine, "The world is a book and those who do not travel only read one page." This statement is one that symbolically expresses traveling quite well. This...
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Taking a Shower
We were warned. Miss Wood, the teacher who led the U.S. and Ghana Exchange Program, had spent months hammering Ghanaian culture into our heads. We watched documentaries, looked...
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Trash Talk
Tiptoeing quietly out of the thatched dwelling, I slowly navigated the winding dirt path in the dim light. Past the tropical fronds and under the curving trunks of the palms I walked. Noises of the Vietnamese...
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My trip to Mexico and How It Impacted Me
During the summer of 2008, I took a vacation with my family to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was my first trip outside...
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The Three C’s of Mount Kilimanjaro: Clear, Copious, and Constant
The most essential item for a woman climbing 19,340 ft Mount Kilimanjaro is the Sani-Fem Freshette Feminine Urinary Director sold for $22.95 on www.REI.com....
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2010 Global Youth Leadership Conference in China
The only thing more challenging than eating eel, octopus and jelly fish is writing a teen travel essay using 600 words or less. The only thing almost as exciting as experiencing Chinese culture firsthand...
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A “Thriller” Night in Biko, Mali
I shifted in the metal folding chair, picking at the threads of my shirt. Nervous, I glanced at my host family, who surrounded me in a semi-circle. Thirty eyes stared expectantly back at me. Intimidated,...
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Meeting the Stones of Stonehenge
It first started with a trickle. Those few drops of cold water had landed on my head, as I walked around the ancient city of Bath. My friends and I had just come out of the building housing the Roman...
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