“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.”
—Paul Theroux
April 2012
121 posts
travel challenge: day 15
Advice to someone who is traveling to another country:
Keep an open mind. Explore. Talk to the locals. Try the local cuisine. Don’t stay within your comfort zone!
travel challenge: day 14
What did you learn from being abroad?
What did I learn from being abroad? Hmm…I learned that I am a capable, independant young woman, hahaha (:
I don’t panic when travel plans go wrong and even though I love being with people, I don’t mind being alone at all. I was in Copenhagen for three days all by myself, and will be solo again in Athens for 3 days at the end of my Europe trip. I’m capable of making perfectly healthy meals by myself (even though pasta will remain my favorite). Other than the fact that I like to indulge in pasties a little too much, I am good at budgeting my money. Mmm…what else? I learned that people are generally friendly to you once they realize you are a foreigner (though you always have to be on the lookout for scams!). I learned that even if you don’t speak the same language as someone, if both parties are willing to try, you can always get your point across (pen and paper help, too).
And a smile goes a loooooooooooooooong way.
travel challenge: day 13
A favorite travel quote:
“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you - it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you… Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”
Anthony Bourdain
travel challenge: day 12
Someone who influenced you to travel abroad:
It’s hard to pinpoint one person who was particularly influential. My grandpa liked to talk about his travels and I have a friend who has traveled all over the United States, but my main inspiration came from travel books. Here’s a list:
- Wanderlust by Elisabeth Eaves
- The Good Girls’ Guide to Getting Lost by Rachel Friedman
- The Lost Girls: Three Friends, Four Continents, One Unconventional Detour Around the World by Holly C. Corbett, Amanda Pressner and Jennifer Baggett
travel challenge: day 11
Did you have any milestones or ‘firsts’ while traveling abroad?
Traveling solo! I was alone during my three days in Copenhagen. The first time I rode an airplane alone was when I was 12 and then again when I was 14, but my Copenhagen trip was the first time I was completely, really alone. I was a little nervous, but it was a good nervous! It was definitely an excellent, memorable first.
off to Copenhagen for the weekend!
If anybody has any place they’d recommend me visiting, please leave a note! (:
travel challenge: day 10
Essential things to pack on every trip:
Urrr…this is similar to day 05. But some other essentials would be:
- A towel, especially if I’m staying at a hostel. I’d rather bring my own than have to pay to rent one. I usually bring one that I can throw away after my trip to lighten my load.
- Flip flops to wear around the room. Either that or I nick the complimentary slippers from the airplane (:
I miss you!!!!!! <3
I miss you, too! Let’s get lunch when I return to BOSSSTOOON (: (: did you get my postcard?
A couple guys from my program went to Copenhagen last weekend and one of them gave me his change because I’m going this weekend. It was a really nice gesture (: made my day, and now I have enough money for a small meal!
Hazy (ft. William Fitzsimmons)
Rosi Golan
Hazy by Rosi Golan (ft. William Fitzsimmons)
“What if I fall and hurt myself?
Would you know how to fix me.
What if I went and lost myself?
Would you know where to find me.
If I forgot who I am,
Would you please remind me?
Cause without you things go hazy.”
travel challenge: day 08
A favorite food from another country/culture:
I haven’t had that much experience in terms of cultures where the food is very different from what I usually eat, but I do remember absolutely enjoying the food in Thailand during my week there in the 7th grade. *Sigh* I miss Thailand so much. And pastel de nata from Portugal! Omnomnom.
travel challenge: day 07
Besides people, what do you miss most from home?
The food. While it’s fun cooking for myself, I miss my mom’s cooking a lot. Even though I’ll make the same food as her from time to time, it’s just not the same *sob*
Be Mine (ft. Erik Hassle)
Ellie Goulding
Be Mine by Ellie Goulding (ft. Erik Hassle)
“It’s a cruel thing you’ll never know all the ways I tried
It’s a hard thing, faking a smile when I feel
like I’m falling apart inside
And now you’re gone, there’s like an echo in my head
And I remember every word you said
But you never were, and you never will be mine
No, you never were, and you never will be mine.”
“To sit alone in the lamplight with a book spread out before you, and hold intimate converse with men of unseen generations - such is a pleasure beyond compare.”
—Kenko Yoshida
