Disclaimer: The purpose of this post is not, in any way, to boast about or show off my travel experiences over the past couple of years. I know that traveling is not feasible for everyone for various reasons, but I want to share how it can be possible even on a budget.
Is it just me or does it seem like in the last year or so, traveling has become sort of a trend? With all the different discount websites/apps and opportunities through college and internships, it makes sense. But why? Why, all of a sudden, is everyone rushing to travel the world? Well, for me, taking that plunge to travel to a different country was life-changing. I know, it’s cliché to say your study abroad experience was ‘the experience of your life,’ but it truly was for me. If you have been following my blog since the beginning, you already know this.
Before I studied abroad, some of my friends claimed that, besides the financial component, they did not have the desire to travel, that they feared missing out on a semester on campus. At that point in my college career, which was midway through junior year, I definitely understood; classes were not beating me down, I made some amazing (and life-long) friends, and I finally had someone to drive me around and explore L.A. (thanks, Cynthia!). But I had been dreaming of studying abroad since I went on a spring break art trip to France and Spain in 2009 and my senior trip to Italy in 2012. By 2015, I felt it was my last chance to see what was out there without any obligations in life.
I know some people have been bitten by this travel bug recently, especially with apps like Instagram where people can consistently show off their amazing travel shots. But some people, even with the financial means, see it as something that will be a luxury to them later in life after they have worked a few years. Here is my suggestion to all of you: if you can, TRAVEL NOW. I say ‘now’ because if it is something that has crossed your mind that you have consciously decided to put off for a few years, your experience will be totally different than what you are imagining at this stage in your life.
Like my friends, my family had to suffer through my endless talks about London and other countries I visited. My parents are completely content at this stage in life in not having seen the world, but even my brother never thought much about traveling since having his senior trip in 2010 to Costa Rica. He explored the idea of studying abroad in Japan during college, but ultimately didn’t. Like most people, it was mainly a financial thing, but after I persuaded [re: forced] him to go to London with me last summer before I started my internship abroad, he said it was the best trip of his life. Still, this trip would not have been as great as it was had we not planned as much as we could.
Here are five ways you can make traveling an option sooner than you think: Continue reading “The Travel Bug”
Last weekend, I planned to attend the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade here in Dallas with my friend Ilse. Why it wasn’t yesterday instead of last weekend, I do not know. I am not Irish (as far as I know) and I never celebrate this holiday, but I figured why not? Anyway, I say “planned to attend” the parade because we never actually made it; we spent most of the parade time trying to round up other people so by the time the whole party arrived, the parade was nearly over. However, we still headed over to Greenville Avenue–where the parade was held–and caught up with the after party. It was incredibly crowded [as expected] with an unnecessary $10 entrance fee to simply walk on a street, but it was a lot of fun! Day drinking is always an interesting experience. I just hope next year I can actually catch the parade.
Finally, my friend Kalyn from school came to visit this past week from Oregon. She is from Dallas as well so we knew we had to meet up when she was in town. She and I decided to go to Topgolf as neither of us had been before. Aside from the fact that they charge you for a membership card that you then load money on for the games, I surprisingly enjoyed my time there! I won both games between the two of us, but that is not saying a lot. We agreed that we are definitely not golfers. I would say that it is more worth the price(s) to go with a group, but if you are going with one other person, paying for one hour ($20) is enough time. Like I said, we managed to play two games while also stopping to take pictures and record videos for Snapchat and Instagram. It was so nice to not only do something we both had never done before in our hometown, but to also catch up considering we haven’t seen each other since graduation last year. 🙂
Lex in the City 