When traveling, you may encounter a few cheaters, but not in the traditional sense. Well, there are those too, but I’m talking about those travelers that stay committed to one place. They set up camp in one city for 3 months, 6 months, a year, or 10 years. These travelers settle into one location. Many fall in love with a place and never leave. They become experts about that one destination. Twenty-Something Travel recently wrote a post about revisiting the same place or trying out new locations. Stephanie mentions the schools of both ideas. Do you head to a place you already know and love or Continue Reading
Traveling With Full Passion, Easier Said Than Done
Exactly one year ago on June 8th, I boarded a flight to Rome, Italy. This June 8th, I will board a flight to Rome. No, I am not some weirdly superstitious person that can only fly to Rome on June 8th. It all happened by coincidence, except this time, I hope and know, my mindset, goals, and experiences will be the antithesis of before. I often refrain from getting too personal on this site. I do not think everyone wants to know what I ate for breakfast or what my middle name is. If you do, drop me an email. I would be happy to shell out the dirty details on what falls in my cereal bowl. I Continue Reading
“Can’t” and Travel Don’t Go Together
Hearing I can’t do something, tends to get under my skin. No, it doesn’t just get under my skin. It makes my blood boil. Suzy, you can’t do that. Suzy, don’t say that. Alert, alert, redheaded temperature is rising. I have never been one to listen to people tell me what to do, especially when they tell me I can’t do something. Perhaps others have heard, “Oh you can’t go there. You wouldn’t be able survive in (fill in destination here).” I don’t know what I have strapped across my face, but watch me. I’m going. I don’t doubt many also hear these "can’ts" when it comes to travel. Continue Reading
Dealing with Dreaded Travel Hesitation
You open up a window on your computer screen. A listing of airline prices stares not so friendly back at you. It’s actually more of an evil eye these days. You hesitate and close out the screen. A few days later, you come back to this same destination. You fill out the information, give the airline your whole life story, and circle the “Purchase” button with your mouse. Then an uncontrollable disease infects you. You hesitate about buying that ticket. You hesitate to move, not just the mouse, but yourself to somewhere else. I’m not talking about hesitating because of prices or Continue Reading
Looking at Travel From The Greatest of Heights
This past weekend, I attempted to look at a small piece of the world from a high vantage point. A muddy road and my friend’s car did not mix however and I never received that vision of a great height. There are countless high points everywhere. This happened to be in the middle of America so I doubt I missed much (sorry to any mid-western I just offended). As we moved like a slow-moving, bumpy rollercoaster through an endless stretch of squishy dirt, the notion of actually not making it there set in and we turned the wheels towards lower and drier ground. Even though I missed the view, I Continue Reading
Can You Really Go Home Again? The Foreigner Sensation In Once Lived Places
I studied abroad when I was a junior in college in Ortigia, Sicily. Ortigia is a small town, the old town center of Siracusa in southeastern Sicily. I spent over four months living and “studying” in this picturesque location. My program was smaller than the Duggar family of just 15 students. We all came to know one another, much like family. More often than not, it felt like we were on a reality show, 15 strangers living on a island. Will they survive? Ortigia was home and a little American family possessed it for a few months. I went back to Ortigia for a week around this time last year. I Continue Reading
What They Should Teach You in School: How To Travel
In pre-kindergarten, you get to play all sorts of games that are supposedly educational, but really it is just one giant daycare. Most of us played the game “corners” or some variation, where you would play at different stations throughout the room. One station would have a kitchen set. Another one featured blocks to build towers. Another station, and probably my all time favorite, allowed for lounging on beanbags while looking at picture books. Needless to say, this is what that game of corners did not teach me: how to travel from corner to corner. I remember Mrs. Gold yelling “Switch!”, Continue Reading