On Niagara Falls and beer and wine

Meet my travel buddies for this trip:

If you live seven hours or less from Niagara Falls, like we do, then it is a PERFECT weekend trip. I can't believe that I haven't gone before! Well, I did, but I was two or three - all I remember from that trip is a waterbed, but no falls.

We got off to a late start due to a certain travel companion, but after a good bit of traffic getting out of Jersey, it was smooth sailing. When we hit the Canadian border, Julia, of course, failed miserably. Cops make her feel guilty; we clearly should have taken that into account before having her get us over the border. When asked the simple question, "What is the purpose of your visit?" her reply was, "uuum, er-uhh." Thankfully I was feeling heroic and came to the rescue with a loud, "Tourism" from the back seat, which she ever gratefully repeated and nodded along to. Like I said, we barely made it over the border.

First thing to do was see the falls, so we took on the five minute walk, which I'd say was pretty worth it. We felt the spray from the American Falls before they even came into view, and when they did, it was a sight to behold -  they were lit up and as powerful as ever. (Or so we thought, come to find out, only half the amount of water that goes over the falls during the day goes over at night. They divert the other half to serve as a power source. It is restored to its full glory during the day for the sake of the tourists.)

We then meandered over to the 'Beer Garden Karaoke Patio'. My three favorite things all put into one - genius!! Even in high tourist areas, you can always get a decent priced beer - perks of having brothers that helped me acquire the taste! Julie, Julia and I performed, of course, as "Darren and the Jersey Girls," minus Darren. Super stoked about our Kesha pick, we were taken aback when Nicki Minaj came on, but being in the spotlight, we quickly adjusted and actually kept the people on the dance floor quite happy (believe it or not.)

After an overpriced midnight snack at Denny's and a Cuban cigar (of course, although I think they might be legal in the US now that the embargo is lifted? don't quote me on that) we meandered back to our hotel, welcoming our beds after the long day of travel.

Saturday began with the Horn Blower cruise for a very up close and personal view of the Falls. I would HIGHLY recommend it! Great views and perfect way to cool off on a hot day!!

American Falls

American Falls, along with Rainbow bridge, which is how we crossed the border into Canada

The legendary Horseshoe Falls! The one that people used to go down in barrels due to the fact that it didn't have the deadly rocks at the bottom like American Falls has... Definitely doesn't make it all that much safer though. 

Next, was the museum that Julia and Chris were adamant about going to (OK, I totally wanted to go too). We walked for what seemed like forever, only to realize that the main thing that we wanted to see (the array of barrels that made the trip over the Falls) was moved to the IMAX of all places. After a quick break in the air conditioned museum, we made our way to lunch where we learned what plum sauce (sweet and sour sauce) and peameal (Canadian bacon) were. Our ignorance quickly gave us away as Americans.

We were finally able to see the barrels which were super cool and interesting to read about! We got to read all about who ventured over Horseshoe Falls, why they did it, what mechanism they used to go over and if they survived or not. There were even some videos too! 

Next came the wonderful wine route. On this part of our journey we visited four different wineries, learning all about the Ontario wine region and their famous ice wine - which can only be harvested when it has been in -10 degrees Celsius for three days. 

Although it might not look like it, this was Chris's favorite place.

After the wineries, we were directed to an awesome brewery, Oast, which Julia, Julie and I would highly recommend to all beer lovers. Although, I think Chris and Darren even enjoyed their time there too - they had ping-pong and everything!

Sometimes I try to be artsy. 

A wonderful person at the brewery directed us to an awesome spot for dinner. Basically all we did to find all these awesome spots was ask. Canadians are so nice.

We then had another wonderful night hanging at the beer garden where we actually sang Kesha this time. OOPS. Not a crowd favorite. Who knew us singing Nicki Minaj would be a much better hit? We also went to the Casino, where Julia was once again looking suspicious as we handed over our IDs to the bouncers, "How old are you?" Julia's reply, "Oh, ha, uh - twenty-four!" Not entirely believing her, but with no other reason to doubt her than her guilty face, they let her through.

On Sunday we finally walked down to Horseshoe Falls for an absolutely incredible view. I never would have been able to even imagine the amount of power plummeting over the edge of that cliff.

After grabbing some Canadian candies that are just to die for, we hit the road once more and headed home! Clearly I'm a fan, you in? Get a passport so you can go to the jaw-dropping Canadian side!!

The Dominican: The definition of vacation

The vast majority of my posts are on trips that I go on... adventures where I spontaneously wander here and there, exploring and getting lost. This was very different. Instead of spending my nights planning my train for the next day, hostel for the weekend and flight out of the country that week, I relaxed - in essence - I vacationed.

This was planned far in advance. It was my "graduation vacation." OR "We need an excuse to get away . . . hey, you just graduated!" You're welcome, guys. I'm sure we could have thought of something else if I hadn't made it. 

Meet my wonderful vacation buddies! The guys are always thrilled for pictures.

We booked the vacation as a package - flight, resort, food and drinks all included. We stayed at Bahia Principe Ambar - which was the adults-only section of a gigantic resort. There were thousands of rooms just in our section! 

Before we arrived in the Dominican, we had all these high and lofty plans about how we were going to explore the country during our stay. Before the first day was even over, we had decided that such exploration would not be necessary - the resort met all our present goals: water, sun, drinks.

Our first night there, after being greeted with drinks at check-in and stuffing our faces at the buffet, we headed to the beach party, which believe it or not, was just like it always is in the movies. Hundreds of people dancing and drinking - all dressed in white! It was just so cool. It was the perfect ending to a very long travel day.

The next morning, we realized what a tough dilemma we would be facing every day: beach or pool first? Early on in the week, we settled on a beach first, pool after lunch routine. It worked splendidly. 

One morning, Julia and I woke up earlier to take some pictures on the beach.

Every night we ate at fabulous restaurants, often after meeting for drinks first. At some point each meal, we went over highs and lows of the day, which were endlessly entertaining. The lows ranging from, "I hit my head on that umbrella at the beach," to "this lady at the pool somehow had a plumber's crack in a one-piece swimsuit." When THAT is what your lows are - you have truly arrived in paradise.

We each had a day of being sick from the food - but hey, that's the worst that happened? THAT I can handle.

We took the kayaks out one day, Phil and Melissa took the paddle boats out another, and the unanimously voted best outing was the speed boats that we drove to a beautiful snorkeling spot! (And by "we," I mean I drove for about two minutes, and after nearly capsizing the boat, scrambled out of the driver's seat and handed the steering wheel back to Julia.) Our guide offered to take me out and teach me how to drive his boat, but I mysteriously disappeared when we arrived back at the beach, so said "date" never occurred.

Our resort had some bars and clubs, which Julia and I went to a few times. Our "gaydar" was very broken on this trip. We kept chatting with all these guys, thinking that they were gay, only realizing all too late that we were getting hit on - but that's a story to ask me about in person.

It was a week of reading books for hours on the beach, bartenders knowing our favorite drink (Sapphire and tonic, of course), water aerobics with instructors who insisted on being called "Jose Sexy Number ONE," and then having the same instructor for yoga (ah, RUN!), watching the sunrise over the water and just chatting with my favorite people at the pool bar. 

Took a walk down the beach to this super weird, but kind of cool palm tree that we had spotted while kayaking!

So this post goes against the very obvious theme of my blog - "getting lost," I get that. I promise you I would have gotten lost at this massive resort if my brothers didn't lead the way everywhere we went. I never knew where any restaurants were, just blindly and happily followed. And the few times that I was alone, there were golf carts with drivers that were more than happy to give a ride to the blonde girl who was grinning and saying, "la playa?" But there is one thing that I hope I accomplished in this post - a real vacation in the Caribbean for YOU in the future possibly? 

Me? I'm headed to Boston and Newport this week and Niagara the week after, and don't worry, something is bound to go wrong in my upcoming travels.

On how Vegas became 3 posts...

My last day I woke up early so that I could get to the pool right as it opened. My reasoning was that I could just sleep when I got down to the pool... which obviously didn't happen. I got too excited when I got down there. Too many people to see and eavesdrop on - you'd be surprised how many early risers there are - even in casinos!

Even after I checked out, I just brought my computer to the pool and worked under palm trees all day - not a bad office setup, eh? Granted, it also doesn't hurt when guys buy you beer while you work, using smooth pick-up lines such as, "You look really smart..." Do I really? Or am I just the only girl with a computer. Hmmmm....

I also made friends with the a guy who worked at the Monte Carlo coffeeshop, where I would charge my computer, who gave great discounts! All you gotta do is be chatty and indecisive - it works wonders!

I then headed out on the town for a few more hours of strolling down Las Vegas Blvd. I put together a super fun outfit for my last night there, a decision that took a rather drastic turn for the worse. I thought that wedges would look sweet with my skirt, and I figured that wedges were created so that you could wear heels, but not be in pain, right? WRONG. I am also not one of those people who can withstand the pain for the "beauty". After about 20 minutes of walking on them, I ripped them off and walked to the Vegas strip BAREFOOT. Gross? YES. Painful? NOPE.

That took A LOT of scrubbing to get rid of all the gross things that sunk their way into my feet, but now they are none worse for the wear.

I was able to experience the magic of the Bellagio and Caesar's Palace one last time - and watch the beautiful fountains... and once again contemplate robbing the Bellagio, and once again decide against it.

Solomon, a man I chatted with on the strip on my first day there, was right. He said Vegas can only truly be appreciated at night. And boy was he right. I then walked up and around to the front of the Bellagio and had my favorite view of the lights...

Not quite like Paris, France, but they did pretty well if you ask me!

Can I just say that climbing stairs in that skirt caused me to fear for my life so much more than hiking down the muddy Grand Canyon? It was TERRIFYING. I was sweating so much and had to keep letting people pass me because I kept tripping on myself. But man, it was worth it. Shoes weren't. Skirt was.

Leaving Vegas was a chore. I scheduled an airport shuttle to pick me up at 9pm. 9:15 - still no shuttle. I called the company to ask where they were, and they hung up on me! Thankfully another couple had scheduled a shuttle and I just went with them. Spirit had canceled their flight, so they were headed to the airport to tell them what's what. I commiserated, feeling so thankful that I was NOT in their shoes again. How fitting that my trip would begin and end with swearing to never fly Spirit again. We'll see what happens though when I look for Vegas tickets in a few months and they're over $100 cheaper... It's a risk, but you have to decide for yourself - is it worth it? 

On Vegas, the Grand Canyon and the vast desert in between

I woke up bright and early for my 4 hour drive to the Grand Canyon. Thanks to my beautiful rental car, I had a skip in my step that is rarely there at 6am. I had my coffee; I had my music. The views as I drove were exquisite...

It's cool to do this drive alone because you can just focus on the sites and take it all in. The perks of having someone with you though... they would be able to take the pictures while you drive. Instead I kept wanting to stop every five minutes... which if I ever wanted to get to the Grand Canyon, I clearly could not do.

After a bit, it began to rain, which didn't dampen my spirits one bit - nothing could get me down - I was Grand Canyon bound! (For some reason unbeknownst to me... the fact that the view at the Gand Canyon could be affected never crossed my mind).

As I was passing through the gate into Grand Canyon National Park, there was a sign that said "No refunds for limited visibility." That was the first time that it crossed my mind that I might not be able to see some of the canyon because of the clouds - I was still not too worried though.

As I walked over to the ledge, a lady walking away said, "Oh you made it just in time - the clouds are breaking!" This is the sight that I came upon:

I couldn't see much, but I wasn't worried because that nice lady had said that the clouds were breaking! And then this happened...

The fog completely engulfed the canyon and you could only see a few feet in front of you. If I hadn't had to pay $35 at a gate that said "Grand Canyon National Park," I wouldn't have even known that I was there. At a loss of what to do since I didn't have a canyon to take pictures of, I took about 50 pictures of this squirrel...

Somehow, my spirits were still high - I think the only reason for that was because I was in utter shock and had not reached the stage of acceptance yet.

I began to listen in on other tourists' feelings on the inclement weather that was affecting their visit as well...

Ungrateful child: "What are you doing, Sarah?! Why are you even taking pictures? You're literally taking pictures of clouds."

Sarah: "I still want to look back and remember our time here!"

Ungrateful child: "DAD!!! Let's GO."

And with that they left... Thankfully though, the majority of the other conversations sounded more like this...

3 year-old kid: "Wow, daddy, we're on top of the world!"

Older brother: "No, we're not."

3 year-old kid: "Well, we're on top of the clouds!"

Older brother: "Not exactly..."

3 year-old kid: "Well... we're in HEAVEN!!"

Most people I passed were still happy, discussing and explaining to their kids how cool it was that the canyon was engulfed with fog, because apparently it very rarely happens.

A dad: "Most people get to see the Grand Canyon on a regular day, but YOU get to see it when it's covered in clouds!"

After wandering for over an hour from lookout to lookout without seeing anything, I decided to go to my car, grab my book and lay on a bench and read. I figured I might as well make the most of my day and relax before my four hour drive.

As soon as I came back, the clouds were breaking again - thinking that I only had five minutes before the clouds took over again, I quickly had a dude take a picture of me, thinking it was going to be my only picture with the Grand Canyon.

Can you imagine me coming back with this as my only picture with the Grand Canyon and trying to convince people that I actually was there?!

And then as the rain poured down, people just became happier and happier, because for some reason, the visibility was getting better and better each moment. Then this happened:

I've never been so unbelievably grateful for the rain. I couldn't believe my eyes, and the excitement of everyone at the lookout was beyond contagious.

Then, I found people that wanted to climb out to a ledge. This involved rocky, slippery terrain where one misstep would be quite bad - but with a super nice dad offering to give me a hand, I shakily followed him down the cliff...

I started shaking a little when I would look down and seeing nothing to keep me from plummeting... but I soldiered on, and boy am I sooo glad that I did!

I snapped as many pictures as I could - I ended up with over 500 pictures of the Grand Canyon - it took me sooo long to go through those pictures!

I reluctantly left and made a quick stop for pictures at the Hoover dam - one of the many sites on the beautiful drive through Arizona and Nevada.

Hoover Dam

I quickly stopped in Downtown Las Vegas while I still had my car, and after losing my car (Vegas is a horrible place to forget where you parked), I made it back to the rental car place in the nick of time.

I then grabbed a beer, walked the strip, and planted myself in front in the Monte Carlo and worked on some social media marketing for a client - which I hate doing - but if I gotta work on it, I think the Las Vegas strip is as good a spot as any.

Vegas, baby!

I have now been in Vegas for 24 hours and my head is spinning with all of the information that I am dying to pour on this page. From how much I hate Spirit for canceling my flight, to all the weird conversations that I have had and overheard to all the dos and don'ts that I am now dying to share with you. Now, I want this blog to help you - I want it to inspire you to feel like Vegas should be your very next vacation spot, whether you are riding solo - like me - or if you have an entire entourage that you want to bring. My purpose is to not only to clear my head so that it has room for all of the crazy things that are going to happen tomorrow, but to share with you my failures of the day - as well as the triumphs (yes there were some of those too!).

Now if you have read any of my other posts, you know one thing about me for sure. I am spontaneous. Now whether that is a virtue or a vice, well you can determine that for yourself. I embrace it as a virtue. And I run with it. To whole new levels. That being said, it shouldn't entirely come as a surprise to you that I ended up in Las Vegas, Nevada. I made the decision to come here ABOUT a week ago - maybe less.

Here is one of the great things about Las Vegas - it is affordable. I mean unless you have a serious gambling problem... probably wouldn't be quite so cheap. Thankfully I do not. Roundtrip tickets to Las Vegas can be found for $200 - at least from Philadelphia! That actually brings me to the main reason that I decided to come to Vegas - the price. I literally googled cheapest places to fly to and Vegas was second to Miami, and well, I was ready to go somewhere new! I am staying at the Monte Carlo (on the strip), and I think it was something like $50 a night, and I am so close to everything!

Be careful about booking through Spirit because something like this could happen to you: I was working in my basement, trying to get as much done as possible before I flew out that evening. I had received an email from Spirit earlier saying that my flight was delayed, which was fine. I can deal with that. So we had to leave for the airport at 6:15. At 5pm I get an email from Spirit saying that my flight is CANCELLED. My heart dropped. I raced up the stairs and just looked at my sister-in-law Melissa and said something to the effect of, "help." Without going into too much detail, I ended up having to switch to a completely different airline, but finally arrived at the Monte Carlo where I was greeted by my wonderful king-sized bed.

On my way to the airport, I realized that I really had no plan for what to do while I was there, so I quickly asked my sister some questions and arrived in Vegas with this as my plan:

I awoke bright and early (the time change helped me get an early start every morning.) I pulled back my curtains and I realized something that I hadn't seen the night before: I have a perfect view of the gorgeous mountains surrounding the city. The next step was finding a Starbucks, but before I could even put it into my GPS, I realized there was one right in my casino. JACKPOT.

The Monte Carlo.

Starbucks in hand, I did a little bit of exploring, grabbed some mimosa ingredients and headed back to my hotel to work.

And that is another reason why I can travel so much... I am a graphic designer, so at times, I can work from ANYWHERE. After a bit, I took a pool break where I brought my book, Ender's Game. This sparked conversation with a few African American girls on the elevator, who somehow, in our quick elevator ride transitioned from Ender's Game to Fifty Shade of Grey.

"Have you seen Fifty Shades of Grey yet?!"
Me: "Nope."
"Oh you just gotta see it. My grandma even went to see it! Granted, she thought that we were going to see Selma..."

Just one example of one of many hilarious conversations I had with people in my casino. Another great thing about staying at a casino is all of the food options that you have right at your disposal. I ended up having Subway for most meals. Super cheap.

It was finally time for me to really explore the city. I grabbed my camera and rushed out into the beautiful chaos of Las Vegas Blvd. I talked to SO MANY people in the couple hours that I was walking in and out of casinos. From guys wanting me to take a picture of them (with my camera) to guys wanting to take a picture with me (I couldn't get away from them because I was waiting to cross the street) to guys inviting me to rooftop parties - it was all just so entertaining. And I declined the rooftop party offer, of course. I didn't get my brothers to be OK with me traipsing around the world alone by taking up offers from overly friendly gentlemen. The perk of talking to all of these people is all of the tips I received. For example, Solomon told me the exact time the fountains and lights came on at the Bellagio so that I was sure not to miss it.

Boy, am I glad I saw this.

I also made friends with so many of my photographers who were all so obliging.

Then, one of the nightmares of a spontaneous traveler occurred. My phone died. When I travel in Europe, I plan ahead because I know that I can't use my phone. Not so much when I'm in the States. Because of my lack of planning, I ended up having to take a taxi to the rental car agency. I HATE TAXIS. I mean, this guy seemed nice enough at first. He asked me for a piece of gum right when I got in - which was weird, but whatever - rather him ask than have horrible breath. He let me charge my phone for a couple of minutes, but then let's just say it turned into the taxi ride from hell. He got lost. I was going to the rental car agency at the AIRPORT and he got LOST. He ended up pulling over to the side of the road in the middle of NOWHERE for at least five minutes. I thought it might be the end. Straight out of a horror movie... except not. Because I lived to tell about it. He then had the audacity to make me pay for all of the time that he was lost. So ridiculous.

Unfortunately for the car rental guy, I appeared at his desk a little worse for the wear. My control on my frustration broke down completely when I was informed that I would not be receiving the convertible that I had reserved. He then tried to charge me the same price for an economy car (which should be half the price.) He picked the wrong day to tell me that. I was 100% OK with being in an awkward situation and (long story short) argued and held very long silences until he dropped the price considerably. 

I was still set on getting a nice car, and knowing the guys in the back really hold all of the power, I chatted a little, laughed, pointed and BOOM - I got an AWESOME car.

Not too shabby, eh?

I then made the mistake of thinking that my car charger was going to work and headed into old Las Vegas. Turned out the car charger didn't work and I got lost for a good while - saw lots of cool things though. More importantly - by way of signs, I found my way to my wonderful casino. I must've looked like a mad person when I was laughing uncontrollably because I had actually found my way back to the strip.

But I made it back to my bed. I blasted Elvis and began this post that I am now finishing two weeks later. And THAT was just day 1.

El Salvador and knowing less Spanish than ever before.

Europe makes you realize that it doesn't matter that you only know English. El Salvador makes you realize that it does. From ordering at restaurants to talking to maids to interacting with EVERYONE... it begins to become a problem when you don't speak the language. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not some uncultured brat that never learned another language. Once upon a time I knew enough Spanish to not look like a jerk - back when I spent an entire summer in Mexico - but that time has come and gone. 

Thankfully, my wonderful friends and family in El Salvador ARE cultured and know English and Spanish and can get me through quite wonderfully.

The purpose of this trip was to see my sister after she gave birth to her second child, Kosuke. When I was on my way out there to visit, I envisioned us chilling at her apartment everyday, just hanging out - which would have been great, I love my fam - but Lois is a trooper and just a week and a half after having a baby was up for just about everything.

We went to Taka's (my brother-in-law) brother's house the first day and laid out in the sun, followed by a wonderful visit to a Mexican restaurant where I was tricked into drinking the worst drink that was ever invented - the Michelada. I've heard rumors that certain countries even use it for torture. How did he trick me into this you might ask? By simply asking the waiter for the drink in Spanish. BECAUSE I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT ANYMORE. I really need to get on that. You are about to understand why. Just take a look at the ingredients.

2 teaspoons honey
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 limes
2 cups light Mexican beer
2 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
freshly cracked black pepper

Seems like its not a real drink, right? Well, it is. And, its Taka's favorite. AND I did drink the whole thing. AND SURVIVED. Apparently its a fav down there.
The following day (Easter) we relaxed by the pool and read some books and drank some beers. We then headed to an Argentinian steakhouse that had filet mignon that just melts in your mouth. 

The next day was a glimpse into the Salvadoran culture. We had a recording with Lois's band that she manages (Back to Earth) scheduled for 10am. I think we showed up at 11:00, knowing that they would be late, and they didn't come until like 12:30. And Lois just rolls with it... I mean hey, they make great music. I got to interview all of them and will be editing together a little "get to know the band" video. We did get to hang out and hear them jam and hear the beginning stages of a song they're working on that Julia wrote!

We made a little return trip to paradise on our last day - or so I thought.

The day started out wonderfully. Taka let me use his boogie board... I may be an extremely adventurous person, but surfing scares me so much! So, I didn't try it this trip - maybe next time. But man, if you wanna feel like a kid again just grab a boogie board; it is great!

We relaxed in the infinity pool for hours and took walks along the beach and stared at my new nephew for long periods of time because he's so perfect. We ate and drank and talked and tanned - burned - whatever.

We ordered pupusas (traditional Salvadoran food) for our last night.  Later on in the evening my stomach ended up feeling a bit uneasy, but I figured it was just from being out in the sun all day or something. Everyone turned in early because we had to leave at 4am for the airport. I ended up being up all night sick and hallucinating: Food poisoning. I won't even try to describe to you the things I was seeing in my hours of delirium, it still makes no sense to me. 

Everyone woke up to find me laying on the kitchen floor - that is a bad sign right there. But, I somehow managed to get aboard my flight without dying, but started sweating profusely when I realized that I had the middle seat. Let's just say it was an incredibly long day of travel and never before have I been so grateful to see Melissa's white Mercedes and smiling, welcoming face. (Good thing I called her at my layover... she thought I was coming in two days later.)

I lived to tell about it. That is all that matters now!

Why every post grad should take a trip alone (part 2)

So, what is the answer to excuse number four. How do you convince someone that hates traveling to do exactly that... travel?

For one, it is not necessary to travel far. If someone hates traveling THAT much, why not go somewhere that's not very far - within driving distance even? I think the most important thing is that it is done alone. And will you look at that. This person that "hates people" has nothing to worry about because the trip is indeed ALONE. If you don't want to talk to people - don't! I have found it to be so enjoyable to just sit and observe: how teachers interact with their students, how old married couples still find the energy to go out and enjoy one another's company, how some couples have no business being together, or how much people love the city that they're living in. Learning does not have to be accomplished by talking to people.

Not only does a trip alone help you learn so much about others, but it taught me so much about myself. I thought that I knew for a fact that I could not move to a city unless I knew at least one person in that city. Six weeks in Europe changed my mind. I walked away from that trip knowing that I could move anywhere and be OK. It is so easy to meet people. People are NICE - for the most part. Before I did this trip, I had a robotic response whenever people asked me what I wanted to do next: "Get a radio job in Boston." My answer has changed. I will gladly go anywhere. There are SO many opportunities when you look at all of the options around the entire WORLD.

Another important thing that I realized from talking to so many different types of people is the difference between judging everything that people say because they hold a different viewpoint - and understanding their point of view. This is something that I always focus on, because everyone has a reason why they believe what they believe or do what they do. Now, don't get me wrong, some of these people have the worst reasons and it's nigh impossible to respect them, but then there are others that make you understand why people believe in something that is exactly the opposite of what you do.

Whether its talking to people that grew up with a Socialist government or people that have experienced atrocious childhoods - it is fascinating to hear how people came to the conclusions about life that they did. It is a good way to test your own principles and convictions.

This next thing that I learned about myself might sound silly, but I look at it as a proud accomplishment. I now have no problem eating and drinking alone. I remember this one Friends episode where Monica keeps telling Rachel that she just has to try eating alone, how it is such an important thing to be able to do. I disagreed when I first saw that episode, but have since changed my mind. All you have to do is bring your computer or a book or something that you are genuinely interested in. That is literally all it took for me to not feel like a loser. I cannot tell you how many intriguing and wonderful conversations that I ended up having.


My friend Shelly and I were having a conversation recently about personality types. She said to me, "Would you consider yourself an introverted extrovert?" I said "Absolutely! As much as I love people, I really need my time alone and look forward to it."

And then I thought about it some more. To me, enjoyable alone time is drinking a beer at a bar with people all around me, just not necessarily talking to me... so maybe that doesn't count as being a little bit introverted, but I am telling you, extroverts and introverts alike can both thoroughly enjoy eating and drinking out alone.

This brings me to the topic of hobbies. THAT is a question that I often have a hard time answering - and it is one that is often asked. My go-to has always been, "hanging out with friends." Well, that hobby will only get me so far if my friends are not there. If I am alone, it becomes an extremely irrelevant hobby. Traveling alone is the perfect way to find what your interests are that involve no one else. I found that mine is photography.

It is a hobby that is, in my opinion, more enjoyable when you're alone. Whether I was wandering through the city of Dublin, walking along cliffs or exploring castles, I would stick my headphones in, pull out my camera and feel like I was the only person in the world. I find it to be the perfect way to make the most of your travels. Focusing on taking pictures (the best angles or lighting etc.) makes you notice so much more than you would if you were just looking at the sites. So, it was photography for me (who knew I could be so artsy?!). Your new hobby could be ANYTHING!

Not only will a trip make you understand all the things you can do, it will also show you what you CAN'T do. It is important to learn what your limits are. For example, while I have learned that I am quite capable of reading maps, I still have no sense of direction and should not put the map away in the name of "adventure." It just didn't ever really work out for me when I tried it.

When it comes down to it, I'm just a kid. Maybe you shouldn't be taking advice from me. I just felt like I learned A LOT and am hoping that someone out there will read this and realize how rewarding a trip can be. Is it exhausting to plan? Yes. Will something go wrong every day? Absolutely. Will it be worth it? There's only one way to find out.