Have you ever been out of the country? If you have, you will know how truly special of an experience it is. From the crazy stress of packing up all of your belongings into a suitcase to going through airport security, going through international security is truly a life-changing experience. The amount of stress that is upon you is through the roof!

Having talked to several students who traveled to different places, it is made clear that not all countries are the same, although the common pattern seems to be “it’s so much prettier than the U.S” as we all could have probably guessed. 

Junior Matt Wallace starts us off with a trip to Aruba. He went when he was 14 with his family. “It was a much smaller island then I expected,” said Matt. When asked about the food it would have been expected that he would have said there were beautiful dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but instead he mentioned that “everyone there ate KFC it was crazy and totally unexpected!”. Lo and behold, Matt did say that the ocean was his favorite part of his trip which is what was to be expected.

Sophomore Kasha Ward has traveled to Poland a whopping nine times! Kasha’s family is from there so when they visit they go for a whole month at a time. She always travels with her family, occasionally bringing a cousin or two along for the trip. She noted that one of the unique things about Poland that differs from the U.S was how locals traveled mostly by foot. “Another thing to note,” says Kasha, “the buildings are beautiful there almost like they are built for some better purpose, unlike the ones here.”

Last to give an insight into their experience across the globe is senior Allyssa Mcpherson. Allyssa has traveled to Japan four times to visit her family. When she goes she is there for approximately six weeks! She mentions that the culture is a complete “180” from what it is like here in the U.S. She also mentions that to transit, they walk or take a train, rarely do people ever drive in cars unless it is for long-distance travel. When asked about her favorite part of the trip, she says “I love when my family all takes a separate vacation together, as a whole family.”

Concluding this article is a suggestion. Travel the world and visit places that you never thought possible, because you will never get this life back. Live it to the fullest!