There you are, crossing into a whole new world. Whether you're landing by plane or driving 15 minutes over the border, if you've ever gone to another country, continent or even state, you're bound to have experienced a few new things.

Last week I traveled to Canada with one of my best friends and in becoming members of the international elite, here are a few things we experienced that you—you traveling animal—undoubtedly have, too.

The Sweetest Realization

Every traveler can share in the glorious moment when you realize you are indeed far away from home. In search of wanderlust, it takes more than feet on the ground to have your heart stir at the prospect of adventure, but once you encounter your first native flag, native license plate or new language, there's no going back.

Accents, Glorious Accents!

There's nothing quite the tinge of novelty that comes along with a foreign accent. Something about the slight twang on a normally unimpressive word brings a smile and perhaps even a hint of jealousy to your face. We first came into contact with said sounds of wonder passing through border patrol. The officers' glorious Canadian accent (and face) almost distracted me from the rather curious questions he was asking. Which brings me to my next topic...

Feeling Awkward at Border Patrol

Crossing into a new country, you have to pass through border patrol so as to not bring dead bodies, drugs, knives or other illegal paraphernalia into their great nation. Sometimes in that process, you might, like me, forget the seriousness of the situation. I mean, it's not every day that people interrogate you under the suspicion that you're a hardened criminal or at least a bunch of sneaky teenagers trying make a quick buck by smuggling goods into the country. As the border patrol guy proceeded to ask us questions like "Where are you guys going?" and "Where are you coming from?" I was lulled into a false sense of security by his pretty face and aforementioned foreign accent. I wasn't aware that this man was actually searching for illegal activity until he asked who paid for the gas in our car. Something about the way he said, "Are you bringing anything other than clothes and snacks?" let me know he meant business. Thankfully I refrained from jokingly answering, "Nah, just dead bodies!" but I'll admit, I was heavily tempted.

Foreign Tongues

The presence of a foreign language is another one of the many wonders of worldwide travel. As we crossed into Ontario, I began to notice the English signs accompanied by their French counterparts and strangely, felt comfort and thrill in not understanding a single thing. When I noticed that the ketchup bottle in the restaurants had translations in French, too, I squealed a little. I'm only slightly ashamed.

Culture Shock

Many things were different in this new land and it quickly became apparent that "we weren't in Kansas anymore." The speed limit was in kilograms, the signs were in French, and the yellow line on the road was a fluorescent orange. With the comfort of home far behind us, we came head to head with a common theme—culture shock and maybe a twinge of homesickness. Where was the American flag? Where was the out-of-date metric system?

A Piece of Home

Thankfully when traveling abroad, you're never left completely alone. The sight of familiar faces like McDonald's, Walmart and Denny's made me feel like America was just a few miles away—which of course it literally was. It was all I could do to stop myself from grinning at the sight of those yellow arches, but also frown because honestly why is McDonald's everywhere?

Food, Beautiful Food

Then of course there's the food. You know how food is often better off of another person's plate? Food is also better from another person's country. We learned this in the best way possible as we sat down to American classics with a Canadian spin. I had a French BLT which is a regular BLT with french toast and Canadian bacon substituted. It was almost as good as the maple syrup.

Help, We're Lost

Then there's getting hopelessly lost; a rite of passage for the traveling elite. Although we both had our trusty smart phones with GPS and maps, we didn't have service in Canada because...it was Canada. So once we switched our phones to airplane mode and said goodbye to google maps for the next two hours, we had nothing but screenshots and our own poor senses of direction to work with. We did make it, but not before passing through a city of strange buildings which was coincidentally also called Niagara Falls.

All in all, travel is a beautiful thing and the experiences it offers will be remembered long after you return home. From border patrol to the thrilling sight of a McDonald's, I wish each and every one of you all happy travels. Now go on and get exploring.