At such a young age, I've always loved traveling with my family. I guess I got those genes from my parents; Before my brother and I were born, my parents used to go on adventures whenever they got the chance, even if it was a ride into the next town over, they had that sense of adventure.
When my brother and I came into the world, the adventures didn't stop. Before I moved to Maryland, we were Californians. We drove cross country to Maryland in order to move. There are vague memories in my head from the time we traveled from California all the way to Maryland. I remember the bright lights in Las Vegas and the breezy, twilight nights in New Mexico.
Once we moved to Maryland we didn't really travel again until I was six or seven, which was the first time I went to Disney World. I remember that trip the most because I was out of school for a week, and I got to be in a totally different state than Maryland for a while. It was our first trip going down I-95.
During my first trip Disney World, it was my first time in Florida before they really jazzed up and changed everything as the years had gone by. The hotel we stayed at was Coronado Springs, which is still at the Walt Disney World Resort to this day. It was the very first time I had gone down a waterslide and got into a pool.
I hadn't known how to swim, so of course, I was terrified about going in the water. Then I went to my first Disney park and it WAS NOT Magic Kingdom. It was MGM Studios, which is now called Hollywood Studios, and I have gone there this past Spring. It was the debut of the Twilight Zone's Tower of Terror ride and I was super excited to get on it.
One story I tell my friends all the time was when my mom, brother, and I (Dad was in a conference) we were on the ride ready to go and the attractions operator asked everyone, "Are you all ready? Give me a thumbs up if you're ready." Everyone puts their thumbs up, except one person. My younger brother. And because of this, we were booted off the ride and watched everyone have fun. Looking back, my brother was five and he had the right to his own opinion, but he couldn't have lied?
Years have passed and the next time we went on the ride, I was 17 and my brother was 15. He didn't even flinch. In fact, he was like, "That's it? I thought it'd be better." Whatever.
The last trip we took as a family was to Florida this past summer, but another vacation we went on was a cruise to the Bahamas. It was everyone's first time there, plus it was during Christmas, which made it a lot more special. We drove to Charleston, South Carolina and went on the cruise for 5 days. To Nassau (Atlantis Resort above) and Freeport. Personally, I liked Freeport more, probably because we had an excursion and it was with Jeeps, so we got to go around the island and drive on the left-hand side like the natives.
Did you know that in the Bahamas, they have a lot of traffic circles? Why? Because the first thing they learned how to draw was a circle, so the tour guide we had said. It was a nice getaway and what I love about cruises, ALL YOU CAN EAT! Especially when they have AMAZING French fries.
Since then, we have been traveling. Whether they're road trips to New York City, to visit my grandparents in Mississippi, to the holiday cruises we just started taking, my family loves to travel. We get a break from our everyday hectic schedules. It's such a nice relaxing time being with the ones you love someplace tropical, or experiencing a whole new place.
I guess that's why when I finish college I most likely want to travel to the other side of the world and really get out of my comfort zone. There are so many places in the world that I would love to visit, which I why I have the travel bug. What wonderful place shall I visit next?
