I went to Zürich, Switzerland, the biggest and easily one of the best cities in the country. From the picturesque lake and the booming financial banks to the cultural zest of the old city, Zürich was truly magical.

Over the summer I interned and lived in Europe for a little over two months. Among the vastly wonderful places I went, I was really blown away by Switzerland. I only went for a weekend trip, mainly because I couldn't afford a lot of days off work, but really because I quite literally couldn't afford any days period. As it is very well known, Switzerland is extremely expensive. (Let's just say most meals were $30 minimum). So a weekend was perfect. I lived in Germany so taking a bus with some friends was a pretty painless and inexpensive way to finally visit a country I had always wanted to see. I tried to record everything best I could with my phone and put together a video worth sharing.

For this trip, I took a different approach to traveling and decided to forgo the typical "checklist tourism." Now what I mean by that is listing all the attractions or touristy things to squeeze in a short amount of time. I don't personally enjoy this type of traveling because you don't get to really experience the culture of a different place. Instead, you are just seeing things to say you saw them and then checking it off a list. That's also why I really enjoyed Zürich—it didn't have a lot of "checklist" places needing to be seen. Obviously the beautiful lake is something to stop by and the Lindenhof Hill gives you a great view of the old city, but I never saw a crowd of people flocking these spots with huge cameras and fanny packs. The vibe of Switzerland was very chill and laid back, much different from other places I traveled to, which made the weekend feel like a true vacation. And not only was the physical environment of Switzerland so beautiful, but I felt surrounded by a really happy community of people. Switzerland was ranked the world’s third happiest country according to the UN’s 2013 World Happiness Report, and now I can understand why. Soaking up some sunshine with my feet in the clear turquoise water while watching lighthearted people eating and shopping in the colorfully historic buildings was everything and more.

If there is a place you've always wanted to go, whether it's eight thousand miles away to Switzerland or a thirty minute drive from your house, I encourage you to do it. I encourage you to travel and push your boundaries by experiencing a different place. It could be different in culture, in environment, etc., but I believe it's important to experience those differences. It's important to embrace those differences. And through this, you can expand your perceptions and outlook on life. After my whole experience in Europe, my biggest piece of advice would be to stop living life through the "checklist" mentality that we so often do. Choose to challenge and push yourself instead of going through the motions. And live life by actually living it.

If anything you can at least see a super sick backflip off a really high object and hear my friend Rachel's hilariously positive comments at the end. But overall, I hope this video really encourages you to not only visit Switzerland, but any place you find interesting, inspiring, or speaks so magically to your soul like Zürich did to mine.