During the summer of 2014, I was lucky enough to attend my school's yearly trip to Europe. With a group of about 25 other people, I spent three weeks traveling to six different European countries. Prior to the trip, I had never gone on a real destination vacation. I've visited Canada and Ohio a couple times, but those were always to see family. Never had I flown somewhere to experience new cultures.
So as you can imagine, I was very very excited. This Europe trip took more than a few months to plan. I had to drag my parents to my school at night to attend the information meetings. I'm my parents' only child, so they had a lot of questions and concerns before their daughter could fly thousands of miles away from home. Luckily, everything fell together perfectly. Six months later, I was on a plane flying to the first destination, Ireland.
Café at The Generator in Dublin, Ireland (Sabrina Baladad-Perez)
Bottle chandelier at The Generator in Dublin, Ireland (Sabrina Baladad-Perez)
The first few nights away we stayed in a hostel. The hostel couldn't be described as any thing other than "hipster." The lobby café had a beautiful graffiti mural. Ireland was just the start of the trip. For the next three weeks, I stayed at hotels, hostels, and even a townhouse-like building. I tried new foods, climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and saw the Mona Lisa. In total, I went to six countries (Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Germany). I traveled by bus, train, boat, plane, you name it. And it was, by far, the best three weeks of my life.
Vendor at a street fair in Edinburgh, Scotland (Sabrina Baladad-Perez)
The Europe trip really deepened my desire to travel more. However, the older I get, the more I realize just how much the cost of traveling is. I am lucky that I am an only child and that my parents supported and funded my trip to Europe, but now that I'm 18 and in college, I'm expected to do "adult things" like pay for my own expenses. However, despite the thousands of dollars it takes to travel overseas, I still believe that it is worth it. I learned so much when I was in Europe.
My ticket for the Edinburgh Castle in Scotland! (Sabrina Baladad-Perez)
I wish it were easier for everyone to travel when they're in their college years. Despite being in a time when I am not financially stable enough to travel, I will still find a way. Everyone should travel before they're married, before they have to get a serious job, before they get kids or a pet.
Travel, and make yourself your first priority. Learn new things, eat new foods, and meet new people. I cannot wait to go to Europe again, hopefully with my current school (The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) next summer. But I would also love to go to Australia, and the Caribbean. It's so worth it, trust me.
