When I reminisce on the travel opportunities I’ve
experienced, one stands out in particular. My current Girl Scout troop had been
fundraising perpetually for two years, and by the summer of 2013 our goal of
going abroad to Europe was realized. Our destinations blazed a trail through
Ireland, Wales, England, and France over the course of two and a half weeks. Calling
this experience life changing would be an understatement. My ideas about travel
changed permanently, and showed me what I wanted travel to be, and the
component I would want it to become in my future corresponding with a family
and career.
The trip
consisted of five people, my leader, my co-leader (who happened to be my
mother), two other members of the troop, and myself. Over the duration of the adventure our only
mode of transportation was public transit: train, metro, tube, etc. I see my
experience on the trip as distinctly unique than that of those who went as well.
Encountering natives to converse with, and seeking to immerse myself within the
culture as much as possible within our time schedule and sightseeing plans
allowed me to understand the people on a different level. For example, in
Ireland I meet two woman in a coffee shop, asked if I could ask them to show me
what Gaelic sounds like, and they continued to teacher me while asking what had
brought me to their country. It is these small moments that transform a simple
vacation into a memorable journey.
