How I became a world traveler

Fun fact: I got my love of travel from my parents.

Yup, my parents are even bigger travelers than I am. Technically, this should really be their blog considering all the knowledge and travel hacks I’ve learned from my them, especially my mom! My dad works for a U.K. based company, so that meant traveling around to international medical conferences & meetings. As a kid, I would get so excited when my Dad would bring me back the travel kits he got in business class that had eye masks, compression socks, and mini toothbrushes. Back in the day he also had gold circle winner trips from work, which my mom would tag along for.

Traveling is kind of their love language. Ever since their honeymoon, they have been going to the Cayman Islands yearly (sometimes twice a year) to scuba dive and get away just the two of them. It’s something I have always admired about their marriage and hope to do so with my future husband.

One year, when I was in 7th grade, my parents decided they would take my sister and I with them to the Caymans. This was my first time getting a passport and crossing international waters. While it was a fun trip, we stayed at a resort & did mostly relaxing activities like snorkeling, scuba diving, and visiting a few tourist traps. Although it was an “international” location, it felt like a nicer beach to get a tan and at that age I couldn’t appreciate it.

So… my first REAL international experience.

Approaching my Junior year of High School, my parents again came to us with an idea of traveling for spring break somewhere other than Disney for the billionth time (My sisters birthday always fell during Easter/Spring break so we went each year to “celebrate her birthday”). They said we could go to Europe, and that my sister and I could each pick a city for us to go to for a few days.

My sister was definitely the smarter, more logical one. She chose London. Same language, my dad’s company is based there, easy choice right? I on the other hand chose a city where I had learned ZERO of the language. But it was the city that sparked my love of travel and my genuine belief that I am supposed to be living in Europe.

PARIS

Ahhh yes. Cliché, I know. But I had my reasons! First, I was a professionally trained ballerina, why wouldn’t I want to go see the Palais Garnier & where they speak the language of Ballet! Plus French croissants, cafés on every corner, French Fashion, and the Eiffel Tower. And if you’ve seen the new Netflix show Emily in Paris, need I say more?

But why was this maybe not the wisest decision?

My parents had made us a deal with this trip- we could each choose a city, but we were also then in charge of planning those three days while we were there. I mean plan EVERYTHING. They even gave me a French language book since I was currently taking Spanish 3 in school (again….why didn’t I choose Spain? Or even Italy?).

The time came for the trip. We scored the first row of the economy section seats. This was my first overnight flight, and I was so excited I didn’t know if I was gonna be able to sleep. They even had those cool individual seat tv screens which was big technology at the time. When we tried to get some shut eye, I was struggling to get comfy in my middle seat chair. So, I LAID OUT ON THE GROUND. I had zero shame back in high school lol. And the flight attendants didn’t stop me either. It kept people from crossing in front of us at least for the bathroom. I slept a solid 4 hours, so not bad for my first time. Now, I have a perfect system to sleep on overnight flights but I still get just as excited for them.

From the minute we touched down in Paris, my parents challenged us to immerse ourselves in the culture as much as we could. My language books hadn’t done much for me, but I could muster a few phrases like “je voudrais un croissant au chocolat.” We even stayed in an apartment in the latin quarter rather than a chain hotel in central Paris. My dad and I would go down to the local market each morning and evening to grab snacks which made me feel even more like a local. For all the grief given to the French about being mean, I found that if you made an effort to learn the language & respect their way of life, they were receptive.

Same went for the metro. I was trying to get us to the Eiffel Tower, and used the underground maps however French sounds VERY different than how it looks. I was hesitant about which stop it was, and looked at my dad worriedly “I think we should have gotten off at the last stop.” He replied “Actually it was two stops back, but it’s okay!” That was part of the fun with this trip- my parents knew the city and where we were going, so I felt comfortable to make mistakes, and they let me take my time to figure out problems on my own. At 16, I gained more confidence off that trip then I did dancing on stage for 13 years. The world felt like it was my stage.

Since that trip, I’ve studied abroad in both Italy & China. I got lost in Budapest. I’ve been to Mexico twice. I spent two weeks around Switzerland, Austria, & Germany visiting friends. I cruised around the Mediterranean. I flew to London to perform in the NFL game at Tottenham Stadium, then traveled with my mom around Belgium & Amsterdam. Oh, and then went back to London a few more times.

But I’m not finished. Not even close.

I call myself a world traveler, because I truly want to see and experience cultures around the world. Not just go and check off a country. And if there is anything COVID has taught me, it’s to travel more with every chance I get. Just patiently waiting till it’s responsible to do so again.

Sincerely,

Sarah

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