Then about a month ago my best friend Amy had some friends visiting, so per usual, we took them to the Virginia Beach Ocean Front. Obviously everyone that comes to visit us wants to visit the boardwalk and be a tacky tourist, right? (That’s what we thought too). So somewhere between paying $6,000 for parking and playing Jungle Mini Golf, I realized that sometimes all it takes is a visitor or two to make you really appreciate your own hometown.

Snapshot in front of Neptune

I have lived in this city for over ten years, driving past Jungle Golf every time I go to the Ocean Front, yet I had never actually gone in and golfed. And no matter how many times I am on the boardwalk, I had never looked at it through the eyes of a tourist. If you give yourself a reason to, it’s just like going on vacation without really going anywhere!

Guard Stand

So here is my tip to you: Take a day to hit up your downtown/uptown/historic district/boardwalk/what have you. Even if you’ve been there a million times, bring someone from out of town and do it like a tourist. Go into a restaurant or a museum that you’ve never been in. Pay a million dollars for the souvenir cup. HAVE FUN. And don’t worry if other people think you’re a tourist. Chances are they’re a tourist too

Jungle Golfing

This all changed this year when my spring break at JMU matched up perfectly with the week of Mardi Gras. My mom, three of my best friends and I packed up the car and headed on the road trip that was 21 years in the making. As soon as we got there and started taking part in the revelry that is Mardi Gras I knew that I would never want to miss this celebration again. So here is the travel tip of the day: Take part in local traditions. If you’re planning to go somewhere, see if that place has any festivals, carnivals or other events that define the town. Though it might mean your hotel might cost more or the restaurants will be more crowded, there is never a better time to get the real feel of a city than when they are doing what they are known for.

Of course, I didn’t have to pay for the expensive hotels because I lodged for free at my grandma’s house, but that’s irrelevant. I would pay a lot to go back to Mardi Gras every year for the rest of my life.

When most people (college students, anyway) think of Mardi Gras, they think of drunken revelry on Bourbon Street and a great excuse to day-drink. While this is all rather accurate, Mardi Gras is so much more. It’s actually an overwhelmingly family-friendly celebration that is based around parades. These parades were definitely my favorite part. There is nothing more fun than standing in the street trying to catch the gobs of beads being thrown into the onlooking crowd. Is it dangerous? Absolutely. Did I get hit in the face and head with large collections of beads? Obviously. Would I reccomend the experience to all of my friends? Without question.

Going to Mardi Gras changed my perception of New Orleans forever, a perception that I had been cultivating since infancy. That says a lot about the experience that I hope to have as often as possible in the future.

The only way to watch a parade.

Loved all of the decorations!

Revelers

The coolest float that I saw all week.

Our shoulders were sore from wearing so many beads!

As you may remember, I studied abroad in London last year and it was one of the greatest experiences in my life to date. One of the things that I loved so much about the trip was the friendship that bloomed between 27 students being forced to live in a very small flat together. It is these friendships that define this traveling tip: Keep in touch with anyone you travel with or who you meet while you’re traveling. When you take a trip with another person or even in a group, even if you don’t know them that well beforehand, finding your way around an unfamiliar city with someone has a funny way of breaking down a lot of barriers.

This became abundantly clear while I was in London. When I arrived in our flat I only knew four of my 27 new housemates, but when I left I had a group of friends that I was closer with than most of my friends that I had left at home. This is something that I didn’t really appreciate until last weekend when I graduated from JMU. I had spent four years at JMU and the people who were most important to me at graduation were people that I had only known for a year and a half. This is something that I never would have anticipated going into the study abroad trip.

Because this bond grew so strong in such a short amount of time, I knew that graduation doesn’t mean goodbye for us. While I should have been weeping over the fact that I won’t see my best friends every day, I was excited about the reunions I knew we would have. In 20 years when I think of my college years, these are the friends who will define it.

Hannah, Blair and I at Primrose Hill in London

Sarah and I at Stonehenge

Christine and I at Big Ben

Christine, Blair, Hannah, Sarah and another friend at graduation from JMU

Hannah, Me, Blair, Sarah and Christine at graduation

My friend, Kate, presented me with the idea of going up to Pittsburgh to watch the Steelers win the Super Bowl. Of course, I thought this was an amazing idea. What Steelers fan wouldn’t want to be in the Steel City the night our team brings home our seventh ring. It was a dream come true!

So Kate, my fake-Steelers-fan friend Grace, and I pack up the car and head off to Pennsylvania, excited for the adventures ahead.

Saturday, despite the rain and chilly temperatures, we went into the city to celebrate. We rode the incline, did some shopping on the Strip, and even waited 25 minutes in line for a Primanti Bros. sandwich. It was fun to celebrate in the midst of thousands of people who were as excited as we were.

Sunday was a bit more subdued. Stressed and nervous, we went to church praying for a victory.

Flash forward to Sunday night. Devastated at my team’s loss, I thought to myself “I can’t believe I came all the way up here just to watch the Steelers lose! How could Ben Roethlisberger do this to me?”

Now, ten days and many deep breaths later, I realize that the weekend wasn’t a total waste. I got a chance to go back to a city I haven’t visited in years, I had the opportunity to road trip with two of my best friends, and I got to join a whole city in celebrating our team! So here’s my tip: just because something doesn’t turn out like you wanted it to doesn’t mean your whole trip is a bust. If it helps, make a list of all of the fun times you had on your trip to help you realize that it was actually worth it!

Flash forward to Wednesday of last week. It’s been a year since I flew to England to start a new chapter in my life and I miss it every day. It doesn’t help that now, a new group of JMU students are living in my flat, sleeping in my bed and experiencing every fun thing that I experienced first. It seems childish, but even though I know thousands of people do those same things every day, I somehow feel like they’re mine, and only I am entitled to experience them.

After a four day pity party, filled with looking at friends’ pictures on Facebook and thinking about how much fun those people there now are having, I realized the wallowing was getting me nowhere. What is the point in living vicariously through others when you’ve lived it yourself?

So here is my tip for you: Don’t compare your experiences with those of others. Not only will it depress you, but it will discount your own travels, which, no matter how much you think they might, can’t be made less exciting just because someone else is experiencing them.

And just for my own emotional reassurance, here are some really great pictures from the super fun semester I had!

The Sartorialist‘s  Scott Schuman began his career in fashion, and ran a showroom for many years before starting his blog. Now, simply by walking around cities wordwide with nothing but a camera and an open mind, he has become one of the biggest names in fashion blogging.

I guess to me, traveling the world with the express purpose of photographing well dressed passers-by is the ultimate dream job. So in the spirit of inspiration and living your dreams, please take a look at the blog! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

As my friend and I stopped for (venti, soy, iced) coffee before hitting the road, she pulled a folded piece of paper out of her purse, and showed me a quicker route to Charlottesville that passed right by the airport. This 40 mile drive definitely seemed like it would be much more time efficient than taking the highway.

This is where we were wrong. While yes, this road was shorter, and yes, this road passed closer to the airport, this road also wound violently through the Blue Ridge Mountains, maintained a maximum speed limit of 55, and passed through about a dozen small towns. Those of you who haven’t traveled on country roads before might like to know that when I say “small towns” I mean “gas stations and traffic lights.”

So here is my travel tip to you, seasoned traveller. Just because the road is shorter, doesn’t mean your trip will be quicker.

On the bright side, I made it back to Harrisonburg with 15 minutes to spare before my meeting. And the Blue Ridge Mountains sure are beautiful!

Disclaimer: I took this photo in August, but the natural beauty of the area still applies!

Anyway, the idea I had for this blog post came from an article we had to read in my feature writing class. The article was about bucket lists and the trend that seems to have everyone making one. While I myself have yet to pen a general life goal list, I do have an extensive travel bucket list.

Because I have traveled so much so early in life, I have seen enough of the world to know that there are so many more places that I want to see. It seems with each place I go, I learn about three or four more places that I want to visit. For example, a recent trip to Nashville made me extremely interested in visiting several other cities, namely Boston, Seattle and Savannah. It put me in a “Now I have to visit every ‘cute American city’ in the country” mood. Lucky for me, this travel bug is less expensive and time consuming than my “I have to go everywhere in Europe while I’m here” kick…

So here it is, the next tip: Make a bucket list! The ever-classic “I want to see the world” is easier said than done, so I suggest providing a few more specifics for yourself. Maybe narrow it down to a solid “I want to stand on every continent” or “I want so go to every country that borders the Indian Ocean.” Even a simple list is advisable. For one thing, it makes planning a vacation easier, and it also allows you to research more thoroughly all of your destination wishes.

Another interesting way to make a travel bucket list is not based on location, but activities. Try making a list of THINGS you want to do rather than PLACES you want to see, because one activity might lead you to a place you didn’t even know you wanted to go! For example, “I want to go zip lining in the rainforest” might be easier to pin point than “I want to go to South America,” and who knows? Maybe the coolest place to go zip lining in the rainforest is in a country you never would have thought to put on your bucket list!

For some food for thought, I will leave you with my personal travel bucket list. Hopefully it will inspire you to make one of your own!

• Northeastern Italy/Croatia- A friend of mine went there last spring and it was SO beautiful. My Italian teacher tells me it’s one of Italy’s best kept secrets!
• Germany during the Christmas markets- I went to the most amazing Christmas market in Stuttgart, Germany with my family as a kid when we lived in Brussels, and it’s like a magical fairytale. I need to go back ASAP and spend the rest of my life there. Snow +  Glühwein (mulled wine) + Käthe Wohlfahrt shops = heaven. Seriously, Google some pictures. You’ll die.
• Maine- I’ve never been and I’m not really sure what got me so interested, but I am really just obsessed with the east coast, and I feel like Maine might epitomize it for me. The small fishing villages, etc. I hope it’s everything I dream it to be…
• Australia- need to do some more research on exactly what it is I want to do here…
• South Africa-  I think the culture down there is so interesting!
• Brazil for the next world cup! This is my next goal, I think.
• Boston/Cape Cod area- I think this might also be because of my love for the east coast…I imagine myself living here as an adult.
• Ireland- I went for the first time in March and I am hooked! I only went to Cork, Blarney and Kinsale, so now I want to see the rest of it!
• Seattle- everyone I know tells me I belong there. Maybe it has to do with the coffee thing?

I will keep you posted if any of these wishes come true!

After all, traveling has been a huge part of my life. Since my dad was in the Navy, I have been moving around since I was born, with each home providing new opportunities to travel. Of course, the fact that I lived in New Port twice, both times being before I could read, doesn’t really mean much to me. It is definitely the later locales that stick out in my mind.

Which leads me to the second, more focused point of this blog. Each post, while sharing experiences, advice and witty anecdotes, I will also be providing “Tips for the Seasoned Traveler.” Because as a traveler, I am well seasoned. And I am full of tips…

OK maybe it’s going to be more like “Here’s how I did it, but it worked for me, so give it a try,” but never the less, it’s a direction.

So, for my first tip: TAKE PICTURES, notes, brochures, etchings, memorabilia, anything from the places you go. Because mental images don’t last forever, and years from now, when you are trying to remember the places you have been, you will wish you had something concrete to connect with. Let my previous life in New Port be a lesson. No pictures of me in New Port equals I might as well have never been there. Because if you asked me about it, all I could tell you is that we lived in a small house and it was commonly cold outside.

So take some snapshots. You’ll thank yourself later

That’s the thing. I have A LOT of thoughts, opinions and ideas. I can’t very well dump them all here without regard because that wouldn’t be interesting or a good use of my time. So over the next few days I will ponder, and hopefully come up with a worthwhile (and fingers crossed exciting) way to organize and direct my words. Ideally, the result will be a blog worth both your time and mine.

Talk to you soon!