After being dormant for a while now, I decided to continue this. My summer was busy – what an excuse – but also, I am still struggling to find a format of this. I want to start from the beginning but what is happening now is much more exciting. So, I decided to start summarizing some of my travel over the years. As mentioned before I went to Hamburg in 2010 and 2011. Now looking back for me it is crazy to believe how much my travel behaviour has changed. In 2011 I travelled to four places in four countries. I went to Hamburg with my mom in Germany, then to London in late February, the US over the summer to work and travel and Turkey in October. Four countries in one year. Back then I thought that was a lot but in contrast to how much I travel now, it is nothing in comparison. In the past year, I have moved – not just travelled – to four countries. Saw 9 new countries, travelled to 11 and crossed over 26 boarders – what a change. More on this another day – stay tuned.
Looking back at my journey to London I still have very fond memories. I went there with a friend – we are not friends anymore, this seems to be a pattern – and it was one of my first experience of travelling on a budget, staying at a hostel, eating supermarket foods on vacation and enjoying the free opportunities in London. I think – yes very much so – London is expensive, but it is manageable on a budget. My friend and I were both really into photography, so it was great to explore the city through a lens and to understand that there are also cheap ways of travel. It also made me understand that when people say they can’t afford travelling it often is an excuse for misplaced priorities. Going out every weekend for 50€+ can if priorities shift quickly give you some solid savings for travelling – it is all about priorities. Nonetheless, after this experience in October, I went to a very traditional resort trip to Turkey, which had very different values in comparison. Now, studying tourism I see the bigger picture what these differences and their impacts are.
2011 was also the first year I returned to the US to work at the EF Language and Culture Camp in Norwich, Vermont and also to visit my friends in North Carolina. This kicked off a journey that continued for several summers working under high pressure, a lot of fun and a lot of learning, while still getting to enjoy the American culture and reliving my exchange experience. I think I will expand on this more in the future – enough nostalgia for now.
