Click to jump to my experiences in countries I've been to since turning 18.
*Some countries like Canada, Costa Rica, and Türkiye I have been to both before and after turning 18.
In August 2024, I took my first-ever solo trip to celebrate my undergraduate graduation and the completion of my first semester of my master's program. During this trip, I traveled to four countries in Western Europe. I spent about four days in Paris right as the Paris 2024 Olympics were coming to a close. My mom's friend luckily lives in Paris, so she was a great help, especially when it came to learning about the Paris metro (which is very straight forward). I visited the Eiffel Tower, walked along the Seine, took a train out to Versailles, saw Notre Dame, walked through the Catacombs, and stood under the Arc de Triumph. Of course I had delicious food and wine, and finally fulfilled my dream of eating true French escargot — I loved it.
The second stop on my Europe trip was Belgium, and this is where my only travel fail of the trip came in. My EuroStar train from Paris to Brussels got canceled. Unfortunately, since train departrures were only displayed on-screen about an hour beforehand, I was already at the station, where there was no air conditioning, during a heatwave. After speaking with customer service, I learned that there was a train to Amsterdam that would stop in Brussels that was leaving in 20 minutes. If I was lucky, I could get standing room. Otherwise, I'd have to wait at least another hour for the next train.
Now, this train station was loud, hot, and I was a little delirious at this point. As a solo traveler with only a single book to occupy my time, I was not willing to wait another hour in that station. I joined the growing crowd surrounding the train to Amsterdam, having to keep scrambling down the train as the cars filled up. Being a small person, I was able to cram on. That's when it dawned on me that "standing room" was not "standby room." I was going to have to stand. In the aisle. For two hours. Imagine standing in the aisle of plane ride for two hours with strangers sitting two inches away from you on both sides. That's what it was like.
Once there, I spent another four days in Belgium. The city square is out of a movie, but apart from that there wasn't a whole lot to do directly in Brussesls apart from a tunneled shopping center, the Piss Statue (look it up), and some museums. So, I went on day trips, which I highly recommend (I use Viator almost exclusively). They're cost-friendly ways to be in a trusted group and have something to do for the whole day — in English! The first full day I was there I took a bus tour to Burges and Ghent, two gorgeous historical cities. The next day I took a bus tour to Luxembourg and relished in how quaint and peaceful everything was. We stopped in Dinant (the birthplace of the guy who invented the Saxaphone; everything is saxaphone-themed) on the way back, where unfortunately everything closed at 6. However, I saw the most beautiful church I had ever seen there. If I'm remembering correctly, it originated back to the 900s, and had the most stunning stained glass mural. The entirity of Belgium — its accessability, its natural aspects — was stunning!
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As stated in my piece about Belgium, I took a day trip from Brussels to Luxembourg. My hotel clerk told me that a lot of people travel to Luxembourg during the week to work (something about tax breaks?) and then go back to their respective countries on the weekend.
In all honesty, there wasn't a whole lot to do in Luxembourg City. I walked around, which turned out to be very difficult because the city sits on a very high hill. There was a beatiful red bridge that ran across the otherwise rustic layout of the area. The mountainous landscape seemed so different compared to the makeup of Belgium, even though the two sit right next to each other. Other than people watching, or mountain watching, I just relaxed and took it all in.
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Amsterdam was the last stop on my Europe trip. I spent about another four days here, again traveling by train (no aisle standing this time). To save some money, I stayed in a hotel in Hilversum, which was about a 45-minute walk/metro ride from Amsterdam Centraal. Amsterdam was by far the most social city that I traveled to, where the Nine Streets were packed with bars, snack shops, restaurants, and other stores. I visited the Royal Palace Amsterdam, Oude Kerk church, and the Rijksmuseum, and had the best stroopwafle of my life at a waffle shop. I made a new friend, and got to meet some really cool people. I highly recommend bringing a book or two like I did to sit by the rivers and just enjoy the serenity.
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Spring Break! As a college student, traveling abroad meant traveling on a budget. I was with my partner for this trip. The hotel that we stayed at was almost literally a hole in the wall, and while there was just a bed on a metal frame and some side desks, I think it added charm to my stay in San José.
It's always a great test for any langauge learner like myself to venture into a country that speaks the language being learned. Luckily for me, I have been learning Spanish since I was three years old, so I felt pretty confident communicating with locals, although I can sometimes get nervous when it comes to different accents and speaking speed. Regardless, San José was great. I saw an active volcano, although the fog covered it, and saw the biggest leaves on a plant that I've ever seen in my life. I also visited a coffee plantation and looked out over an overlook at a scene that was unreal. Lush mountains, a waterfall, birds singing — it really felt like heaven. I also had incredible food, and was met with some of the nicest people I've ever encountered.
I had been to Costa Rica as a child, but I can safely say that I don't remember anything from it, so this was a great way to see the country on my own terms at an age that I'd be able to retain and understand what I saw.
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Interestingly, my day-long trip to Panama happened by accident. I stumbled across what are called "stop-over programs." These programs exist all over the world in partnership with different airlines, and it's basically an extended layover. So, instead of a 6-hour layover in Panama, you have the option to have a layover for up to 10 days in some places, usually for a reduced cost. All you have to do is find a hotel.
Using this program, I stayed in Panama for a day, and boy, do I wish I had had longer. Panama is one of, if not the most underrated countries I've ever been to. The French Quarter was jaw-droppingly stunning. It was crazy to think that I was just existing among buildings that have stood by the seaside for centuries. I bought a gorgeous handmade pearl necklace and bracelet set from an indigenous woman. After walking around the French Quarter and popping into a museum about the Panama Canal, my partner and I traveled to the remnants of the first Spanish colony, which had buildings from the 13- and 1400s. It was pretty empty of tourists, although that might also have to do with the fact that it was over 100 degrees. To think that such a relatively small country had parts of the U.S. (they use American dollars in Panama because of the construction of the Panama Canal), parts of France, and parts of Spain, was incredible to think about.
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Growing up in Michigan, it wasn't that hard to pop over to Canada every once in a while just to say I was in a different country. In July 2023, some friends and I took a roadtrip from Kalamazoo out to Toronto where we spent a long weekend enjoying the city. It was wonderful to just be on Lake Ontario and sift through the rocky beaches to find the perfect stone.
I had been to Canada at least once before to visit some family friends, so I was familiar enough with the area. I have yet to explore the entire country's vastness. Prince Edward Island and Vancouver are most-dos on my list!
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In July 2022, I took a trip with my family for just over three weeks to Türkiye. We hadn't been since COVID, and my dad especially was itching to see his relatives again.
Growing up in the U.S., I didn't have any relatives apart from my immediate family living on this side of the world. My family and I would try to travel to Türkiye for about a month once every two years or so. In doing so, I got the genuine Turkish experience, but also missed out on the tourist-y aspects of the country. My goal is to travel to Türkiye with my American friends to be their translator and to also experience my heritage from a tourist's point of view.
Via bus and plane, my family and I traveled what felt like the entire country. I saw Greek ruins just out in the middle of a small farming village. I stayed in a hotel that used to be a castle. I walked through the streets of Antalya and stayed at a nice resort for a few days to relax (I guess I got part of the tourist experience there). The last week I was there, I stayed with my grandparents in their apartment in Korkuteli, surrounded by quiant farmlife and fresh produce. The pazar markets were always one of my favorite parts of visiting Türkiye, and I miss them still.
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