As a kid, my family took a lot of vacations together. We loved to go to California each summer, Arizona at least once a year to visit all of our relatives, and sometimes ventured out to places like the Northeast or Midwest. In college, my travel really took off not only with my study abroad experience, but when my friend Heather and I decided to take on the U.S. with various road trips and excursions around the country. We have explored Seattle, Florida, the Northeast, and The SouthWest together and plan on continuing the tour over time! While I'm a sucker for touristy things and going to all of the "top" locations, I also love to go off the beaten path and I think that's something everyone should do when they travel! 

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As you may expect, food is a big focal point on my trips. I enjoy researching and getting recommendations for the best restaurants and favorite food spots in the area I'm going to. Something my parents taught me to do since we weren't big on eating out all of the time was to go to a local grocer and cook things yourself! It can be just as fun as eating out because you get to try new fresh foods that you may not have access to in your area back home. When Heather and I were in Seattle, we went to Pike's Place Market and got a ton of fresh seafood, spices, and produce. Our Airbnb had a decent kitchen, so we ate out about half of the time and cooked the other half. The seafood risotto and fish tacos we made not only wouldn't have been so good in Colorado, but they would have cost much more had we had them at a restaurant.

 

While the internet is a great resource to have for your research on trips, I definitely recommend utilizing the people you know first. Some of the best places I have been to have been because of friends' recommendations. With that being said, After I got back from Italy I decided to make a sort of guide for others who study abroad, or even just people traveling to Western Europe. I've left it the same over the past four years, so my apologies if things seem outdated/youthful. Check out the PDF below if you are interested! 

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