My Take on Travel

I couldn't stress more how important it is to have a camera when traveling. I brought a film-camera to Germany, and I recommend the same to everyone. Although film-cameras are a little "out-of-date", the quality of the pictures are all the same, even better, than most digital photos. Getting the film developed was really exciting, and it made it really easy to create a scrapbook of my experiences. Pictures that you can hold mean so much more than digital photographs.

Travelling light is always a good idea, so I would wrap my camera in a bandana and put it in my shoulder bag. The bandana kept my lens from getting scratched, and the shoulder bag doubled as my purse.

Most importantly, be open minded! Travelling is about experiencing new things, seeing new sights, tasting new flavors. Most of the world lives very differently than Americans do. Be open-minded and you will experience a whole different way of living than you're accustomed to.

Lastly, travelling does not have to be only about pleasure. A great way to really see the world is to travel through community service trips. Although, you would not be living as comfortable as, say a 4-star retreat to the Caribbean, I believe that opening your eyes to different countries that are less fortunate than the United States could change your life. I ventured to South Africa and the Dominican Republic as a missionary, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life!