Traveling around the world and exploring different cultures are my part of my life goals. When I was presented with an opportunity to go to Europe for the first time with my husband, I went for it. Being in Europe was so surreal because I never thought that I would be able to travel anywhere in the world. It was truly a dream come true. Traveling through different parts of Europe taught me the value of learning about other people’s cultures. Seeing how they live, the food that they eat, and their way of life helped me reflect on my own life and what I personally value. I realized that I value making my family happy and helping others succeed. Also, living with less material stuff is actually allowing me to enjoy what matters the most to me, which is spending more time with my loved ones and experiencing all that life has to offer. Any who, I am glad that I was able to travel outside the country over the summer. During this experience, I learned some tips on how to make the best of your journey. Below are some tips that I would recommend for you if you are thinking of traveling anywhere.

1. Set a budget
   1. This is a MUST especially when you are on a tight budget. I love food so we searched for places that had good food, great ratings, and affordable prices.
2. Plan where you want to go and explore well-known places
   1. Though my husband and I were not very familiar with the cities that we visited, we put together an excel sheet to gather information about places that we wanted to visit. Also, since we had only a few days in each place, we wanted to spend our time wisely. (I posted a picture so you can get an idea of what information we gathered.)
3.  Pack smart
   1. I packed only a carry on for two weeks. How did I do it? I actually did multiple searches for packing hacks on YouTube. Here is one of the Travel Packing Tips vlog that I thought was very interesting.  
4. ENJOY!
   1. Enjoy your time at wherever you are traveling to. Whether something went wrong with your hotel reservation or lost a luggage, always remember that life is full of obstacles, but it is up to you how you handle them. I always remind myself that life is short. Like what my old professors said, “Enjoy life or life will enjoy you!”

Did you know that you can learn about other cultures without leaving the USG campus? Yes, it is true. The USG Center for Student Engagement & 

Financial Resources (CSEF) hosts a monthly Cultural Tea Time where students, faculty, and staff can learn about different countries and cultures while they enjoy tea/coffee and some yummy treats from the featured country. You can also check out my older post about the Cultural Tea Time to learn more about which countries we had represented last year and drinking tea.

Lastly, USG’s International Club typically host the annual International Night event in the spring. Check out their Facebook page to see what we had last year!

 Source:
Lavendaire. (29 March 2017). Travel Packing Tips | How to Pack a Carry-On + Packing Checklist Download. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQefqx7rAS4