Money was always an excuse for why I did not travel. For a time I saw myself as being deprived of traveling because my parents simply would not pay for my trips. So I held back for years on wanting to go and explore the world. A few regrets I held are monetary decisions, one in particular where I wished that I could have studied abroad, but my parents would not allow that. Though I may not be as fortunate as others, and by no means do I feel that I am unfortunate, the excuse of not traveling has waned and essentially become non-valid.
Of course I was a bit envious of friends and family members whose parental units did offer to pay for international trips, but I figured at least when I wanted to travel on my own, visiting places without my parents, everything I had done had been without their financial assistance. My trips to Seattle, Portland, the Grand Canyon, Philadelphia, and Chicago have been all paid by me. So have my camping trips. And my ski trips. As one can see my trips do not consist of international travel, but none-the-less a bit costly.
And so now, after going to three different states (well four technically), in a span of two months I must confess that I have caught the traveling bug. My supervisor at work called me a jet-setter the other day, which was amusing. In no way am I truly a jet-setter, but I suppose that I am a little bit. Certainly there are times where I romanticize or tease myself with the thought of going abroad, but due to my Type-A personality I have unwillingly admitted that I probably will not go to Peru this summer. Instead, I will be heading off to Toronto (where I have visited on several occasions, just not recently). Those are my summer plans, or at least a portion of the plans. The other portion of my summer trip will consist of heading into New York and meeting with my sister and her husband a few days before the wedding in Toronto. Since airfare will be costly, I rather spend the same amount and see New York as opposed to spending the same amount and only spending a few days in Toronto. Another decision I am considering is flying into Boston, visiting my younger cousin there for a day or two and then busing into New York to meet up with my sister. Why Boston? Because my cousin is working at Fenway Park this summer. If I could potentially say that I visited both Fenway and Wrigley that would great, especially in the course of the baseball season.
But I have one more trip coming up, which I haven't planned for entirely. That trip will be another trek back east. With Patrick. Yes, this time I will not be leaving my boyfriend at home to study. In fact, this trip will be a highlight for him because he will be taking his Step 1 Medical Board exams in late May. After he is done we will be headed east. Where our destination will be has yet to be officially determined. While I do want to visit Washington D.C. and Philadelphia again I have been flirting with the idea of heading out to Florida. Plane flights alone will be drastically cheaper. Yes Song, you read correctly: we are tempted to go out to Orlando, and visit you! As I said, my monetary excuse is no longer valid. And I miss you. And I said I would visit you, so I think I may just do that! D.C. is not a feasible option considering that I wanted to visit all the Smithsonian Institutes there, take a tour of the White House, visit Arlington National Cemetery, and visit the surrounding Civil War battlefields. If you know me, you know that I will spend countless hours at each site because I am a nerd. That trip will be reserved for a later date, possibly later this year.
As much as I am saddened that I will probably not travel abroad this year it must be noted that there is an entire country I want to see that I call home. Europe and South America will be two great adventures that I am sure I will do, but for the time being those two continents simply cannot diminish what is here. One of my goals in life is to visit all the National Parks. Yes, that means going to New Mexico, Wyoming and Montana. And another is visiting all the Major League Baseball stadiums. Even though many people view America as lacking culture, I disagree.
Of course I was a bit envious of friends and family members whose parental units did offer to pay for international trips, but I figured at least when I wanted to travel on my own, visiting places without my parents, everything I had done had been without their financial assistance. My trips to Seattle, Portland, the Grand Canyon, Philadelphia, and Chicago have been all paid by me. So have my camping trips. And my ski trips. As one can see my trips do not consist of international travel, but none-the-less a bit costly.
And so now, after going to three different states (well four technically), in a span of two months I must confess that I have caught the traveling bug. My supervisor at work called me a jet-setter the other day, which was amusing. In no way am I truly a jet-setter, but I suppose that I am a little bit. Certainly there are times where I romanticize or tease myself with the thought of going abroad, but due to my Type-A personality I have unwillingly admitted that I probably will not go to Peru this summer. Instead, I will be heading off to Toronto (where I have visited on several occasions, just not recently). Those are my summer plans, or at least a portion of the plans. The other portion of my summer trip will consist of heading into New York and meeting with my sister and her husband a few days before the wedding in Toronto. Since airfare will be costly, I rather spend the same amount and see New York as opposed to spending the same amount and only spending a few days in Toronto. Another decision I am considering is flying into Boston, visiting my younger cousin there for a day or two and then busing into New York to meet up with my sister. Why Boston? Because my cousin is working at Fenway Park this summer. If I could potentially say that I visited both Fenway and Wrigley that would great, especially in the course of the baseball season.
But I have one more trip coming up, which I haven't planned for entirely. That trip will be another trek back east. With Patrick. Yes, this time I will not be leaving my boyfriend at home to study. In fact, this trip will be a highlight for him because he will be taking his Step 1 Medical Board exams in late May. After he is done we will be headed east. Where our destination will be has yet to be officially determined. While I do want to visit Washington D.C. and Philadelphia again I have been flirting with the idea of heading out to Florida. Plane flights alone will be drastically cheaper. Yes Song, you read correctly: we are tempted to go out to Orlando, and visit you! As I said, my monetary excuse is no longer valid. And I miss you. And I said I would visit you, so I think I may just do that! D.C. is not a feasible option considering that I wanted to visit all the Smithsonian Institutes there, take a tour of the White House, visit Arlington National Cemetery, and visit the surrounding Civil War battlefields. If you know me, you know that I will spend countless hours at each site because I am a nerd. That trip will be reserved for a later date, possibly later this year.
As much as I am saddened that I will probably not travel abroad this year it must be noted that there is an entire country I want to see that I call home. Europe and South America will be two great adventures that I am sure I will do, but for the time being those two continents simply cannot diminish what is here. One of my goals in life is to visit all the National Parks. Yes, that means going to New Mexico, Wyoming and Montana. And another is visiting all the Major League Baseball stadiums. Even though many people view America as lacking culture, I disagree.
3 comments:
You want to visit all the Smithsonians? There's like twenty! That is total dedication, yo, especially considering that I can see you taking practically a full day at each one!
I LOVE DC! I never got to do the White House or the Supreme Court even though I lived there for a quarter.
The national parks in Wyoming and Montana are absolutely gorgeous. You'll love it.
:( I'm sorry you can't visit me in Orlando. Bad Song. I miss you too!! Let's meet up, be it in CA or Utah!!
Post a Comment