Self-Expression – Voices 39

When I was younger, my parents would take my sister and I on short vacations every summer. They would always be to the same types of places. Tropical locations where we would stay in all inclusive resorts.

For my sixteenth birthday, I remember all the kids my age having huge sweet sixteen parties. I told my parents I didn’t want that since I was never big into parties.

I told them I’d rather that money be spent on a trip. So, that summer, instead of having a huge party, my whole family went to Italy. That trip really sparked my interest in actually seeing the world rather than seeing a million beach resorts.

Some of my favorite places I’ve been have been Alaska, New Orleans, Amsterdam, and Paris. Through travel I can explore the world and see how people live in different places.

Self-expression is so often tied to culture with things like traditional dance and art, clothing, and cuisine. It’s not just about my own self-expression; travel is about seeing the cultural self-expression of people all over the world.

Every new culture you visit teaches you something new about the world. I carry all of that with me and I love it.

My favorite place that I’ve ever been, though, is India. I’m Indian-American, but I’d never been to India until late last year. It was such a great experience to finally see the country where I came from.

I’ve been on big trips with my friends before. Two years ago, we travelled Europe for a month and last year we road tripped the west coast.

My next goal is to go on a solo trip. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time so I hope it happens soon.

I really want to go on a Mediterranean or South American trip next, those are two big ones for me. Ideally, one day, I’ll be able to say that I’ve toured every continent.