Whenever someone mentions to me about going on a vacation, my first response is "where, when and when can I book?" I love traveling and have visited a total of eight countries outside the U.S. I decided to make a list of countries I have visited and ranked them from (in my opinion) best to worst (except they are all amazing in their own way).

1. Costa Rica

Normally I would not consider myself an "outdoorsy" person but Costa Rica was incredible! I visited Costa Rica on a high school bio-diversity trip and we travelled coast to coast. We visited volcanos, beautiful waterfalls, wildlife reserves, the Monteverde Cloud Rainforest, and black and white sand beaches. We visited a local school, went zip lining, swimming in the ocean, kayaking, and horseback riding. Throughout the trip we saw monkeys (on the beach), sloths, and alligators just to name a few. I had never been to country so beautiful and diverse before. This an amazing place to visit if you are not a big fan of museums. I definitely want to travel to Costa Rica again and branch out to other Central American countries.

Tip: Forget bringing your most fashionable clothes. Bring lots of bathing suits, exercise clothes, and a GoPro!

2. Italy

My parents and I took a trip to Italy in 2015 and on our two week trip we visited Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan and La Spezia. We spent approximately three days in Rome, Florence and Venice; however we should have spent more time in Rome and Venice. Venice is one of my favorite cities I have ever visited. It is so enchanting and our hotel was right on the canal with a balcony view of the water. You only need three days in Florence; we were able to see the statue of David among so many other famous pieces of art. Milan was a really nice city and we were there for approximate five days. It is more of a metropolitan and international city. We visited La Spezia for just one night to see a family friend and it was a cute town. Located in La Spezia is a navel base so if you go downtown you will see cute guys in naval uniforms. We took a small boat ride to Porte Venere, part of Cinque Terra, which was the cutest, most picturesque place I have ever seen. You only need a day there but it is definitely worth a visit!

Tip: Do not order pizza in Venice because buildings are too close together to safely make wood-fire pizzas. If you order pizza it will not be authentic.

3. England

When I visited England, my parents and I visited Liverpool and London. My dad had to give a talk in Liverpool, home to the Beetles, but unfortunately I am not the biggest fan of the Beetles. There is a Beetles museum and other tourist spots for fans of the Beetles. My mom and I took a bus tour around the city so we were able to see all parts of town. While Liverpool was fun, I much preferred London. We visited London over Thanksgiving and it was such a pretty time of year. London freely says "Merry Christmas" and celebrates the holiday. While this may be controversial, ultimately they romanticized the holiday. They are classy about it. My dad hates Christmas with a passion due to the unnecessary spending and pressure, however he fell back in love with the season! The city was lit up with white Christmas lights and walking back downtown from Harrods we passed through a Christmas market, which are popular all around Europe. We were only in London for three days so we could not fit in every site, however we did visit the National Gallery, Natural History Museum, Buckingham Palace, Harry Potter's Platform 9 3/4 and The Eye. Also, if you like to shop then England is the place for you. My dad decided he wanted to start dressing nicer and of course I love to shop, so by the end of the trip we had to buy another suitcase so we could bring everything home. You have never really shopped until you have been to England.

Tip: England has a system where if you are a foreigner and you buy over fifty dollars worth of items from a store, when you exit the country you can get the tax back (VAT) by showing your receipts. Make sure you arrive to the airport (if flying) with plenty of time because the line can be very long.

4. Scotland

Both England and Scotland are near and dear to my heart because both sets of my grandparents met in these countries and raised my parents with both British and Scottish influence. I visited Edinburgh, Scotland on the same trip to England. We stayed there for three days in the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian. We waited for a sale at The Caledonian and stayed there because it was actually cheaper than the Holiday Inn. I highly suggest staying there since it is in the heart of the action and it is five star hotel. You only need three days in this city since the tourist area is small. Like in London, they also celebrated Christmas in the same vain. There was a little Christmas market with a skating rink and a ferris wheel. In Edinburgh, you cannot miss eating in pubs, seeing the Edinburgh Castle and walking down the Royal Mile.

Tip: Stroll by The Elephant House Cafe where JK Rowling began writing Harry Potter.

5. Canada

This may be slightly biased considering this is my homeland but I believe everyone can have a great time in Canada. I have traveled coast to coast and my favorite cities include: Toronto, ON; Montreal, QC; Quebec City, QC; Banff, AB; and Halifax, NS. Montreal is a popular destination for students who live outside of the Quebec province and the country because the drinking age is 18. If you cannot get tickets to Coachella, you can attend Osheaga, an early august music festival. Quebec City is where you can find beautiful old architecture of Canada and learn about our history. Quebec is a french speaking province, however in both Montreal and Quebec City you can speak in English since most employees are bilingual. If you like adventures outdoors, Banff is the place to be. You can go hiking and take a gondola ride up Sulphur Mountain. Halifax is located in the maritime. You only need a few days in Halifax to truly understand the Maritime way of life. You know how there is a stereotype that all Canadians are nice? This is where it comes from. There is so much hospitality and accommodation. It is a city on the ocean and it so relaxing. I visited Halifax to tour Dalhousie University (which I may be attending in fall 2017) and while we were there we learned more about Canadian history but also took a Segway Tour around the city. This was a highlight.

Tip: See my other post "Top Things To Do In Toronto".

6. Mexico

My family and I took a trip to Riviera Maya, where we stayed at an all-inclusive resort. My favorite thing about an all-inclusive resort is that you can get food or any kind of drink you want at any time without thinking twice. We also went into the nearest town, Playa Del Carmen, and shopped. The only reason it ranks lower on my list of favorite destinations is because I did not let the sunscreen soak into me enough and I would just hop into the water and it washed off. This led to extreme burns and I wasn't drinking enough water so my lips became swollen and I had to go to a private Mexican hospital. Luckily it was a nice hospital and I did not have stay long. From this experience, I had to stay in the shade and my mom ensured I let the sunscreen set in. This put a damper on the trip but I still went scuba diving which was fun and terrifying all at the same time.

Tip: Make sure to travel with travel insurance because if I had not had insurance my little visit to the doctor in the hotel and the hospital would have cost up to $2000.

PS. I regret getting cornrows very much!

7. Paris

"Oh, the city of lights! Why are you last?" I took this trip with the French department at my high school. Throughout the trip, I made friends and had a blast. We visited the Eiffel Tower, Le Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Claude Monet's Garden, Versailles and more. As much as I liked the city, I loved the country side of the Paris area. The reason it is not at the top of my list is because I got food poisoning. I was not only one either. About 11 other students had it too. It is very uncomfortable to be sick in a foreign country with roommates you just met four days prior and without my parents. Luckily I did not miss out on the most exciting parts of the trip but I did not feel well for days. When we would eat at restaurants, I was unable to eat the big meals. Fortunately, France is known for their baguettes so honestly I just ate bread for three days.

Born and raised in Canada, I was in a public school French Immersion program until 8th grade, where I learned most subjects in French, then took a year of advanced French in ninth grade when I moved to Ithaca, NY. My spoken french is pretty good but the waiters and waitresses did not understand that I was not going to eat my meal. They just looked at me confused even though I was trying to be clear. It was a little bit frustrating but I got though it and it was a good learning experience. Even though I got food poisoning, I still really enjoyed Paris.

Tip: Be careful of people selling flowers, bracelets and mini Eiffel Towers on the streets and in front of popular tourist destinations.

Ultimately, I have had amazing experiences and I wouldn't change them for anything. I hope to be able to continue traveling. Destinations I want to visit next include, the British Virgin Islands, Amsterdam and Germany