There is surely a great, inexplicable feeling of being at home. You grew up in your hometown, there are the familiar faces of friends and most importantly, you are surrounded by family who loves you. It is especially great to visit home if you live away for an extended period of time.

However, I feel that there is always the need for change.

It is nice to be in locations that I am familiar with, but I constantly ask myself what it is like for people that live in other states and especially in other countries. I want to know how their surroundings are and how different their lifestyles are. It is okay to be a tourist sometimes.

I am so thankful to have been able to go to Barcelona and Madrid in high school; it surely was an unforgettable trip with great memories. From the Passeig de Gracia to the Prado Museum to Parque Guell, I have had the honor to see some great sights. Going to the Bahamas on a cruise was also a nice experience. However, it is completely understandable that traveling can be very pricey, so I have also taken some amazing trips that were in a better price range.

Since I go to school in Upstate New York, my French Club decided to take a trip to Montréal. It was pretty last minute, I admit, so I did not think much of it. How can Canada be that much different if it is only a few hours away? Plus, the trip was at a reasonably low cost. Our club’s budget took care of gas, so we just had to worry about the hostel, food and souvenirs that we purchased, which really did not break the bank very much at all. I was also skeptical about the hostel since I have never stayed in one before, but I was wrong. For the low price, they were very accommodating. Also, Montréal turned out to be a beautiful city. I enjoyed it just as much as Spain, which I did not expect. Therefore, you never know how much you will enjoy a trip until you go on it.

Besides, the more one travels at a young age, they will get a better idea of the type of place they want to live in in the future. For me, I live near New York City, which is definitely an option for me as a place to move to. However, after exploring and traveling some more, maybe I will want to move to a city with a different vibe, such as Boston.

I definitely plan to travel more in the future. Since I enjoyed Canada so much, I will be returning again very soon to go to Québec City and Toronto. I also plan to explore the west coast and go to California soon. In my later years, I would like to go to several more countries. My grandmother is someone who has explored more countries than anyone I know, and I will consider myself fortunate if I am able to go to a fraction of the places that she did.