My first international trip happened when I was in seventh grade. I was part of the Spanish Club at my Junior High and each year the amazing teacher would host a trip to a Spanish-speaking country for a small group of students. That year, the country of choice was Costa Rica and I was determined to be on that trip! Not only would this be my first time leaving the country, but it would also be my first time traveling without my family since I was just 12 years old at the time.

For several months, I sold See’s candy bars outside of grocery stores to earn the money to pay for this trip; I got my first passport; I learned enough Spanish to speak with the locals; and my love of researching travel destinations was born. I still remember that a new set of luggage was my birthday present that year – not the gift your average 12-year-old would be excited about – but I was over the moon about my new roller-bag!

That seventh grade trip was such a fun week for me, that I immediately knew that I would want to participate in the eighth grade trip the following year – and I did! So again, I spent months selling See’s candy bars and researching the destination. That year, we traveled through Mexico for a week and I was able to really soak in the culture and put the knowledge I was learning in my Spanish classes to use.

I can thank my Junior High teacher, Mr. Dunn, for sparking my love of international travel. It all started at age 12 and now I’ve been to over
15 countries and spent countless days traveling over the past 20+ years.

How my love
of travel started