Travel Bug

from a 2012 trip to the Philippines

I love exploring and traveling - they're not necessarily the same thing but travel in particular has always excited me. It was instilled in me from a young age - first, my parents put us on a plane and moved us to the other side of the world; then we would pile into the van and go up and down the Eastern seaboard seeing all the sights. Since then I've loved going out to see the world around me.

In high school I did a summer program that focused on [nerd alert] international relations and, due to security reasons they said after 9/11, they took us to Canada by bus rather than flying us somewhere overseas. It was still a blast. Since then, I've taken any opportunity to go abroad - school, volunteering, work, and yes, vacation. I've used my passport for 9 of the last 10 years. I haven't picked the most 'mainstream' vacation spots as a young adult (ahem, Bolivia), but I really appreciate getting to see different parts of the world and what they have to offer. For kicks I marked all the countries and American states I've been to:

made on zeemaps.com

I feel pretty grateful for having experienced all these places, even though there is so much more of the world left to cover. My last time abroad was a brief work trip to Mexico last year. I've got some overseas travel planning in the works, but it still won't be for a little while.

This year is really about local and domestic travel (West and East Coasts). So far I've made it to New Orleans and Palm Springs, and did mini-getaways around the Bay Area. Then coming up, I'll have a few more trips back East to see family and attend friends' weddings.

Just thinking about all these trips gets me really excited. I love packing a bag (& planning outfits). I love picking out something new to read. I even love sitting in the airport, when that airport is SFO. And on road trips, I love blasting tunes and checking out the scenery, maybe stopping along the way to get some grub. It's all fun to me, whether it's to get away and relax, wander around someplace new, or to pack in as many reunions as I can stand up for.

This summer's trips will include:

• cities & suburbs
• the beach
• mountains

Since all this excites me then of course I love reading travel sites. Here are some recent posts I've enjoyed, plus my Pinterest board with more links...

Refinery29's Travel Tips
Travel Prep 101 from Travel & Leisure
Amusing: The Petite Woman's Guide...
My "Travel Well" Pinterest Board

If anyone has more links or travel tips to share I'd love to see them!