2015 is almost over and a New Year will come our way which is always accompanied with New Year resolutions that are starting to flood my news feed.. This time, I want to do something different from the mainstream media. Before the year ends, I would like to share my travel experiences in the past seven years. These are my adventures either with family, friends and colleagues and I will let you have a glimpse of my travel experiences. I love to travel and I really hope that I could visit other places in my home country soon.
Here are the list of the places I have been to:
1. TARAWOODS TANUAN, BATANGAS - I came here sometime in 2008 during a Payer and Fasting event in my church. I was under a recovery program at that time and this was a part of it. With its serene surroundings, this is just a great place to escape the chaos and pollution of the city, to de-stress, to enjoy nature and to be revitalized and be refreshed.
2. TAGAYTAY (2009) - I and my other siblings came here sometime in the summer of 2009. It was my first time to be here. Our first stop was at Palace in the Sky where we had our lunch and our first glimpse of the marvelous Taal Volcano. We then headed to Tagaytay Picnic Grove to relax and enjoy its cool and breezy climate. We enjoyed sightseeing and going through all the souvenir shops. We had tried the famous Bulalo and came home with some of its famous delicacies.
The second time around was February of 2013 together with my colleagues. It was our
The authors mention that they visited St. Maarten and Jamaica which
Furthermore, with living there my whole life, it holds a significant part of my childhood memories. For example, I used to doodle with sidewalk chalk until my hands turned dusty with color, experience the exuberance
When was the last time you took a vacation and explored the beauty of our world? I was only fifteen years old when I visited Cozumel, Mexico and Jamaica. My father took the whole family on a cruise. I had never been on a crew ship prior to our trip, so I still remember the entire trip like it just happened yesterday. Both places we visited were beautiful, full of lively colors, and very friendly people.
I have always enjoyed exploring the world, but the adventure that always sticks out the most was my cruise to the tropical paradise of Bermuda. I have cruised to the Bahamas, as well as spent countless weeks of my lifetime in the Outer Banks. The cruise to Bermuda was only my second time out of the country, leaving from Baltimore, Maryland one Friday afternoon and arriving on the shores of the tropical island on Sunday afternoon. Waking up on a Saturday in the beginning of August and being able to look out the window and seeing water for as far as you can see is a one time thing and an experience like no other. The days spent traveling the open seas, gives you the chance to live life while leaving all of your baggage back on shore.
This summer I went on a mission trip with my church to Cuba for one week. We visited our companion church which is located in Los Arabos, It is four hours away from Havana. While we are in Los Arabos the people of the community were nice enough to let us live in their homes for a week. This was my second year going and it was a lot of fun helping the people and giving back to the community. Los Arabos is the complete opposite of Havana, its more farm land and open greenery while Havana is more touristy.
It has fascinating landscapes and the surroundings are quite amusing. Along with that, I liked that the admission for this place is totally free, so people who don’t like wasting money or can’t afford to go to the museums could go to this one for free and enjoy. Furthermore, the reason for me choosing this place for this paper is not because this place is free, but the fact that I am very interested in learning about the African-Americans and the contributions that they did in the United States. Since middle school I had always learned about the African Americans and the things that they had to go through in order to survive. The struggles and the sacrifices that they had to do for other people are very depressing.
Traveling around the world has always been viewed as experience and luxurious. Therefore, only those who are rich can experience it. Of course traveling has become a norm as millennials discover the benefits of it. In Amanda Machado’s “How Millennials Are Changing Travel” article, she conveys that millennials are expanding their vacations and escaping their comfort zone. On the other hand, in Derrick Fung’s “How Millennials Are Changing Travel”, article he asserts that millennials thrive for experiences and are influenced by social media to travel.
Being very fortunate to travel, my wife and I decided to traveo to Hawaii. It was our first trip to that paradisaical place. The experience was fabulous from the very beginning. We flew to the island, and before the plane could land, we were amazed at beautiful blue and clarity of the sea. As we reached towards the beach we were able to see the bottom of the ocean.
Initially, I was apprehensive to go out or try anything in the country, but I took a leap of faith, and it was for the best. I fully submerged myself and tried native foods such as balut and blood stew, and also sang karaoke almost every night with the natives. San Miguel was the local beer, and I drank my fair share. My time spent in the Philippines and others countries showed me that other places outside of little Mississippi are full of excitement and life. The Navy would continue to send me all across the world, and the time spent in other countries helped reshape my perspective.
This summer I went to Matagalpa, Nicaragua for 3 weeks. It was a scary experience for me at first because in all my 17 years of living I have never left my home of Oakland. Before I left to go on my trip I was nervous because I have never rode on an airplane before, and I have never been away from my grandmother for that long. In fact, she was one of the main reasons why I went. She motivated me to step out of my comfort zone and experience new and exciting things.
Moving is always hard. It is harder if you are moving from your birthplace to a culturally different country after spending most of your teenage years. I moved from Bangladesh to New York about a year and a half ago and let me tell you, it was not easy. I had to leave the place I grew up in, my friends and relatives and start a new life here in America. Probably the only good part was that at least I was with my family throughout this hardship.
When referring to cosplay, most who are unaware of the art or the community see it as a sort of dress up. To the unaware world, it’s odd to see a grown adult dressed up as an anime character, a superhero or a character from a video game. It’s easy to just explain it as getting dressed in a costume and attending events with thousands of others who do the same. But within the community, within the person, cosplay is more than just a costume, it’s an art form, and for some it’s their life. Whether it is simply a hobby or a profession, each cosplayer brings a different energy into the community.
Travelling helps us to know more about different lifestyles, cultures, cuisines and festivals. Visiting new sights and exploring new places increases our knowledge and widens our global perspective. We get to learn so many things about different cultures and customs. It makes us open minded and gives us a new viewpoint about life and it also changes some of our bad habits.
“With 8 million people flying each day, the concept of travel as a rare escape is outdated. Obstacles that prevented people traveling, like high costs, continue to fall away. For those with the means, travel has become a lifestyle. Barriers like language are disappearing with the advent of smart translation apps. Cheap flights are empowering time-short travelers to jet off for weekends.
There is so much to see and do that you miss if you travel exclusively by air or train. Getting out on the road with your partner, a friend or your family is a holiday that you will never forget. People forget just how adventurous it is to get out on the road somewhere unfamiliar. It connects you to the scenery and the local way of life. Too much of the modern holiday is packaged and sanitised for our own taste.