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[baynreed-blog]

The beginning...

Three years ago, I joined a study abroad program through the University of Kansas to London, England. The trip was planned by the university, so I didn’t have the stress of planning my first trip abroad. Prior to traveling, we were warned about culture shock. But we were just going to London, an English-speaking country, with a group of friends, surely I wouldn’t experience it…

I grew up in a small town in Kansas. I was an unexperienced traveler who had rarely been exposed to diversity. I never questioned my education, my perspective of the outside world, or my opinions on political matters. I grew up in a Republican family, in a conservative state, watching the same news channels every day, ignorance was bliss at the time. My first experience abroad made me realize how little I knew, how close-minded I was, and it wasn’t by choice. Simply put, I didn’t know there was more to learn. I didn’t quite realize how much I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. I grew up in a small bubble, blissfully unaware of the world.

Since my first travel abroad experience three years ago, I have traveled around Europe and made my way to Asia. I have challenged myself through my experiences, I have met wonderful people, and seen incredible things. But through my experiences, I realize how much more there is to learn. How many places I crave to visit.

I am a planner. I am the person who packs my bags weeks before leaving, creates 10 different to-do lists, checks hundreds of websites to guarantee my trip is planned and I won’t have any surprises. Never once have I had a traveling experience that lacked surprises. Because of this, I have decided to share my traveling experiences, good and bad. I hope to share my insights of traveling to certain countries for Americans that you may not come across in your research, a place with all the information I think is necessary to know before traveling. This blog is by no means an inclusive list of everything you need and all information required, but rather my experiences traveling (by country).

To date, I have traveled to Mexico, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia, Belarus, China, Hong Kong. I am currently teaching English in China, so I hope to add to the list of places traveled in Asia this coming year. This blog will continually evolve.