Featured Traveler: Katie Hinnenkamp

Visiting over 10 cities in Italy, Katie Hinnenkamp has been all over the map of Italy. During her 2013 spring semester, Katie studied abroad through a program offered by her university in Florence, Italy.

Over the four month period, Katie took advantage of weekend opportunities to travel around. Her travels were heavily focused in Italy, but Katie also visited France, Spain, England, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic! Of all the cities and countries Katie visited during her study abroad program, she shared with me that her favorite place was Prague. Katie also shared with me that her favorite memory abroad was sword fighting with French baguettes in front of the Eiffel Tower!

In terms of advice, Katie said, "Definitely study abroad! It is true when people say it is the best time of your life! You will never have an opportunity like this again. Take advantage of everything study abroad has to offer, it is an eye opening experience."

Looking into the future, Katie hopes Ireland is the next stop in her travel adventures!

Featured Traveler: Alexis Keene

Seattle, Nashville, Los Angeles, San Diego, Austin, New York.

These are just a few of the cities that Alexis has been to. Although she has only been as far out of the country as Mexico, she wants to remind young travelers that the United States is not underrated for travel and can give you the same amazing experiences. Your travel adventure can be as close as 200 miles instead of 2,000 miles.  Because of the diversity of the United States, there is something for everyone! 

Lexie has been extremely interested in music and the music industry and has based her travel around this. From visiting Nashville (where she will be living this summer)  and the Grand Ol Oprey and Country Music Hall of Fame to attending and singing at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas to auditioning for The Voice in New York City, Lexie has tailored her travel experience to fit her needs and her amazing music career!  

So what's next for Lexie? She wants to visit all of the major cities in the United States with her next stop being Boston and eventually go on a cross-country road trip.  With so many amazing and unique places to visit in our own country, why not see them all?

She also has some important advice for young travelers!

1. BE PREPARED

She cannot emphasize this enough. Plan for the unexpected (layovers, lost bags, traffic, etc.) and your trip will be much more enjoyable!

      2.  Never check bags

Not checking bags on airplanes ensures that you will not have any lost luggage and will help you go through the flying process quicker! For toiletries, bring multiple travel sized bottles! There is a 2 oz maximum, but no maximum on how many 2 oz bottles you can have! Airplanes allow you to check a bag and have a carry-on! And with concise packing, you should have no problems getting all of your travel necessities into a small duffel and backpack!

     3.  Always carry cash!

Do not simply rely on Credit and Debit cards. Lexie has had the embarrassing experience of her Credit Cards not working while not having any cash and warns travelers about not making this mistake! Not all places take cards and having cash on you can help your journey run much more smoothly!

So for those travelers who aren't ready to leave the country, traveling within the United States is a cost-effective and amazing experience! Do not underestimate what is in your backyard and the  journey that you can have.    Use this country to follow your dreams and do what you love, and you never know where it can take you.