Featured Traveler: Hannah Collins

Hannah at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. 

Hannah at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. 

Hannah Collins has been making her mark on the world for quite some time. She has deep roots in Ireland, with a ton family originating and living there today.  At the age of 16, through an organization called People to People Student Ambassadors, Hannah did a tour of the UK. She visited England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. During high school, Hannah also did a ten day tour of Italy. Recently, this past Fall 2013 semester at her University, Hannah studied abroad in London, England. Overall she's been to England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy. 

Hannah sharing cultural experience with friends! In Ireland!

Hannah sharing cultural experience with friends! In Ireland!

Hannah is a Junior Communication Studies Major at James Madison University with a concentration in Public Relations. She is already a very experienced world traveler with a cultural family history. 

Even with such cultural experience, Hannah chose the study abroad program through her University because she wanted to know what it was like to actually live abroad; not just to vacation or visit. She also wanted to experience the new cultures for a more extended period of time. 

Her favorite place out of all the destinations she has visited so far is London, England. She loved the city environment, and all the opportunity that came with it. She stated, "You never had to worry about being bored. I miss it every day!"

While traveling abroad, Hannah had many fun and interesting experiences, but the top one had to be camping out at Oktoberfest. While in Munich, Germany, for the event, Hannah and her peers camped out in an actual tent at a campsite just a bus ride away from the festivities. It was an experience in itself. 

If Hannah could pick any destination to fly to next, it would have to be Greece. If given the chance, that will definitely be added to her list of places traveled. 

Hannah highly recommends traveling to people of all ages. It's an even better experience if you have a chance to bring friends, family, or both! The experience of traveling the world is even better when you have people to share them with. 

Take in Hannah's advice, research a study abroad or student ambassador program, or simply plan a vacation. Take an opportunity to ready, set, roam! 

Featured Traveler: Alexis Keene

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

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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! 

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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

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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.