Introduction: 2025 – St. Louis, Missouri

If you are reading this on Friday, July 11, there is a good chance that I am already above international waters and on my way to Switzerland and France. Now, this probably does not come as a surprise to my friends and family since they are used to me taking at least one international trip every year, usually in the summertime and usually without my family. Every time I tell someone that I am traveling to some new destination, they almost always say, “Again?”. It is true; I describe myself as a “busy traveler” for a reason since I seem to always have my passport in hand. I do not know if people get asked “Why?” as much as I do (a theme that I have noticed in a lot of my blog posts), but people consistently wonder why I am constantly traveling to some well-known or forgotten place. As I am currently preparing to embark on my next adventure and leaving St. Louis behind for the next ten days, I thought that I would take the time today and explain why I always say “yes” to traveling. While I could give it to you in list format, instead, I want to write about some of my wonderful trips in the past couple of years and why I do not regret saying yes to jumping on that ten to fourteen hour plane ride. 

P.S. Thank you to my dad for inspiring this blog post! You (and Mom) have always supported my travels, and for that, I am forever grateful! Love you mostest and I promise to stay safe in France and all future adventures!

2023 – London, England

While I believe that there are huge personal reasons why young people travel, there are also academic or professional reasons why someone might travel. For me, saying yes to that trip and that class is one of the best decisions I have ever made because it altered the course of my life personally, professionally, and academically. London only became my dream city to visit once I began studying Shakespeare. This love began because I took a Shakespeare course in my first year at WashU, and there was the chance to study abroad at The Globe Theatre for three weeks in England. If I am being honest, the reason that I signed up for the Shakespeare class was because of the travel. Of course, I was interested in studying Shakespeare, but I was not sure if my studies would be as serious after the class. I did not know that my three weeks in London would inspire me to continue taking Shakespeare and Early Modern courses at WashU. I did not know that I would return to that very same city two years later to see every single Shakespeare play I could. I did not know that I would be writing a senior honors thesis about Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. I did not know that I would be looking at pursuing an MA in Shakespearean Studies in London. But once I began to experience the rich and lively Shakespearean history alive in London, I knew that I would study Shakespeare for the rest of my time at WashU and beyond. Any time I hear someone discredit travel, I always tell them about my trip to London in 2023 because those three weeks set off a series of chain reactions that helped me become the person I am today. There is immense power in traveling, and this trip is a testament to the ways that travel can strengthen and sharpen who you are. (If you want to read more about this trip, I would encourage you to read one of my past blog posts where I wrote about the lessons I learned from many of the shows I saw there!)

2023 – Tel Aviv, Israel & West Bank, Palestine

There were plenty of reasons that I should have said “no” to visiting Israel and Palestine in 2023. First, I would be spending only a month and a half at home with family after my freshman year at university. Second, my flight to Israel left about 28 hours after my flight from London landed in St. Louis. Third, the Middle East is a dangerous part of the world for a young American woman. However, at the same time, there were also many reasons why I was so fortunate to say yes. I experienced the trip of a lifetime, where I did not have to plan or research my itinerary and instead could trust people who had been to Israel and Palestine already to take care of that for me. The trip was completely free of charge because of the generosity of WashU Hillel, and I learned so much about international politics. I met some of the most amazing friends who helped me reconnect with my faith in a city that is rich with religion and the presence of God (I am planning on writing a separate blog post about this once I get back from France!). And, finally, I got to see what Israel and Palestine looked like before October 2023. When I said yes to this trip, I did not know that it would be the only time in my life that I would have the chance to experience Israel and Palestine for what it was before the current war. I truly believe in divine timing because this trip is the definition of it. Sometimes, saying yes even when it scares you (and your parents!), can lead you to finite opportunities. This trip taught me the importance of saying yes to traveling as often as I can because you never know when the occasion will come again (if it ever does). 

P.S. I entirely credit WashU Hillel (especially Rabbi Jordan and Hannah) with the opportunity to experience these two amazing countries! They have always welcomed me with open arms and an open chair at their Shabbat dinner table, and for that I am so thankful!

2024 – Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Wales

When I originally thought about my semester abroad, I did not think that I would find myself in Wales in October, about to jump into the freezing water from the top of a cliff and just slightly frozen with fear. However, I think that is part of the fun of travel, especially studying abroad. You experience trips that you would have never imagined. I always say that if you are looking for an adventure, you will find one if you are brave enough to say yes to it when given the chance. It is easy to say no to travel; it is easy to be complacent. Believe me, there have been times where I wanted to stay home, comfortable with my loved ones and familial streets. However, there is so much out there and I feel like it would be a shame to not experience it, even if it makes me a little uncomfortable. Wales is one of those examples for me. It was not because the country itself was out of my comfort zone but because Arcadia Abroad was taking students to Wales to participate in cliff jumping and cliff diving. Even though I am pretty comfortable on an airplane, I am afraid of heights and totally not comfortable jumping off cliffs. It would have been easy to just spend the weekend in London and continue the routine that I had built for myself. It would have been easy to listen to the voices in my head telling me that I was not brave enough to go on that trip. It would have been easy to ignore the emails in my inbox from Arcadia Abroad staff encouraging me take the jump (literally and figuratively!) and sign up. However, just because it is the easy way does not mean that it is the right way for you. I had the time of my life in Wales with some amazing people and yes, I did jump off the cliff! I would not trade that scary yet exhilarating experience for the world. Saying yes to traveling is scary but that does not mean that it is not rewarding. If you are ever on the fence about traveling somewhere new, I promise that if you talk to me, I can convince to jump off that cliff and into your next adventure!

Conclusion: 2025 – Annecy, France & Geneva, Switzerland

Now that you are caught up on some of my past adventures abroad, I want to take a moment to talk about the trip I am currently beginning. I am on my way to Annecy, France (with a short amount of time enjoying Geneva, Switzerland) with my high school, Visitation Academy. I am with a group who are interested in diving deeper into their faith in the places where the founders of the sisterhood and school lived, worked, and prayed. I was approached by Amelia, a staff member at Visitation Academy with whom I worked during my time in high school, about coming on this trip, and I instantly said yes. Since Israel, I have been slowly finding my way back to my faith in my own way. Viz follows the Salesian spirituality, a type of teaching that focuses on joy, love, and action. Since I came to Viz in eighth grade, this practice has guided me through my faith journey because it is something that speaks to me and my personal beliefs. I am in no way perfect, nor do I believe in many of the political beliefs of the Catholic Church. I have been very open with my audience about my faith struggles in a past blog post, and it is a journey that I believe is deeply personal, so I do not write much about it publicly. I hope that this trip can act as a catalyst in my faith journey, a way to (re)connect with a theological practice that calls to me. I also know that this is an amazing opportunity to see Sister Mary Grace, a Visitation nun whom I met very early in my time in my faith journey. She is an absolutely wonderful example of Salesian spirituality, and I hope that I can soak up some time with her in France. All I do know is that this is bound to be an adventure in a country that I have dreamed about visiting. I know that I will be writing about this trip in a future blog post, so I hope that you all will stick around to learn about what this trip teaches me!

P.S. While I am on the trend of thanking people, I want to make sure that I thank Visitation Academy (especially Amelia and Sister Mary Grace) for the fantastic opportunity to join this trip! I am so excited for the adventure ahead and eager to see where God leads us during our time in France!