For as long as I can remember, I have loved traveling and exploring. I have my wonderful parents to thank for this. They would always take us on family vacations and camping trips. Often we would just take a weekend away, even if a campground was only an hour away from our house. It was nice for a change in environment. I can remember taking trips to my uncle’s apartment in Washington DC and visiting all the national monuments. At the same time I can recall the time we took a three week vacation to the Western states and visited the Grand Canyon. When I started school we went on spring break trips, always to different locations. By the time I entered high school, I had visited all but Alaska and Hawaii.Â
While in high school I had the opportunity to go to Florida with my friend. It was just the two of us (both 15 at the time) flying to Florida. Even though I have a slight fear of heights, flying is one of my favorite feelings ever. After returning home I was itching to go on another adventure. During my senior year, my family decided to go to Florida together. I had thought that since I was graduating I probably would not have another opportunity like this for a while. Luckily, I was wrong.
 I was miserable most of my Freshman year at Purdue. Part of it might have been because I was no longer able to go on my adventures. It was extremely easy to just go on spontaneous trips in high school because I had less homework and plenty of money from working a job. During my first year at Purdue, I was only able to take one trip which was a short weekend in Pennsylvania. It was a wonderful escape that helped me focus before exams that year. My Sophomore year I again became stir crazy, so I decided to go international. I signed up for my first study abroad to Ireland. Having a week to spend in a foreign country while being paid mostly by scholarships was by far one of my favorite experiences. So, this year when I had the opportunity to go to Italy I instantly signed up.
 While I have been fortunate enough to go on random trips and study abroad, I know that there are other travelers who do not have the opportunity. I know if I had the chance to travel more, I would but due to time and financial reasons I cannot. The coarse load of many college majors does not allow students time for a job, let alone the time to plan a trip. This is why hostiles and websites like StudentUniverse are such great resources for college students. However, in terms of the best deals, studying abroad is your best option. A short trip, like a spring break, is only about $3,000. While this may seem like a lot up front, this includes air fair, all your activities, and a majority of your food. Plus, Purdue has so many great scholarships specifically for studying abroad. My first study abroad was only $1,500 all thanks to scholarships! If I had planned the trip alone, that would have been the cost of my tickets alone.
 So, while I have had to scale back on spontaneous trips and adventures since I started college, I have had the opportunity to visit beautiful countries at affordable prices! I encourage any student interested to look into study abroad opportunities. You never know where your next adventure will be!