If you’ve ever needed a friend who’d travel the world with you, look no further than Paige Cullen of SFASU.
Originally from Dallas, Texas, Paige came to SFASU as a freshman in 2015. Growing up, she was fortunate enough to take some family vacations that greatly influenced her desire to see more of the world to this day.
At 10, Paige traveled to Hawaii and found the island to be more peaceful than anything she’d ever seen. When asked about it, Paige said, “I was so young but I could already tell the island lifestyle was wonderful, nobody was in a hurry, not even my family.” While there, her and her family got to experience whale watching, which Paige recalled as “absolutely humbling.” Additionally, her family was able to watch the sunrise on a volcano there, which is where Paige feels her desire to see places began.
After this trip, Paige was additionally able to travel with her family to Florida, Minnesota, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Italy and England. In Puerto Rico, Paige found the spot for her one-day wedding under a gazebo near the beach. One of her favorite trips out of them all though was her first solo trip to England.
Sparked by her desire to see her friend who had moved there, Paige embarked on her trip alone to England when she was just 17 years old. While there, she got to spend valuable time with her friend’s family in Lincoln, as well as see much of London, Piccadilly Circus and Westminster. Paige describes the trip as “wonderful,” noting that if you watch the video of her when she rode the London Eye, “you can just tell the pure happiness [she] felt.”
For a sort of delayed graduation gift, Paige was able to return to England and additionally visit Italy with her family this past summer.
They spent 12 days in Italy and 2 in London, with a focus in Venice, Florence and Rome while in Italy. Paige recalls that Venice was “wonderful” and that “there were bridges everywhere and at some point your ass was getting on a boat to go wherever you needed to go.” On their last night in Venice, Paige and her sister were separated from their parents on the way home from dinner due to some intense rain. Paige and her sister used Paige’s natural sense of direction and ran through the rain trying to find their hotel, but in the process Paige felt inclined to stop to admire a beautifully lit basilica. Her sister was ready to get out of the downpour, but Paige felt that her poetic side needed to admire that basilica. When telling the story, she said, “That’s what Italy is about. Being stunned in the most inopportune moments.”
From Venice, Paige and her family went on to enjoy time in Florence and Rome. They visited museums and saw famous art, rented Vespas and drove up to a village to have true Italian cooking lessons. She notes that their time in these cities was “very laid back” and pleasant. Her favorite stop was Rome due to the crazy streets, their beautiful hotel, the food, the sites and the pantheon specifically. Additionally, she was able to see Pompeii and revel in the ruins of the ancient, incredible city. From here, they traveled to London, where Paige was able to show her family around and reunite with her friend again.
All of these travels are by far not the end of the line for Paige. She has desires to return to Europe, with a hope to see as much as she can. She also says she’d love to see more of the West Coast of the United States – and she’s willing to do this all with anyone who’s up for an adventure. If you need a travel buddy, Paige is your girl. Her sense of direction will keep you on track, and her sense for adventure will keep you having fun the whole time.
Paige is a junior at SFA, where she’s studying Marketing with a minor in Psychology. She’s also a member of the independent sorority Sigma Kappa Omega as well as a research assistant for a psychology study. When she’s not studying or working in the psychology labs, you find her hanging out with friends, painting, reading or investigating anything to do with the Victorian and new industrial eras.
You can follow her future adventures at the following links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_paigecullen_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paigeykinz/