The Japan (Summer) Diaries - Day 9

When I used to think of castles, I thought of the typical, Cinderella-style ones. I just so happened to travel to the nearby city of Odawara, on my ninth day in Japan, to see a traditional Japanese castle.

The train ride to Odawara was an hour and fifty minutes away from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, through beautiful countryside, small towns and even tree-covered mountains. I was tired yet restless, wanting to keep my eyes clued to the window of the train, soaking in as much of Japan as possible - except on the ride back, where I welcomed sleep almost immediately.

Originally built in 1447, Odawara Castle is a Hirayama-style castle since it was built on a mountain, which made it easier to defend.

Upon arrival in Odawara, I exited the station and could immediately see the castle in the distance, the roof surprisingly sticking up over the treetops. Sadly, I learned that the castle was under construction, so I wasn't able to tour the inside. However, I did walk all along the surrounding grounds, which contained a shrine, a small amusement park for children, and a small museum.

Walking under torii gates and over bright red bridges, I felt like I was in one of my favorite Japanese animes. There is something special I love about walking through history, history lover that I am. It was a hot day, but I made the best of it. I bought a delicious popsicle from a vending machine, that started melting profusely within seconds, but was welcome while taking in the historic sites. 

Back to Tokyo, Akihabara was my site of interest for the night.

This was certainly one of my favorite days and visiting the castle was an immediate highlight of the trip. After careful consideration, Japanese castles are now one of my favorites.

Where to next?

The Japan (Summer) Diaries - Day 8

On my eighth day in Tokyo, I took matters into my own hands. I ditched my judo club and went to Tokyo DisneySea. This wasn’t the first time I walked around an international city alone, plus it really isn’t a difficult city to navigate and it certainly isn’t unsafe. I had DisneySea on the brain since the night before, and once I set my mind on something…so that was where I headed first thing in the morning, instead of visiting Keio University to practice more judo.

Tokyo DisneySea is located in Chiba prefecture, about 30 minutes from Tokyo, depending on where you’re coming from. While they have a Magic Kingdom park, there’s also the unique DisneySea that I felt so compelled to visit since there’s not another park like it in the world. It reminded me of EPCOT, due to the several lands or Port-of-Call’s (due to it being water-based). The day was scorchingly hot, and not too fun all by myself, if i’m being honest, but there were plenty of refreshing Mickey-shaped treats for me to indulge in and enjoy which made up for it.

I started off in the Mediterranean Harbor, doing a lot of looking since most places were closed/under construction that day. It truly felt like I was transported to Venice for a moment, looking out on the man-made canals, where an empty gondola was floating. I’ll save the actual gondola ride for when I finally get to visit Venice.

The American Waterfront was next, a mix of big city charm and a New England fishing village. There was so much Duffy merchandise and attractions, I was amazed. I had never even heard of this Duffy before and it appeared to be all the craze here.

There’s also a Port Discovery, the Lost River Delta, and the Arabian Coast – one of my favorites, where I just so happened to run into Princess Jasmine, Jafar, and Genie, the smell of curry popcorn in the air. Unfortunately, no sightings of Aladdin though.

Mermaid Lagoon was next. Definitely my favorite, due to Ariel’s under-the-sea castle on display! Her castle was magnificent, so different from the usual Cinderella’s Castle I was accustomed to. Inside the castle, there was plenty of delicious AC and several of the Ariel-themed rides and attractions. She’s clearly a favorite there.

I only stayed in Mysterious Island long enough to buy myself my first Mickey-shaped churro.

Ultimately, I liked how different DisneySea was, but Magic Kingdom will forever and always be my favorite. Surprisingly, I didn’t purchase a single souvenir!

After leaving DisneySea, I headed straight for Harajuku and walked along the famous Takeshita-dori.

After all of the days walking, plus the heat, I was exhausted by the time I returned to my hotel room. Regrets from skipping out on judo? Zero.

Where to next?

The Japan (Summer) Diaries - Day 7

And on the seventh day....I woke up before the dawn in order to see the fish auction at the Tsukiji fish market. Pretty early to see some dead fish, but it was on the top of my list. At the time, I was working in a sushi restaurant, so I was looking forward to seeing some giant tuna that can sell for millions of dollars.

Fun fact: The inner fish market is located in a different area now (Toyosu Market), since my last trip in 2016/2017, but the outer fish market, is still located in the same spot with plenty of great seafood options

Unfortunately, I didn’t plan accordingly and was too late for the auction and too early for the regular viewing. I did, however, get to roam around the outer market, where they sold a multitude of goods from seafood, fruits and vegetables to chopsticks and sushi knives.

I headed towards the heart of Ginza next, stopping briefly at a Buddhist Temple in Tsukiji. There were several steps up to the entrance and the closer I got, the more I could hear the goings-on inside; the monks were singing. It was perhaps one of the most beautiful things my ears have ever heard. When I walked inside, I felt enveloped in peace and awe. Just because I don’t practice their religion, doesn’t mean I couldn't be respectful, be moved and find emotion in their form of worship.

Due to my early start, when I arrived in Ginza, hardly anything was open, like Laduree and the Sony Building, so I vowed to return and headed instead towards Ueno Park. Ueno is a rather large park; 133 acres, but Central Park still tops it at 843 acres. Any park in the middle of a city the size of Tokyo is huge. I stopped at two of the shrines, Kiyomizu Kannon-do and Benten-do. Both are Buddhist temples. Kiyomizu Kannon-do was first built in 1631, but the current one is from 1698, having survived every disaster that has come it's way since. Benten-do had the best view. It is situated jutting out into the parks pond, which are overgrown with lily-pads, quite a beautiful sight, especially if you spot some Lotus flowers in bloom.

My main destination was Ueno Zoo and the Tokyo National Museum. Ueno Zoo being the closer of the two after leaving Benten-do. My main objective: see the pandas. Of course, there are a couple zoos in the US that have pandas, but so far I hadn’t visited close enough to any. I also got to see the precious Macaques, monkeys native to Japan. These are the ones you’ll typically see getting into hot springs in the winter. Upon exiting Ueno Zoo, I found the best Pocky of all time: Panda Pocky , which wa really, Cookies & Creme, perfectly marketed for the main attraction at the zoo.

Next, lunch and the Tokyo National Museum, with the specific goal to view the samurai exhibit. I also happened to love the array of kimono's on display.

Then it was finally back in Ginza, the first stop being Laduree for their macarons. At the time, I was absolutely obsessed with macarons.

I met back up with my judo group around five in order to visit the Sports/Science University. It was another state-of-the-art facility, so incredibly nice, and flowing with student athletes studying or practicing their sports. Our main interest was watching their Judo team which is almost at Olympic level, they are that good. We watched their practice for a while and even got to catch a glimpse at the current All-Japan Champion, then we were taken on a tour of the facility, but my favorite part was watching Kendo practice, a modern Japanese martial art derived from the fighting methods of samurai in which they use bamboo swords and wear protective armor.

After a long day and spending a lot of the evening at a the Sport/Science University, dinner was quick and from 7/Eleven. It was late by the time I got back to my hotel after the commute from the university, so I was too exhausted to do otherwise.

So, where to next?

The Japan (Summer) Diaries - Day 6

Just when I thought that all the judo was complete for the trip, with the remaining week being spent solely exploring Japan, turns out I was wrong!

On the sixth day of my summer 2015 Japan trip, me and my fellow judokas started out early for our Sensei's childhood high school, to practice judo with the current high school students. On the walk to the high school itself, he took us on a detour to a nearby park, looking more like a forest plopped into the middle of a city to me; as did all of the others parks I have visited in Tokyo. But this was my first park to visit in Japan, so I was in awe of the peacefulness and the seclusion it offered. We saw koi in the ponds, trees and plants indigenous to Japan, even a small waterfall. All the while, our ears being filled with the noise of the humming cicadas.

After the walk through the park, we all stopped at a nearby convenience store, to stock up on plenty of water before practice - and coffee, for me. It had quickly become my mission to try new everything every opportunity I got, so I choose this Mt. Rainier espresso and milk to-go coffee, complete with the adorable bendy straw you stab through the lid.

I’ve since lost count of the amount of culture shocks I had already had on this trip by this point, but arriving at the high school, I couldn't help but feel a bit odd just walking onto the campus without notifying an office.

Their Judo facility was by far the best I had ever currently been in. While the Kodokan was certainly historic and quite large, despite the lack of AC, this high school was very modernized. Our group was only a tad bit jealous because where we practiced back home was simply an empty gym equipment supply room, where we had to roll out our heavy mat every practice. The tatami (mat) here was so nice, a room built specifically for judo! The whole place was amazing. Practicing with the high school team was certainly challenging, they fought with such skilled intensity, as the majority were already black belts. Fun fact: I was the only girl at practice.

After two hours of practice, we had lunch with the team and our coach's, with some of us journeying back to the nearby convenience store to snag some extra food for lunch. At the end of lunch, we exchanged gifts with the team, also known as "omiyage". This is very customary in the Japanese culture, where you exchange a gift from where you are from and vice-versa. They gave each of us sweat towels and a frozen sports drink (a must for this insane heat!), green tea KitKats, and Mt. Fuji-shaped cookies.

Next stop: adventure time! Minus our sensei and the judo team from his former high school, we all hopped on a bus toward Tokyo Tower. We had been taking subways mostly, so it was a nice change being able to sight-see out the windows, people watching and soaking up every bit of Tokyo that I could.

Did you know that the Tokyo Tower is actually 3 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower? It’s also quite the orange color. We took the trip to the top for amazing views of the city, but unfortunately too smoggy for a view of Mt. Fuji. Some notable sites from the top: Skytree and the Imperial Palace grounds.

I grabbed a matcha ice cream from the food court inside Tokyo Tower on our way down, then we made our way to Roppongi Hills, a gorgeous shopping area, stopping at Mori Tower. We were under the impression that it was a shopping area, but it’s in fact an office building and art museum as well. I grabbed a quick dinner at a cafe, along with a delicious cappuccino before heading to the famous Shibuya Crossing! I still wasn’t tired yet after our exhausting judo practice, so wanted to squeeze in a bit more exploring before retiring for the night. Seeing the amount of people crossing was overwhelming yet phenomenal all at once. I watched the process completely before crossing it myself and then doing a little souvenir shopping to cap off the night.

I even saw a Hooters! I am still shocked to this day.

So, where to next?

The Japan (Summer) Diaries

In honor of the anniversary of my first trip to Japan being this time eight years ago, I wanted to share some memories for that unforgettable trip.

Two weeks in Japan. July 23-August 5, 2015.

Sometimes it feels just like yesterday.

Let’s start off with the first five days of the 14 day trip, since they were the most similar.

Day 1 - Day 5

The majority of each day was spent participating in the judo summer course at the Kodokan, the first official school for judo in Japan. At the time, I was practicing judo through a club at my college, as well as a local dojo closer to my home; this particular trip was taken by me and some of my fellow judokas from the college club, along with our Sensei, in order to participate in this summer course.

From 9:30am to 5pm every day, we made our way to the Kodokan to practice in a 8-storey building, on the 7th floor that lacked AC. It was gruelingly wearing our thick gigs, the required uniform in judo for gripping purposes, but we made it somehow, with a lot of sweat rolling down us and lots of tape wrapped around our blistering hands and feet. We would get an hour and a half break for lunch, in which we would have to peel off our sweaty uniform and change into regular clothes, only to come back from lunch to pull the sweaty clothes back on. Every time I think of this memory, my skin crawls from discomfort.

But despite the exhaustion, it was without a doubt an amazing privilege and an awesome learning experience that I will never forget.

The only difference in each day is what we did during our lunch breaks from 12:30-2, and of course, after the days session ended at five. Our group of people never traveled far for lunch, always picking some place nearby the Kodokan, which there was MANY, and thanks to our Sensei, we had a tour guide of sorts for the eating session of our trip.

The first day on our lunch break, he brought us to a small nearby restaurant to get Gyudon, or beef bowls; rice under sliced beef and onions simmered in a mildly sweet sauce. Such a simple dish, but it was indeed heaven in a bowl. While this might not be the first food that comes to mind when thinking of Japanese food, it was the perfect option that wasn’t too heavy before returning to practice and I highly recommend adding it to your list of foods to try in Japan.

Something else to add to your Japan list, 7/Eleven. Dinner the first night was quick, and yet still delicious, thanks to 7/Eleven, the best convenience store ever and absolutely nothing like the gas stations we have here in the U.S. My dinner that first night consisted of onigiri (a rice ball with a variety of options for the filling), gyoza and some sort of pizza/pasta hot meal. When I say that I bought onigiri nearly every single day…that’s how great it is; and cheap!

Day Two’s lunch was spent in the subway station nearest the Kodokan, and by that, I mean an underground maze/mall/food court city of its own. We finally got our hands on some authentic sushi! I was in foodie heaven, eating sushi in freaking Japan! I got one whole box of tuna nigiri, since that was my favorite at the time, but also an assorted fish box to diversify my palate.

After the second day of training came to an end, I walked away from the Kodokan, instead of boarding the subway and heading back to my hotel like the rest of my teammates, in search for a Gi shop. There was no definite plan other than buying a Gi in Japan and wandering aimlessly. In doing so, I came across what I thought at the time was a random, small shrine but was in fact simply a neighborhood shrine, something I later came to understand as I expanded my knowledge more and more about the Japanese culture.

After another 7/Eleven visit (a daily, sometimes multiple times a day, occurrence) is when I discovered the Starbucks Discoveries drink. With a straw that you punch through the lid, it was essentially a quick, to go Starbucks drink that you might find at any store back home in the States, except it was magical me, especially the unique packaging and seasonal flavor offerings, alongside the usual, yearly flavors.

For dinner, ramen! The first of many future bowls.

Day Three’s lunch: ebi chahan, or shrimp fried rice, but it tasted way more fresh than I have ever had before or since.

I also started consuming such a variety of matcha-flavored options that I started doing a “Matcha of the Day” series to share later on social media. Matcha is comparable to vanilla in Japan, it was everywhere. I will never forget my first matcha Oreos.

Day Three ended with a trip to the Mizuno store after practice, where I purchased my a Gi bag that I still own to the day, even though I have long since hung up my judo Gi.

Day Four, I ventured into the amusement park area literally next door to the Kodokan, complete with a rollercoaster whose track shared a part of the roof, to eat at my very first conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. What an experience! I actually ended up eating here again the next day. Post-lunch, I tried a Japanese Starbucks exclusive seasonal drink, the “Peach in Peach” Frappuccino, they called it, made with chunks of juicy peach, the perfect cooling beverage for the summer heat. That night after practice, I ventured to Ikebukuro, visiting the Pokemon store and the KitKat store. KitKat’s in Japan come in all kinds of unique flavors and it was my mission to try them all - or as many as possible. The flavors found and tried: Butter, Strawberry Maple, and Sakura Matcha. Surprisingly, the butter flavor wasn’t all that bad.

The fifth and final day of the summer course was a half day, practice in the first half, a tournament for the second half, should you wish to participate. Despite the amazing course, I was ready to rest, so I didn’t join the tournament, to my slight regret. That place should have been called a sauna for how hot it was. We celebrated the end of the course with a group dinner, all of us teammates, sitting at a traditional Japanese restaurant, sipping delicious sparkling sake.

To the chagrin of my body, this wasn’t the end of judo on the trip.

So, where to next?

Where to Wednesday - How I Plan My Trips

TL;DR. I plan my trips pretty much like everyone else, with maybe a bit more research into where I want to stay, things I want to do and places I want to eat at, but ultimately, the planning process looks pretty simple like this:

1) Choose the destination (in our case, PULL the destination)

2) Decide the most optimal time of the year to visit

3) Books flights and hotel (in no particular order)

4) Research and create itinerary for how you want to spend your time! Nothing super strict, just a general list of things you want to do each day.

5) Count down the days!

But to get more in depth…

First and foremost, how do I decide where to go? Well, my fiancé Austin and I actually have this jar… We made it in 2018, an idea I found on Pinterest, both of us writing down the many destinations we long to visit. Some were super simple, a city, state or country, while others could be a bit more specific, like Amsterdam in the spring to see the tulips! Every year on New Year’s, we each pull from the jar.

2019, we pulled Seattle and Boston.

2020, we both pulled Paris (fate, right?), but unfortunately we couldn’t go through with that trip for obvious reasons… :’(

2021, we actually didn’t pull because we were uncertain on the travel restrictions and didn’t want to be let down again.

2022, we pulled Switzerland!

2023, we switched things up by pulling two each, instead of one each, AND we picked a bonus. This was all Austin’s idea since we were strictly picking United States/North America this year. We picked Toronto (for a baseball game), Philadelphia (another baseball game), Pacific Northwest camping trip, Inner Basin trail in Arizona, and the bonus was Universal Studios. I honestly just wasn’t super excited about these options and we actually ended up putting them back a few weeks ago to pull again in the future. We may or may not have something else entirely up our sleeve, but we’ll see.

While this years pulls were a bust, typically we DO stick to the places we pull, minus 2020 and this year. We did in fact go to Boston at the end of March/beginning of April for Opening Day at Fenway (something we were supposed to do last year, but the MLB lockout pushed the schedule back a week). Boston almost seems like a yearly ritual for us, no matter what we pull.

But now you’re probably wondering, what happens once we pull a destination? I go into hardcore research mode, that’s what.

I LIVE for the research that comes with planning a trip. And the lists! Of course I have an ordinary Bucket List, but once I know that we’re heading to a certain somewhere, I make a specific list of places to see, things to do, and what to eat that I must complete before returning home specially for that place. Naturally, deciding WHEN is also one of the first things we do, usually spring and October being our preferred travel times, depending on the destination. If you read last weeks post, you may know that I loathe traveling in the summer if I can help it.

In 2019 when we visited Seattle, we went over my birthday at the end of April. Our Boston trip that year was at the end of October/beginning of November. A little late for peak fall-foliage, but we at least got to see fall colors AND visited Salem on Halloween Day.

Even though in 2020 we didn’t get the chance to go to Paris as we had hoped, we were planning on that being our October anniversary trip, we instead road tripped in the Jeep to Arizona and Utah in October, visiting the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and the Mighty Five National Parks. That was a great time to visit in my opinion, since the parks didn’t have the summer crowds - or the heat! The weather was amazing for us until it snowed one of the last couple days.

2021, we visited Boston at the end of September for our (early) anniversary trip and to catch the last Red Sox - Yankees game of the season. The weather had cooled down nicely but it was a bit early for fall colors at this time.

2022, of course we chose to go to Switzerland in October, other than Boston again in the spring. We were in Switzerland for mid-to-late October and the weather was fabulous!

Yes, we’re that couple that takes a trip, whether big or small, for every anniversary, so just assume if it’s October, we’re most likely going to be gone somewhere at some point during the month. But this is a part of the deciding process for when to go where from what we pulled.

We pick the time of year we want to travel to whatever the destination might be, we discuss how long we want to be gone, we look at flights for a range of dates, we book it. Not immediately after pulling, of course, but after a bit of research at least. We start looking at accommodations, whether that be via Airbnb or hotel chain. When we decide on a place, we book it. And sometimes that could be before booking our flights, in the instance that we're waiting for the prices of the flights to go down.

As I mentioned before, I absolutely love the research part of planning a trip, so that also applies to finding where we lay our heads at night. Usually, if I can’t sleep, I’ll open up the Airbnb app, making folders for specific destinations for future reference, and adding any spots in our price range that appeal to me, or I’ll scroll through Pinterest and update the boards I have for each destination I want to visit.

For flights, I generally look on Google Flights or through one of our credit cards.

For accommodations, Airbnb is a favorite but we’re certainly not opposed to hotels. I’ll use Booking.com or book through the actual hotel, depending on the price difference.

Where do I look for what to do on the trip? Where to eat? What to see? Everywhere! Pinterest, Instagram accounts I already follow, I’ll even buy a Lonely Planet travel book (yes, I love that these still exist), and of course, good ole’ Google. Since I’m very fond of history and photography, I always include lots of options where I can soak in the history of the place in a way that interest me and locations of spots for some dope photos. Austin and I also tremendously enjoy food, so eating good while on vacation, trying the local cuisine and popular favorites, is a huge priority for our trips!

As always, these are just my opinions on how I like to plan trips, which isn’t too different from normal. I’m extremely grateful to the people in my life that have shown interest by asking for my traveling advice or asking me to make them itineraries for their trips. It’s been a huge motivator in sharing how I prefer to travel, but just keep in mind this is just my preferred way and not the only way. Hopefully it helps expand your knowledge and the betterment of your future vacations.

So where to?

Where To? Summer Edition

Although summer is my least favorite season, especially for travel, I also understand it’s the most convenient time for much of the world to vacation, as you will also realize upon arrival at your destination. As our anniversary is in October, my fiancé and I have made it a tradition to travel sometime in the month in celebration, which also happens to be his birthday month. While that’s our normal time of year that we like to check off places on our lengthy bucket list, we have unintentionally traveled in the spring quite a bit as well. Summer is rare for us, but that doesn’t mean we would never choose that time to travel, we just have to be strategic since our main goals are avoiding the crowds and lowering the likelihood of our baggage getting lost. I’m incapable of packing in only a carry-on.

I visited Japan in the summer once upon time. It was my very first visit - and the last time I’ll go there that time of year, due to how humid and hot it was. Part of my misery was due to practicing judo in an AC-less building for 5 hours a day for the first 5 days. Imagine having to peel off sweaty clothes for your lunch break AND THEN put them back on afterwards. My skin is crawling at the memory.

Beach destinations have never particularly been our thing; we like to go, go, go on vacation, see as much as possible, which still isn’t everything. I’ve always longed for the cities and places dripping in history, but I have found a love for the great outdoors in the last few years, thanks to road-tripping in the Jeep and visiting Switzerland, but those are stories for another time. If you’re looking for suggestions on where to take your next summer vacation, but like me, want to avoid the crowds as much as possible, look no further. Here are my top five picks, straight from my bucket list, if I were to travel in the summer:

• Baseball road trip. It’s literally the perfect time for a road trip or a visit to All-Star Weekend! I have a huge bucket list goal to visit every MLB stadium. So far we have 5 out of 30 stadiums checked off.

• Hawaii. While this is still a tropical destination, there’s so much more to do than just laying on the beach! Gorgeous views, a little bit of history, plenty of great food, lots of hiking, and the culture. May and September being the less traveled.

• International? I would recommend anywhere near water versus a major city. Think places like Portofino or the Amalfi Coast. You can always go early summer in May, or late summer in the beginning of September to miss out on some of the crowds.

• Iceland. If you want to experience some cooler temps even during the summer. I love traveling when I can bundle up in layers and don’t have to worry about sweating through my clothes! Any time May-September is ideal, with May and September being the better prices and having fewer crowds. Avoid July.

• Greece. What’s not to love? Just try to avoid the months of July and August.

My main suggestion to anyone traveling this time of year is try to travel in either May or September, if possible for the smaller crowds. It’s not possible for everyone but if you can, get that trip in earlier or later than everyone else. You’ll be less likely to lose that checked bag too.

When do you prefer to travel in the summer? Where or what time of year do you tend to avoid traveling? Just like with everything else in life, everyone has a different preference when it comes to travel - and this is mine!

So…where to?

Becoming Where to Meg?

Earlier this year, I was asked, “What got you into photography?” And that question has stuck with me ever since. Then, I read the book, People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. It instantly became one of my favorite books - and a huge inspiration to start this blog.

“Now, this is a story all about how…”

My name is Megan, or Meg, and welcome to my blog and portfolio. For those of you reading this that don’t already know me, I’m from Louisiana but my heart is all around the world, with a vast chunk belonging to Boston for absolutely no significant reason other than my love for the city and it’s sports teams. I’m lucky enough to have found someone who also shares a love for travel and fully supports my love for it. We’re always trying to live our lives as intensely as possible, capturing our favorite moments and sights along the way.

So, what got me into photography? I’m sure you might have already guessed - traveling, of course! While I really love being active, reading books, learning about history and drinking coffee, the two things I love even more? Photography and travel. Together, they make my soul sing. Traveling got me into photography; photography got me into travel. Everything comes full circle. There’s just something that I love about capturing the beauty of the world through my camera lens, through my point-of-view. Of course I’m going to soak it all in by being present, but if something brings me immense joy, you can bet I’m snapping a photo. New architecture next to old, almost transporting you back in time; locations dripping in history or natural beauty that take your breath away; people going about their daily lives. I love to see it.

“For me. traveling is about wandering, meeting people you don’t expect, doing things you’ve never done.”

One of my earliest memories consisting of the two was in my 16th year. My mother, sister, grandmother and Aunt took a trip to Vegas over the summer. I remember having a point-and-shoot digital camera. Do I remember if it was my birthday present or a Christmas present? Absolutely not. I just remember its existence, especially on that trip, and that it was gifted to me by my mom. I still own it too. On the trip, I was snapping away at everything that snagged my interest, until one day, midway through the vacation, I accidentally deleted all the photos. A photographers worst nightmare. As you can imagine, I was distraught. The photos were never recovered, so many memories instantly erased, but I learned a valuable lesson that day: don’t ever let that happen again.

What photos I still have remaining from that time, live on my Facebook account and every now and then I’ll find myself taking the trip down memory lane. It’s one of the reasons I even still have the account. Even though I’m missing half of the photos due to my little accident, it stands as a constant reminder to at least cherish the ones I didn't delete - and it shows me how I have evolved through the years with my photography. I’m no longer the sixteen year old with the point-and-shoot, but a bit more seasoned twenty-eight year old with a mirrorless camera and a different outlook on life.

At sixteen, I knew I wanted to see the world, I just didn’t know yet just how much I would enjoy photographing it. How badly I would want to see new places, to meet new people, to try new things. That is what I want out of life. That is what fuels my desire and longing to travel the world. The moment I get into the car to the airport, I’m so near to bouncing off the walls in anticipation. Once I actually get to the airport? I’m vibrating with excitement. It. Never. Gets. Old.

Want to follow along for more things travel? Tune in every week for Where To Wednesday!

So Meg, Where To?

my fiancé and travel partner, Austin, with our fur child, Louis.