- The United States (hey! it counts people): If I had literally never been outside of my hometown than I wouldn't count it, but as it so happens I have been to most of the states and so I am most definitely counting it.
- Canada: My first international trip was when I was 8 or so and it was to British Columbia, specifically Victoria and Vancouver. Since then, I've also been to Montreal and Quebec City in 2014. Quebec City I loved, and Montreal I liked. This was my first true solo trip and I felt it was a great place to do a solo trip. I definitely learned a lot in solo traveling that I am trying to take to heart now into this next year where I will have some more solo travels :) Oh, and I also walked across the border in Niagara Falls this May, so I visited Canada again-boom! I felt so cool. And in 2016 right after the election, I visited Toronto
- Spain: In the summer of 2006 was my first real international trip and it was our school Spanish trip to Spain. We spent the first week traveling around to beautiful cities such as Madrid, Segovia, Toledo, Granada, and Malaga. The second week was spent with a host family BY OURSELVES. Who in their right mind leaves 16 year-olds with 3 years of rudimentary Spanish to fend for themselves with families who speak very little English and speak Spanish super duper fast (like, I mean Spaniards speak crazy fast)? Needless to say it was nerve-wracking and the first half of the week I'd like to forget, but then we got over it and moved on, luckily. I loved Spain and traveling and I was officially bitten by the travel bug. My second time visiting Spain was to visit the main city that I missed the last time which was Barcelona. A truly fun, and beautiful city. P.S. Gaudi architecture is the best.
- Mexico: Who spent their 18th birthday soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the all-inclusiveness of a resort in Cancun? This girl. I went with a friend whose family went every year to this great resort. I had a blast! Everyone should try all-inclusive at least once.
- England: The spring break of my freshman year of college in 2008, I took a school trip tracing the steps of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (I kid you not). So, we first went to London and I immediately fell in love with the city. It's so old, beautiful, and quaint, yet very cosmopolitan at the same time. In April 2016, I revisited this awesome country going to London again, and then adding Bath, some of the Cotswolds towns and Liverpool!
- France: Next on the Da Vinci Code trip was to visit Paris. I enjoyed seeing all of the sites there -- especially the Eiffel Tower, but I didn't love the city itself. The people weren't welcoming at all and I just didn't feel like I needed to ever go back. But I did in 2012 during my big backpacking trip and I'm glad that I did because I had a MUCH better experience :) We also visited some place in the French countryside near the Swiss border with a friend's family, which was freaking adorable, and then also stopped on through Nice for a bit on our big tour.
- The Bahamas: The best thing about going to Wartburg was May Term. May Term was our third semester that was only a month. Usually people either took an easy class for the month so they could live up to the nickname that May Term gets of "Play Term" OR they go travel for their whole May Term. Want to take a stab at which one I chose for 3/4 May Terms? My first May Term abroad was for my Bahamian Ecology class. This class consisted of living on the smaller island of San Salvador in the Bahamas and basically just snorkeling every day and discovering the amazing ecosystems and wildlife of the Island. I had an amazing time with a great group of people!
- Tanzania: May Term 2010. Before I even attended Wartburg, I knew that I wanted to go on the May Term trip to Tanzania. Wartburg has a great program going on with the Lutheran Junior Seminary in Morogoro where students can take May Term trips there or they can even study for a whole semester. This was an incredibly eye-opening trip and I know I will never get the chance to travel to Africa and experience it in the same way. This wasn't just a trip to go on a safari (although we did that and it was an unforgettable experience), this was a trip that involved volunteering at the local orphanage, learning a bit of Swahili, going off-roading into the bush for 4 hours just to reach our destination and have a church service with the Masaai, and so much more! I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity and look upon my time in Tanzania with a lot of love.
- Fiji: Summer of 2010 was the beginning of my semester abroad in Australia. The program that I went with was the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) and with this program, a 10-day trip (and technically classes) in Fiji was included and began our trip. It was the perfect way to begin the trip and get to know the people in the group, all of which were Americans from all around the country. We did a bit of the beach-like parts of Fiji, but the great part was staying in home-stays with a local Fijian family in the capital, Suva. This is where I met my closest friend that I had for the rest of the semester in Australia, Kat. We were home-stay roomies (yes, AIFS actually did it right and put me with another person thank goodness) and we had a great time with our families and the locals exploring the culture (oh kava!).
- Australia: I could write a whole book about my time in Australia, but I won't. I had the absolute time of my life living just outside of Sydney, going to Macquarie University and hanging out with some of the best people ever in one of the best cities ever. While in Australia, I also visited the Outback from Alice Springs up to Darwin, and we did a trip with the AIFS people up to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. Gahhhh, someday me and my AIFS girls need to go back. Preferably soon :)
- New Zealand: Fall (technically Spring in the Southern Hemisphere) of 2010. While Australia stole my heart because of experiences, New Zealand stole my heart by it's sheer beauty and NICE people. Oh and the experiences weren't too bad either, because I went all out: Bunjy jumping, helicopter ride to hike on a glacier, swam in the freezing waters of Doubtful sound, and went horseback riding through Lord of the Rings scenery. Yeah, New Zealand is absolutely one of the best places on earth.
- Hungary: The start of our International Tour with the Wartburg Choir in 2011 brought us to Hungary, which is so cheap and has some wonderful people! We traveled to Budapest and then to a small village close to the Slovakia border, called Sarospatak. We stayed with a host family here and I think they were my favorite of the whole trip even though we had the greatest language barrier. They were just so appreciative to have us there and were wonderful. I'm hoping to get back to at least Budapest this next year again!
- Austria: Next up to visit was Austria. Vienna was the first stop and while I liked it well enough, it wasn't my favorite city I've ever visited. But Salzburg --Oh, Salzburg. This quaint little Austrian town is easily one of my favorite towns! So beautiful, and I just had a wonderful time exploring it with friends.
- Germany: We went to so many places in Germany, and many of them very small towns, and I love that about the choir tour! Wartburg is a German Lutheran college and so we have a strong German heritage and still have great ties in Germany. The Wartburg Choir has been traveling to many of these towns on international tours for lots of years. In Germany, I visited (most with host families): Niederstotzingen, Ulm, Leipheim, Ohringen, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Marburg, Eisenach (home of THE Wartburg Castle), Lubeck, Boizenburg, Ludwigsstadt, Probstzella, and Rothenburg ob der Tauber. I'm probably even missing a few stops in there, but still impressive. It was wonderful! Then during my backpacking trip I made sure to hit up the two main cities that we missed which were Munich and Berlin. In Munich we did Oktoberfest, which was amazing!! And in Berlin, we took our slow time discovering the city as this was our last stop on the trip. I loved both places. Basically, all of Germany was great!
- Denmark: These were really quick stops in Denmark on our tour. The first was in Hirsthals, where we stayed the night before getting our on Fjord cruise up to Norway. The second was in Roskilde, where we sang in the cathedral there. It was a beautiful cathedral, but sadly this was our worst concert of tour and it kind-of leaves a damper in my mind of Denmark. Dumb, I know. We did visit a Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde that was pretty cool! Anywho, basically I'd like to come back to Denmark and check out Copenhagen, which I've heard is a really cool city. Maybe that'll happen next year too :) And now I've been to Copenhagen and ABSOLUTELY loved it!
- Norway: After sailing up the fjords of Norway we landed in Bergen, which is a really beautiful coastal town. It was easy to see how beautiful Norway is almost immediately. We also visited the tiny town of Geilo, and of course the capital, Oslo. I really liked Norway, but it still remains the most expensive place I have ever been in my life, yikes!
- Sweden: I REALLY need to go back to Sweden. We were here for barely 36 hours, but we did have one of our best concerts/experiences here in Trollhattan. I hope someday I can go back and visit Stockholm, another city I've heard is great!
- The Netherlands: In September of 2012, my friend and I set off on our grand backpacking trip and Amsterdam was our first stop. I LOVE this city. It's so beautiful, the people are wonderful and it's just a great city to relax, be leisurely, but also to sight-see a bit of course :)
- Belgium: Next stop was Bruges, which is a picturesque medieval city. I also loved Bruges a lot -- great food and my first ever brewery tour was here! We went to De Halve Maan Brewery, which was really cool because we were in Belgium and their breweries are hundreds of years old-so a great tour! This city I would highly recommend for couples. Not necessarily honeymoon, but we saw many couples there on trips. I can totally see Bruges as anniversary-trip material. Very romantic.
- Switzerland: I'll also have to go back here someday and visit more of the Swiss Alps and those areas, but what we did see of Switzerland was in Lausanne, where we stayed with a friend. This was nice and relaxing, and just a quick stopover. Switzerland is very expensive though as well, so I'd have to be well-funded before a trip back :)
- Italy: This is a country that should be on everyone's bucket list. It's beautiful, the food and wine are absolutely amazing, and the towns/cities and sights are one-of-a-kind. We first went to the Cinque Terre which I cannot recommend enough. They are these 5 little hillside towns on the Mediterranean Coast and just gorgeous! We stopped in Pisa, then went to Florence which wasn't a city I was expecting to care for all that much, but I LOVED IT! The perfect size city, you could walk around the whole city and see so much! On our way to Rome we also visited Sienna, which was a beautiful little town that I would like to return to. Of course we visited Rome, and I absolutely loved seeing all of the ancient sites, but I'll be honest and say that I got my fill of Rome and I don't necessarily need to go back again. Lastly, we visited Venice which has been on my to-see list ever since I can remember. I am so happy that it lived up to my expectations. It was beautiful, and unique and I really really loved it! Best thing about Italy is the public water fountains though :) I feel like no place else except the US and Italy have public water fountains and it's genius!
- Vatican City: Technically this is a country guys, and I visited it- so there. St. Peter's was jaw-dropping-literally and seeing the Sistine Chapel was pretty amazing too!
- Iceland: After a year of no international travel in 2013, and just a trip to Canada in 2014, I was just itching to get away somewhere in 2015. A new discount airline started having flights from Boston to Reykjavik and they were crazy cheap, so I knew I had to do it. I went with a couple friends from Boston and had a great (if not quite safe or stress-free) time. You can read my post about that trip here.
- Jamaica: I started off my 2016 right by flying to Montego Bay in Jamaica and staying at an all-inclusive resort for 4 nights/5 days - the perfect winter getaway! For more on this trip, check out my post here.
- Scotland: I understand this is not a separate country, technically, but it sure feels like it and they would like to become separate someday. In April of 2016, I visited this beautiful country and am already thinking about when I can return. I visited Edinburgh, Inverness and the Highlands, and the Isle of Skye.
- Wales: Also not technically a different country, and part of the UK, but pish posh. I was only there for a short time, but I thoroughly enjoyed my mini-trip to North Wales and the Isle of Anglesey in April 2016. I visited Conwy, mostly and a bit around the Isle of Angelsey.
- Ireland: I had an absolute blast traversing this gorgeous country with my friends in May of 2016, we couldn't stop laughing or being awed by the beautiful scenery the whole time. We visited Dublin, Newgrange, Belfast and Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, Galway and the Cliffs of Moher, Dingle Peninsula, Ring of Kerry and Killarney, and a few other stops along the way. Another country that I'd love to revisit sometime in my lifetime.
- Poland: In October of 2016, I traveled with my friend to Krakow with a surprise side-trip to Zakopane. We also visited Auschwitz of course. Overall, the trip was...rainy. I think I'd like to give Poland a second shot someday, but for now it was mostly just miserable.
- Czech Republic: Prague was a sight for sore eyes after Krakow and our harrowing overnight train experience. The city was so incredibly beautiful, and the weather improved while we were there and we had a beautiful time! I also took a little side-trip to Kutna Hora where the bone church was.
- Romania: Next stop after Prague was to visit Bucharest and Transylvania. I was supposed to be traveling with my good friend Mandi, who lives in Bucharest, but unfortunately she got sick and had to fly back to the states So I ended up doing it all solo, which was a bit nerve-wracking, but it was great! Bucharest itself is okay, but Transylvania and Brasov specifically were I spent a few days was absolutely stunning! I highly recommend going there in the fall - so pretty!
- Moldova: Moldova isn't on most people's lists, but everywhere is on mine - so I headed to Moldova for a less-than 2 day trip from Romania. Mostly I was there to visit the world's largest underground wine cellar, which was amazing! And the wine is good and ridiculously cheap! Glad I ventured over there!
- Qatar: Bucharest is not cheap to fly out of, and so Qatar Airways was my option to get back to Boston with a long layover in Doha, Qatar. I decided to actually get outside of the airport for my 13-hour layover. I spent that time walking around the Souq, enjoying some food, and then sleeping in an actual, nice hotel for once! Worth the layover, and wayyyy better than spending it in the airport.
- St. Martin/Sint Maarten: In January 2017, I went on a cruise with my dad and stepmom to the Southern Caribbean with Royal Caribbean. We left from Puerto Rico, stopped in St. Croix, and then this was our third stop. My excursion here was to do a snorkeling tour and we saw the famous airport where the planes look like they are going to land right on the beach and the people on them. Overall, out of the places we visited, this was probably my least favorite. The most tourist, I felt.
- Dominica: Our next stop was to Dominica. This one makes me sad because Hurricane Maria basically demolished this gorgeous island. I did an excursion that basically just drove around the beautiful bits of the island, and then my dad and I had lunch at a local restaurant. I'm happy that I've been able to visit this beautiful tiny island, and I hope it is able to rebuild itself again.
- Barbados: Second to last stop was to Barbados, where we did another snorkeling excursion to see sea turtles - they were so close to us! It was a bit more booze-cruisey and I actually didn't mind that at all. Overall, it was a nice little stop, but not my favorite of the islands.
- Grenada: The last stop was a great island to end on. Grenada is beautiful, just like Dominica was - very jungely. Our excursion was a trip to a spice plantation/garden, because there are sooo many spices that can grow on this small island. We also went to a rum distillery as well - it was old and crickety, but it was cool to visit - something different!
- Colombia: In February 2017, my friends and I went on a Gate 1 Tour of Bogota and Cartagena and had an amazing time! First time in South America and first time really in Latin America aside from Mexico (Cancun). It was a 3.5 day tour, which isn't super long, but we added on a day ahead of time and on the end. Favorite part of the trip was dancing Zumba in the middle of Cartagena - Colombia is where zumba was started.
- Greece: My friends Abby, Corinne, and I jetted off to Athens, Delphi, Crete, Santorini, and Milos for about 8 days in May 2017. It was exhausting - we saw so much in that time, but also so fun and absolutely beautiful and ancient. Oh and delicious - not a bad meal to be had the entire time!
- Panama: My friend Martha and I wanted to go to Costa Rica and so we decided that before the tour with Gate 1 we would join in Costa Rica, we would spend a couple days in Panama City and seeing the Panama canal. Casco Viejo - the old quarter, was so charming to walk around and the ceviche! Oh my goodness - I now have a new food obsession!
- Costa Rica: As I mentioned, Martha and I took a 7-day tour with Gate 1 of Costa Rica that included San Jose (not much to see there, just a transit place), Monteverde, and Arenal. This country is so beautiful and diverse! Volcanoes, hot springs, cloud forests, and more! I ziplined for the first time here and met some cool new people on out tour. Also, our tour guide was so fantastic and informational. Highly recommend Gate 1 in Costa Rica!
- Thailand: To start off my 7 weeks in Southeast Asia in April/May 2018, I first landed in Bangkok and spent a few days here and a day trip to Kanchanaburi. Later in the month, I went to Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand where I ate my new favorite Thai food - khao soi, and spent time with elephants at the Elephant Nature Park. Then in mid-May I spend about a week in Koh Tao in the south of Thailand getting my PADI Open Water Diving certificate, and then stayed on to do my advanced diving with Crystal Dive. Thailand is just as amazing as everyone says it is! Go visit!
- Cambodia: The next country I visited, this time with my friend Christina, was Cambodia! We took a tour with Intrepid that left from Bangkok, took us over the border to Siem Reap, Angkor Wat, a village homestay, Phonm Penh, and then over the border to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. The Angkor Temples are simply astounding and a must-visit on a tour to Southeast Asia. I also felt that the people in Cambodia were so genuine and friendly - we had the best guide for our tour!
- Vietnam: Oh Vietnam, I have a love/slightly dislike relationship with you. The cities were SO hectic and absolutely not my favorite at all - those would be Ho Chi Minh City and especially Hanoi - motorbikes galore and so stressful! BUT the country is insanely beautiful! I visited the Mekong Delta, Hoi An and Hue (both cities that I enjoyed), Phong Nha - my favorite place, Tam Coc, and Ha Long Bay/Cat Ba Island (my other favorite place). Overall, I had a wonderful time in Vietnam - I would just say spend less time in the cities, and more in the countryside.
- Laos: Unexpectedly, Laos became my favorite country that I visited in Southeast Asia. Much of that had to do with just coming from hectic Hanoi, but most of it had to do with how beautiful, green, and calm Laos is. I took a tour with Stray Asia through Laos and I am so happy I did. We had great guides and I met awesome people on my tour. Laos has a small population and it made it so nice to travel to. Life there is slower and you could take the time to enjoy it. While there, we took a slow boat along the Mekong and stayed in a village stay, visited Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng (where I had one of my best days ever on my trip), and the capital, Vientiane. Highly recommend that you don't overlook this country!
- Malaysia: My time in Malaysia was shortest out of all the countries (made shorter by me staying longer in Koh Tao for my diving), but I had a great time mostly eating and drinking through Penang and Kuala Lumupur. In Penang, my host Jan (my friend's mom) took me around to all the sights and most importantly to eat all of the local foods in Penang (which is a foodie-lover's dream). My last days on my trip and abroad in 2018 were spent in the capital of Malaysia, a quite cosmopolitan city, Kuala Lumpur. The Petronas Towers really are amazing and I topped off my last night grabbing some awesome cocktails at a few speakeasies near my hostel in Chinatown. What I saw in my 5 days in Malaysia was fantastic, and I would go back.
Of course, this list is often being updated, so any new countries that I add to the list when I first made it (post-December 2015) will be added in italics.