One of the greatest gifts I have been given in my lifetime is the gift of travel. From an early age I became curious about the idea of different cultures, what it means to live life in another country, and sought ways to connect with people from backgrounds different from my own. This curiosity led me all the way to Germany where I lived for a year as a Rotary Youth Exchange student and opened my eyes to the beautiful, diverse, and expansive world that existed beyond the borders of my hometown and my home country. After my exchange year, I became even more passionate about experiencing more of what the world has to offer. 

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When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I felt trapped, limited by the fact that the travel and adventures that had once been so easy and accessible to me were no longer there. But there was no reason to feel as though my adventures were put on pause because every place, whether it is a city full of skyscrapers, a quaint village by the seaside, or an industrial town working hard to bring products to the rest of the world, they all have a story and they all have adventures waiting to be discovered. So I began finding adventures right in my backyard. I began to allow myself to feel like a tourist in my hometown. And what I've discovered is that if an adventure is what you are looking for, it doesn't matter where you are, there is one to be had. 

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My favorite "backyard tourist" project has been my Tampa Tastes project that I started after a friend asked me about my favorite local restaurant in my college town and I couldn't think of a single recommendation to give him. So I started a list of restaurants I wanted to try, all local to the Tampa area, put their names in a jar, and whenever I am looking for something to do, I pull a restaurant from my jar and go and explore on a culinary adventure without having to go too far. Although I am going to be leaving the Tampa area, the project will live on through my friends and I plan on creating a new version, custom tailored to my new hometown. 

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When traveling internationally, I do my best to connect with locals and get their input on what I need to experience during my time in their home. I've found that this not only creates an opportunity to connect with people from around the world that I would have never connected with before, but gives me such a positive and enjoyable experience that I am constantly wanting to go back and re-live some of those special moments and encouraging people to visit these places and do the same. I wholeheartedly believe that travelers need to adopt the mindset of being comfortable adapting their "norms" to better fit the customs and culture of wherever they are visiting. Be open to dialogue, exchange ideas with people who are willing to talk to you, but remember that you are a guest in THEIR home so you should treat them with the same respect you would expect of any guests visiting you. 

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I recognize that not everyone is able to travel the world and does not have the ability to immerse themselves in other cultures in the way that I have had. So I find it is important to share my experiences with others through various outlets (primarily Instagram along with other social media platforms) to encourage people to get outside their comfort zones and explore (whether it's their hometown or another country). I hope that by sharing my own adventures, people will take some adventures of their own and fall more in love with this great wide world that we live in.