The Trip that became the Taken Movie

What do you think of when you see this quote? 

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career ... I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."

I think of Liam Neeson kicking butt in the Taken movies!

Taken 2 is set in Turkey and when I traveled to Turkey in the summer of 2014 with a group from my college, we were always making references to this movie. Well one night, our references almost became reality.

Several of the girls and I were headed back to our hotel late one night, so we took a cab ride back. This taxi ride is still one of my craziest stories, and each of the girls who were with me can attest to that. I can tell the story, but not quite as well as Lauren Christian, one of the group leaders. Her storytelling will make you feel like you were in the cab with us - it's definitely worth the watch!

Travel Advice for Those Stuck in the Car

I was praying to God that I wouldn't drive us off the road each time there was another curve in the mountain pass. One of my best friends, Taylor, and I were on a short trip headed to a wedding in Yosemite Park. I was driving - it was my first rental car ever.

I was nervous driving a rental car, but also because it was nighttime by the time we had arrived to Yosemite park because of traffic. We needed to get to a hotel in the park, so I was driving on a curvy, up-in-the-mountains road. It was pitch-black. At one point there was 5 miles of non-stop turns; it was like the shape of a snake. I could only go about 10mph an hour to make each turn.

All dressed up for a wedding!

Neither of use were speaking or really even breathing. We made it obviously, but that night was terrifying. When it comes to transportation, domestic or international, there are always going to be odd, weird or nerve-wracking experiences that make for good stories - as long as everyone is safe in the end. Along with these stories though there are always some travel tips that prove useful in the future.

Taylor and I learned how important it is to stay calm no matter what, even when you're stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. In fact, we made the best of it by retelling stories, listening to good music, and Taylor even read some of my homework to me for a class - we both learned a lot about war strategy. :) We made the best of the situation even though it wasn't ideal.

Also, take your time. So many times we all want to get to our destination as quick as possible, but sometimes the journey itself is just as memorable and important as the end point. Don't get so excited and focused on what's going to happen that you aren't aware of where you are now. This will help you keep your cool when you're in traffic or on a mountain pass. All I wanted was to get to the wedding, but I had to be calm and take my time so we didn't go off the mountain. It took a long time to get to our hotel, but we stayed safe and we had a fun time. In the end, that's all that matters.

I went to the wrong airport

"Uh, ma'am I can't print off your plane ticket." The ticket attendant for American Airlines was trying to help check me into my flight, but well....I was at the wrong airport. 

I'm from Colorado (whoop whoop!) and most Coloradans fly out of the Denver airport, even though there is a airport in Colorado Spring (where I'm from). I'm used to only having one airport, so moving to NYC for college where there are 3 nearby airports has been a change.

I was headed to California to visit family, and I had just assumed I was flying out of La Guardia Airport instead of the John F. Kennedy airport. Part of this mistake came from the fact that I had only flown in and out of La Guardia when coming and going from Colorado. So, I didn't even think to check my plane ticket (worse decision ever!)

Well, I ran to a cab with my two bags and told the driver to get me to La Guardia as fast as he could. I managed to get there in about 35 min rather than the usual 45 mins. It still wasn't enough time, because the other part of this story is that I had left my apartment later than I should have. That afternoon my roommate asked if I needed to leave, but I assured her that I had traveled enough in my life and I knew when to leave (ahhhh....how my pride was my downfall!).

When I got to the La Guardia airport I had about 30 min to get to my plane. I tried to hustle through the check-in process, but I wasn't assertive from the start. I got in line rather than go directly to the ticket attendant.

By the time I was checking in, I was told I would need to go to their customer service desk. I went to their desk begging for their help at this point, but they sent me to the back of the line. So by the time I did make it to the front, they said they couldn't check in any more bags, and since I had two bags I couldn't store them overhead.

So I was placed on the standby list for the next flight out to California, which was only a couple hours later. I thankfully got on to that flight, and my family and friends have never let this story go. Whenever I travel, I am still teasingly told to check which airport I'm flying out of.

I definitely was humbled by this experience and relearned vital airport tips:

1. Get to the airport with plenty of time to spare (about 2 hours) cause you never know what will happen (i.e. long security lines).

2. Pack light (if I had only brought 1 bag, they would've let me on).

3. Check your flight details way 24 hours ahead of time.

4. Be assertive because no one will know you're late or having trouble unless you say something from the start.

Vacations with Unusual Food

Our waiter simply would not take no for an answer. Mom and I were on our vacation in France and we were dining out at this upscale restaurant in our hotel. That dinner is still one of my top three meals, and I still dream about the delicious rose champagne we drank.

This dinner had several courses and our appetizer was this raw salmon tart. My mom doesn't like seafood at all, but during our vacation she had eaten this popular raw salmon appetizer dish several times. That night she wasn't in the mood for it, but our waiter didn't like that. He simply picked up the tart and plopped it onto my mom's plate unceremoniously making it very clear that she needed to eat it. So she did.

Another time in France at a different restaurant my Mom ordered a salad, and it was huge! Well she didn't finish it (plus it wasn't her favorite), and when our waiter came to get our dishes he questioned her about whether she liked the salad and why she didn't finish it. Both of us were taken aback, and she just replied she was full. These instances happened several times on our vacation, and our waiters seemed to take this very personally.

I noticed this same thing when I was on vacation in Cambodia with my friends. Whenever we were eating with our hosts, they always kept an eye on us to make sure we had enough food and if we were eating. One of my friends was always being pushed to get seconds because they thought she didn't eat enough when in fact she just eats really quickly. I was glad to be a slow eater for once!

Through my travels I've learned how important it is to try new foods even when they are kinda gross. How can we expect to grow as individuals if we're not willing to step out of our comfort zone and try these new foods? How can you know you don't like a food if you haven't even tried it?

Sure I haven't tried every new delicacy that comes near me on my vacations, such as the duck embryos in Cambodia or the fried tarantulas. Maybe I should have tried them. I know I would've learned a lot about myself if I had, or if anything else I would have a new story to share. It is a scary thing trying foods we aren't comfortable with or that seem gross, but that's when we need to take the leap of faith and try it. By doing so, you're choosing to be apart of that culture rather than a foreigner who just observes the culture but does not truly experience it.

What's the weirdest or craziest food that you tried once?

Travel Advice: Bathrooms 101

On my trips I've noticed that bathrooms are very different wherever you go. Some toilets have a button to pull to flush, while other times you have to pour a bucket of water into the toilet bowl.

As fun as this could be to list out all the differences, no one really cares. However, we do care about the restroom because it is an essential for all of us, yet we all have preconceived notions of what the bathroom is supposed to be like on our trips because of our own experiences from our own bathrooms. So when we're not prepared for other styles, well this can surprise us.

Public bathrooms abroad tend to be holes in the ground or a clean, well-kept bathroom that costs money. It usually only costs 1-2 dollars in their currency, so make sure you have change on you at all times. It's usually worth it, although this is not a guarantee to cleanliness.

Public bathrooms are not very common as they are in the U.S. where you can generally find one near you at all times (except in NYC!). Sooooo whenever you're getting a meal, use the bathroom because no restaurant will let you use one unless your a customer, and it'll be fairly clean. This was a trick that my Mom and I learned on our trip in France.

Always, always, and always bring kleenex and hand sanitizer with you. There may not be toilet paper or soap.

Don't be alarmed if there are other guests in your stall, and I mean bugs or some lizards. In Cambodia, there were geckos (not Geico) that usually hung out in the bathroom stalls because it was a cool, damp place. If you don't bug them, they won't bug you. **I actually did call the lizards, "Geico" until my friends reminded me while laughing that it was "geckos."**


My last final tip is for the ladies, and that would be knowing how to squat. If you've gone rough camping (not glamour camping with plumbing) then you know what I'm talking about. Many public bathrooms don't have a toilet bowl above ground, but rather it's on the floor. So there is nothing for you to sit on, and you'll have to squat. The best clothes for these occasions is dresses and skirts.

Do you have any other tips or stories to share about bathrooms from your own trips abroad?

H20 Travel Tips

For something so essential, you'd think water would be cheap or clean. Not always - here are some travel tips you need to know about water abroad.

Don't go for the water right away!

Travel Tip 1: Don't assume it's free. Most restaurants in the U.S. will give you free tap water, but in Europe you'll usually get charged, but this water is "cleaner" water than tap. So you can double check with your water/waitress and see if they have tap water for free. Otherwise, you'll be paying for your water.

Travel Tip 2: Still or Bubbly. In Europe these are the two choices between water. "Still" or "flat" water is just plain water (its not tap though), while "bubbly" is carbonated water. Both of these waters will be served in a glass bottle - this water is safe to drink.

Travel Tip 3: Don't always drink the tap water. Even though tap water may be free at your location, it doesn't mean you should. U.S. tap water is not the same thing as Europe or Asian tap water. You can get sick from it cause your body may not be used to it or there may be some bacteria in it. I generally play it safe and buy a sealed water bottle, or I pay for the water in Europe because it won't be tap. **I drank tap water in Spain and I was fine**

Travel Tip 4: Don't forget about the ice. If you are not wanting to drink the tap water in a country, then don't use the ice.

Travel Tip 5: Be careful about what fruit you eat. Do not eat any fruit skins (i.e. peach, apple) if you don't want to drink any tap water in the country. Most of these fruits will be washed in their regular water, so just don't eat the fruit skin (or outer layer).

Overall, use discretion and it doesn't hurt to look up the drinking water for the country you're traveling too. I generally always have sealed water bottles with me (I continually buy them) just in case. Hopefully some of these travel tips will help you know what to do when a glass of water gets set before you.

The Trip that Took Me Outside My Comfort Zone

"This is how it ends!" This was the thought that ran through my head on my trip in Cambodia. My friends and I were on a rocking, wooden boat completely out of our comfort zones. 

I'm not proud to admit that on my trip to Cambodia I struggled. I had traveled internationally before so I thought I would know how to handle the new language, food, and culture just fine, but Cambodia was a whole different experience for me.

I'm not a picky eater but I hate eating meat off the bone. I can do it, but I'd prefer not too, and well......all of the meat we ate in Cambodia had bones in it. Also, it was HOT! Not just hot and dry....hot and sticky because of the humidity. Air conditioning is something they have but not everywhere (usually just in homes and cars). The language also threw me off because English is definitely in the minority, which doesn't make me uncomfortable, but there was always a lot going on and things being said around us that I felt lost. All three of these factors made the first week of the trip a bit of a challenge, but once I embraced these changes I really began to enjoy myself.

One of the stories on our trip that really put my friends and I outside our comfort zone that we will vividly remember forever is when we almost died (not really but we thought we would!). We were at the beach for several days, and one of Voleak's uncles wanted to take us snorkeling. That day it was raining, but in the afternoon the storm was moving away. However, I could still see lightning nearby so I wasn't too enthused to be on the water in a boat. Also, the boat looked like a canoe - bigger but still a canoe. Whenever one of us moved, the boat would tip and rock, although the owner assured us it wouldn't tip over. To even get to the boat, we had to swim out into the ocean, so none of us could bring phones or cameras. It was just us, her uncle and the boat owner.

One of the islands from shore.

We headed to this island that could be seen from shore but not something for you to swim too. Her uncle then took us snorkeling and showed us how to catch sea urchins with a net. What really made this experience our top moment on our trip was when we were in the boat. It was getting rocked by waves at the island. At one point, there was a large swell and the boat tipped so much that I actually prepared myself to jump and start swimming if it flipped. Well, it didn't, but when my friends and I were chuckling over that, I told them that I had thought, "And this his how it ends." We laughed long and hard over that and it is now one of our inside jokes.

A similar boat to what we had.

Overall, this experience was unique and amazing. It took all of us outside our comfort zone as Americans because we were on this wooden boat after a recent storm going to an island and learning how sea urchins are caught. In the U.S. there would have been so many "regulations and rules" on this type of event. It challenged us to do something completely different and out of the norm. I'm not saying to be reckless, but don't let fear or discomfort stop you from doing new things. International traveling is difficult at times, and I had my own shares of struggles in Cambodia, but I now know that I can do it and I would go back in a heartbeat. I grew so much more in those two weeks than if I had just stayed in the U.S. I learned what it feels like to be out of my comfort zone, and I learned how to embrace the new challenges. My comfort zone has expanded and grown, so I won't find these challenges to be as daunting as I did the first time. My trip to Cambodia made me a stronger, better person.