Blogger Challenge Day 8: A Place You've Traveled To

Those of you who know me well, know that I couldn’t possibly talk about just ONE place I’ve traveled to. J That might mean I’d have to pick a favorite, which is another thing I can’t do very well! I have done a fair amount of traveling for someone my age, and I always enjoy adding a new place to my list of “Places Traveled.”

I have been in 15 States in the U.S. One day I would love to say that I’ve been in all 50. I’ve also been in several other countries on various trips. . .

My first experience in another country was when we went to Puerto Rico back when I was 9 years old, to visit my Great Grandmother. We also did some sight-seeing, including this fort in Old San Juan. Sorry for our grimaces; we had never walked so much before, and the temperatures were in the 90’s. As you can see, there also wasn’t much shade.

The next year, Dad, Mom, and I traveled to the eastern mountains of Mexico on a missions trip with our church. That experience was very eye-opening to me. I hadn’t fully realized the type of poverty so many people in our world live in.

For Roma and Rubia’s birthday 3 years ago, we went to Niagara Falls in Canada. We almost laughed at the fact that most of us had never been in Canada even though we lived in Michigan, less than two hours away from the border.

This past year we went on a Caribbean cruise with my Mom’s side of the family to celebrate my Grandparents’ 50^th wedding anniversary. Our first stop was in the Bahamas. One thing that disappointed me a little bit was knowing that the part of the island that we saw was the “tourist” part, not the “real” part. On all the islands there was a bit of a façade for the tourists, but you know not everyone lives that way.

I loved St. Thomas, another stop on our cruise. We didn’t get to see much of it, as we drove to the other side of the island so that we could take a catamaran out to the island of St. John.

Visiting St. John had to be my favorite stop of our cruise! Floating above crystal clear waters, sails billowing overhead, with the hot sun warming your skin feels amazing! Especially after spending several hours snorkeling among all the tropical fish and sinking your feet into the talcum-powder-textured white sand at Honeymoon Bay and Beach.

St. Maarten was nice, but we had been a little spoiled the day before. The beach on St. Maarten was a bit more crowded and louder, but it was still a beautiful island.

The most recent trip I had outside the country was to Haiti on my second missions trip. As most of you probably already know, it was a life-changing experience. Literally. I am drawn to the country like a magnet. Ben and I plan to return for 4-5 weeks this summer, helping lead short-term teams down there and spending more time learning the culture.

*What is a place that you have traveled to that sticks out in your mind? Share in the comments!*