Drops of Jupiter

I feel beyond blessed to have been able to travel to 21 countries by the age of 21, including 14 US states and living in 3 of them (the US, Australia, & the Netherlands)! All of my trips were fully funded by myself (primarily through scholarships, of which I am SO grateful), so I feel driven to break the stereotype that only rich kids can travel the world. I sincerely hope that anyone who wants to explore this expansive planet gets to, and I adamantly live by the phrase: “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” I know it is cliche, but this year abroad completely rerouted the trajectory of my life and enlightened my perspectives on culture, people, and this short life we all have the unique gift of living. The small dose of courage it took to live alone in an unfamiliar and foreign nation pales in comparison to the expansive inspiration it taught me. I wanted to compile a list of my own “awards” for each of the countries that I have traveled to because I loved them all in many different ways!

Austria (Vienna)– BEST LIBRARIES & CATHEDRALS

Australia (Mount Gambier, Melbourne, Adelaide)– FRIENDLIEST PEOPLE/BEST ACCENT

Belgium (Brussels, Brugge, Ghent, Ostend)– MOST QUAINT

Croatia (Split, Omis, Trogir, 3 islands)– BEST BEACHES

Czech Republic (Prague)– MOST COLORFUL/ MOST BARBIE-INSPIRED

England (London)– BEST HOSTEL/ BEST PUBLIC TRANSPORT

France (Normandy, Paris)– BEST COUNTRYSIDE/ BEST FOOD/ BEST CASTLE

Germany (Aachen)– MOST DISNEYLAND INSPIRED

Greece (Athens, Aegina)– MOST HISTORIC LANDMARKS/BEST OCEAN

Hungary (Budapest, Vajta)– BEST WEATHER/ MOST TRANSFORMATIVE TRIP

Iceland (Reykavik)– MOST ADVENTUROUS, MOST UNIQUE

Ireland (Dublin, County Clare, Dun Laoghoire)– MOST GREEN

Italy (Florence, Milan, Venice, Rome)– BEST ART & MUSEUMS

Luxembourg (Luxembourg City)– MOST UNDERRATED/ BEST CAVES

Netherlands (Utrecht, Amsterdam, Zaanse Schaans, Giethoorn, Deventer, Zwolle, Haarlem, the Hague, Rotterdam)– PRETTIEST PEOPLE

New Zealand (Auckland)– BEST MOUNTAINS

Scotland (Edinburgh)– MOST HARRY-POTTER INSPIRED

Slovakia (Bratislava)-MOST STORYBOOK

Spain (Madrid)– BEST TRIP/ BEST DRINKS

Switzerland (Lucerne, Basel)– BEST NATURE & LANDSCAPES

United States (California, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Florida, Illinois, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, DC, Puerto Rico, New Jersey)- MOST DIVERSE