Dear Aidan,

I have been traveling the world for almost 18 months. I like traveling because I get to see a lot of beautiful things and places and I also get to meet new people. Some of the people I have met I will never forget. Being able to create new friends from all around the world is amazing. I’ve learned so much from people about their life experiences and cultures but, my absolute favorite thing about traveling is how a certain place can make you feel.  When I leave the places I love I get this strange feeling because not only am I going to miss the people and the things I saw but I am going to miss the person I was at that time because I know I’ll never be the same again.

I started in New York City. It’s a spectacular city, everything moves at a mile a minute. The city always has bright lights and loud noises. They really don’t lie when they say “the city never sleeps”. There’s the Statue of Liberty, to Central Park, to Soho where everyone famous shops, and broadway where amazing actors perform and sing. I spent some time living in an apartment in Manhattan. I worked on wall street as a stockbroker. Every morning at 5am I would get up, walk to the coffee shop on the corner, and then walk to work. It got boring after a while and I’m not good with routines. The days felt like years and I needed a change.

I went on to travel to all fifty states in America and my favorite state by far is California. I’m not a fan of the cities but I love the cute little towns with beautiful scenery. When I was in Big Sur I literally stayed in a tree house. I woke up to the sea lions sounding like car horns and the amazing view of the pacific ocean right outside my window. When I was in San Fransisco I went across the Golden Gate Bridge to this little town outside of Sausalito. While spending time there, I saw whales on the beach and I ate breakfast outside this hut sitting on a blue and red bench.

When I went to Hawaii I never wanted to leave. Everything about it was beautiful. I went snorkeling and saw thousands of colors and fish. In Colorado I went snowboarding and saw a sunset over the snowy mountains. It looked like the colors were melting into each other like how an ice pop melts on a hot day.  In Michigan I went water skiing and in Maine I caught lobster for dinner. Along the way I made some great friendships. In Colorado I met this man named Matt. He was from New Jersey but moved to Colorado for college and snowboarding. He told me that his girlfriend died in a freak accident and now he doesn’t spend a single day taking anything for granted. People like him make me change the way I view the world. Matt made me realize I should be traveling more often instead of being unhappy and selfish.

I started to travel all around the world. I went to six different countries by myself. I love the beach and the outdoors but I first went to Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo is modern but traditional at the same time. There are big and bright skyscrapers but there are also historic temples. I visited a lot of art museums and ate fabulous food. I went to Ireland next to visit some family I have never met before. I spent time hiking and walking along the cliffs of Moher and going to National Parks. Then I spent time in Thailand, Greece, and Italy. I don’t think I could ever call one place home, the whole world is my home. I am my happiest self when going to different places and meeting new people. As I get older I hope I keep spending more time being able to do what I love the most. I love traveling in so many ways, it also makes me forget about you.

                                Love,

                                     Emily