Alaska

While there are so many countries that I would love top travel to, there are also many places in the U.S. That I would love to see. Alaska ranks highest on the list.

My parents traveled to Alaska when I was young, and ever since I’ve been dying to go. The natural beauty that they were able to capture in their travel pictures were amazing to look at. And even though I’m not a fan of the cold, I’m still determined to travel there one day.

I’ve heard the wildlife in Alaska is very diverse and quite an experience to be able to see so many types of animals. You can even go kayaking and whales will surface the water near you. I would probably be a little terrified by the whales, but it would be so cool to be able to say you did that.

Greece

I’ve always found myself enchanted by the mesmerizing beauty that is Greece. The hillside villages, divine waters and rich enchanting history captivates me. Getting the opportunity to travel to this country is at the top of my bucket list.

During my schooling, I was always learning about the Greek gods and goddesses and the amazing stories that partner with them. I was entranced by these stories and wanted to know more. Getting to see where these stories originated and took place would be right up my alley. The shrines throughout the country that are dedicated to these heroes and heroines would be amazing to see; Along with all the ancient artifacts and landmarks. Plus Greece is the birth place of the Olympics which I think adds to cool factor of this country.

People are constantly posting pictures of Greece on Instagram, Facebook and other social networks, sharing the beauty of the country. I know these pictures are great, but getting to see and experience the country first hand would be utterly amazing.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Punta Cana, D.R. is a classic tourist, beach destination. Surrounded by crisp blue waters, white sand beaches and full scale resorts, this is the perfect place to vacation. Dominican Republic has become increasingly popular to tourists in the last forty plus years. The friendly people and scenery makes it an attraction for all ages.

The Dominican Republic was my first big experience with traveling out of the country. I didn’t know much about the island before going there, but I did know it was located on the island of Hispanola with Haiti in the Caribbean Sea.

My parents and I stayed in one of the numerous resorts in Punta Cana that had every amenity we could ever ask for. Several restaurants, pools, spa amenities, live entertainment, beach/water activities and shopping. It was like a dream. There was something planned for us to do every single day we were there. We went cruising on a glass bottom boat, rode jet skis and went snorkeling on a reef off the beach and got to see so many tropical, exotic fish. There were locals constantly trying to sell their handmade items of clothing, jewelry, etc. I thought it was neat to get to mingle with the locals and see what kind of products they were making. There were nature hikes that could be taken and you could even go into town to see some of the sites. The food was amazing, along with the great weather while we were there.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic is an absolutely beautiful place to travel. The resorts make the trip super convenient and you have everything you could ask for. This was the perfect way to ease me into international travel and I would go back in a heartbeat!

You Better Belize It

Over the years, I have been blessed with many opportunities to travel. I’ve always known how lucky and fortunate I have been to have these traveling experiences, both domestic and abroad. I have cherished each and every trip and have developed such a passion for traveling the world.

By far the best trip I have ever been on was in 2005, to Belize. My parents and I, along with my favorite cousin were able to experience this amazing trip together. Before embarking on this trip, we actually spent time in Mexico, but I’ll save that story for another time. After what seemed like the longest, complicated journey to get to Belize, we were finally there. We piled off the smallest plane I’ve ever been on, called a “puddle jumper,” to the areas tiny airport. We were going to be staying in the San Pedro and Ambergris Caye area. Before we could head to our “resort” we had to stop at the local grocery store. Being as famished as I was from our drawn out arrival, I had never been happier to be in a grocery store in all my life. We got what we needed and put our groceries on the boat and waited. We decided to kill some time at a little bar by where the boat was docked and have some beverages. The water, the scenery and smells were all so beautifully relaxing to me. The waters in Belize are the clearest blue, green I have seen. It was truly breathtaking.

Finally we were on the boat, heading to our hotel. The boat ride was about twenty minutes and of course beautiful. The wind and water spraying in your face, cooling me down, was exactly what I needed. Watching all the beautiful houses pass was pleasing as well. As fun as the boat ride was, I was happy to arrive at our destination. The place was called the Costa Maya Reef Resort; made up of separated houses for privacy, which I thought was really cool. We had an entire bottom floor of a house to ourselves. It was spacious, nice and very accommodating. Once we got settled, we began to plan our activities for the week.

The reason I say that Belize was the best trip I’ve been on is because of all the activities I was able to experience. Zip-lining through the Mayan jungle with howler monkeys hooping and hollering off in the distance was probably my favorite part. As a nature lover, I thought the rainforest was incredible to get to walk/fly through. Next was cave-tubing and what an awesome time that was. Floating in black inner-tubes through the river and into a cave was the perfect way to cool down. Our guide forgot to mention that the river had fish in it, just swimming under us, until after we were done—which was definitely for the best, or I’m sure I would have freaked out. The cave was infested with bats, sleeping away, which was also very cool to see. Before this trip, I had never had the opportunity to go scuba diving. We did our practice session with our guide in the resort’s pool. Then after we learned all the essentials, we headed out to a dive. If I can remember correctly, I believe we dived down to about 60 feet. Talk about an experience! Being able to be under water for such an extended period of time was so foreign to me. I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by it all, but I quickly gave into and it was incredible. Getting to swim with all the fish and sea life was remarkable. We even got to swim through an underwater cave with an electric eel right beside me. I thought I was going to die, but it was totally worth it.

There are so many other activities that were available to the resort (snorkeling, deep sea fishing, nature hikes, Mayan ruin hikes, etc). If you want a fairly cheap, super exciting and activity filled exotic trip, then Belize is the place for you! Plus it’s an English speaking country so there are no language barrier problems. Amazing and beautiful place and I would recommend it to anyone.

http://www.travelbelize.org/

http://www.goambergriscaye.com/