A new country

For the last week, I have been on my “senior trip” to Europe. A trip is very different than a vacation. Vacations are about relaxing and trips (especially homeschool trips to foreign countries) are about seeing the culture, learning the history, and walking around the city as much as possible. It’s a lot of fun and it provides a lot of new experiences. I thought I’d do something much different this week and just write about some things I’ve learned from travelling. I don’t travel a lot and rarely go out of the U.S., so I’m far from an expert. But I noticed a few things and found some tips to remember for travelling. 


Seek to enjoy every moment. When you’ve just walked for thirty minutes in the freezing cold and gotten lost twice and haven’t eaten all day, it’s really hard to find joy. But I promise, if you look closely you can find it. This applies to everything in life. Trials will hit, it won’t always be a vacation with sunshine and rainbows. And when your feet hurt from moving forward, sometimes it’s easy to see all the negatives and feels impossible to take another step. So find a reason to smile. Think of what God has given you and find joy in that. 


Plan ahead. This should go without saying, but unfortunately it doesn’t always. Research the place/country you’re going and decide what you want to do. Don’t procrastinate!!!! Book a place to stay, learn about the best restaurants, look into the benefits of renting a car or using taxis. Maybe even learn some of the language, because that’s helpful. Also, just fyi, not every country has wall outlets like America…..if you want to charge a phone you may have to bring your own adapter. I figured that out the hard way. 


Always be confident. I’ve talked about confidence before, but it really gives you a lot of power. Confidence will help protect you from swindlers, communicate despite language barriers, and keep you from second guessing everything about your trip. Keep your chin held high and if you’ve made a decision that you believe is right and is the best for you, stick to it. A little confidence goes a long way, in life and in other countries. 


Immerse yourself in the culture. Don’t go to Burger King if you’re in a foreign country, try new things, ask the locals questions and enjoy what their city has to offer. Try new stuff, branch out, and experience as much of the place as you can. While you’re there, you may as well enjoy as much of the culture as you can.


Never judge a book by its cover. Octopus doesn’t look good, neither does shark. But they both taste good! So don’t judge things or people based off what they look like, appearances aren’t everything. People in other places have their own lives and their own struggles, it’s easy to forget that. Since you don’t know what people are going through, never give up an opportunity to share a smile, lend a hand, or spread joy in some way. Bless people even when it looks like they don’t need it. 



We went to Madrid, Burgos, and San Sebastian, Spain. It is a cool country with really nice people. Everything about this trip has reminded me of Proverbs 16:9 “the mind of man plans his way but the Lord directs his steps.” Things rarely go according to plan, we just have to learn to glorify God through all of it and find joy in every moment.