Go to a place by yourself that you’ve never been before.

“At the hotel there was a young man that took me to my room through the rain (an outdoor entrance), and it was the first time I really felt nervous. It was after midnight, dark, storming, and not to mention this guy had keys to every room. I was so anxious that I put my big suitcase in front of the door as a deterrent. I went to sleep, and I told myself not to be afraid just like I always do whenever I’m scared. In the morning there were maybe 6 others on our small bus, and solo me ended up in the passenger seat next to the driver. The ride was not for the faint of heart and I had a front row view, OH MY! I read that many people get sick on the curvy, bumpy, tiny mountain roads, but luckily I didn’t. He drove me down a dirt road with a few houses on it and dropped me off. I was surrounded by a big, beautiful forest and a small, cute orange house planted right in front of me.”

“I spent a total of five days and four nights in the coastal city of San Diego. I knew two days would be designated traveling days, which left me three full days to enjoy time alone in a place I’d never been before. I had no itinerary for my day-to-day activities, but I did have an idea of the places I wanted to visit and things I wanted to try (which mostly happened to be free). Some of the places I had the pleasure of seeing included: La Jolla, Torrey Pines, Ocean Beach and, of course, the actual downtown itself. If it were up to me, I would’ve loved to spend my entire trip getting to know the coastline and the beaches it offers. Just that pocket of California alone was so stunning I forgot all about my native coast. Each place had a vibe of its own that made it so easy to fall in love with. In some locations I’d spend the majority of my time hiking and swimming, while other spots offered amazing thrift shops and street food. There was so much to enjoy that I forgot everything about life back East – especially, school.”