30 Travel Experiences to Make You Dust off Your Passport Right Now
Holy shit, everyone. I’m 30. Me. Me? Who let me into this club?
I thought when I turned 30, the meaning of life would open up and swallow me whole. I’d finally be grounded in my purpose and immune to insecurities. I’d know what I want to be when I grow up. I’d be confident, cool, collected.
Instead, I’m awkward as ever, generally prone to imposter syndrome and still exploring ways to make the life I want a reality. But one thing I’m grateful not to have to question is this: I have lived.
Travel tore me open. It made me realize how small my world once was, how limited my perspective and understanding. It showered me with reasons to stay inspired, infused with awe and gratitude. Reflecting back, I’m still in disbelief that these travel experiences are part of the fabric of my life.
These moments have been transformative, grounding and incredibly fun for me.
I wish nothing less for you and so, here they are. I hope you will recreate as many of these as possible, adding your own to the list as you go:
30 Travel Experiences to Make You Dust off Your Passport Right Now
Food + Drink
1. Eat waffles, mussels and pomme frites in Belgium
2. Savor pizza at its birthplace, in Naples
3. Try gelato in Florence, where its inventor Bernardo Buontalenti was from
4. Cozy up with Shepherd’s Pie in Ireland on a rainy day
5. Have lemon sorbet and seafood pasta in Sorrento, en route to the Amalfi Coast
6. Order paella in Valencia, where it originated
7. Enjoy ratatouille in France (even better if you do so at a local’s home in Marseille!)
8. Visit Omni Parker House Hotel where Boston Cream Pie was created, and have a piece or two
9. Order a sweet pastel de nata in Lisbon after a visit to the Jerónimos Monastery nearby
10. Dig into deep dish pizza in Chicago
Sights to See
11. Watch the Eiffel Tower light up in Paris
12. Admire the Duomo in Florence
13. See Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque at the same time, as you stand between them, and let the call to prayer wash over you in Istanbul
14. Check out the Tower Bridge in London
15. See the western-most point of Europe in Portugal
16. Get up close to Stonehenge in England
17. Take in the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona
18. Photograph beautiful architecture at Fisherman’s Bastion in Budapest
19. See Times Square in NYC
20. See Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City with your own two eyes
Things to Do
21. Walk in awe through Granada’s Alhambra Palace
22. Explore the Colosseum in Rome
23. Lose and find yourself in Morocco’s blue city, Chefchaouen
24. Couchsurf in Copenhagen
25. Take a solo trip to Porto, Portugal
26. Music-hop along Frenchman Street in New Orleans
27. Cruise the canals of Amsterdam
28. Swim in the Adriatic Sea off the Dalmation Coast
29. Cross bridges all across Venice
30. Chase the Northern Lights in Iceland
It’s incredible that even these are only a snapshot of my travel adventures, and there are so many more to be had! Here’s to 30+ more wanderful moments to come.
What’s on your travel bucket list? What should I add to mine?
Looking for even more inspiration to travel? Check out 31 of the Most Inspirational Travel Quotes of All Time
