How I Fell in Love with Travel

I was fourteen years old the first time I realized the world was a whole lot bigger — and more magical — than my little corner of Michigan.

That summer, I was lucky enough to join my eighth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Doran, on what can only be described as the ultimate junior-high adventure: five weeks wandering across Europe with a handful of girlfriends from school. As if that weren’t charming enough, we traveled alongside a group of Catholic school girls from Grosse Pointe and their endlessly patient chaperone, Sister Lou. (Let’s just say if sainthood is awarded for wrangling teenage girls across 8 countries, Sister Lou is more than qualified.)

Eight countries. Five weeks. One very wide-eyed fourteen-year-old.

I remember that feeling of stepping off the plane — the air smelled different, the languages sounded like music, and suddenly everything was exciting. Cafés spilled onto cobblestone streets. Churches had ceilings that made you look up and forget what you were about to say. Even the sandwiches tasted more… worldly. My passport became my favorite accessory, and my suitcase became my temporary home.

We slept on trains, ferries, and in tiny rooms that somehow held three or four of us — plus our laughter, secrets, and probably far too many snacks. We collected postcards instead of selfies, wrote letters home instead of texts, and learned the unofficial international language of pointing and smiling.

What I loved most wasn’t just the places — though seeing eight countries at fourteen will permanently stretch your imagination. It was the feeling.

The feeling of curiosity.

The feeling of “what’s around the next corner?”

The feeling of belonging everywhere and nowhere at once.

Travel, I learned, is a love story. And that summer in Europe was the spark.

Since then, I’ve carried that fourteen-year-old version of myself with me wherever I go — the girl with the wide eyes, the big grin, and the willingness to say yes to the unknown. And every stamp in my passport since then has felt a little bit like a love letter back to her.

I am forever grateful to my parents for giving me the opportunity to travel and see the world at such a young age. Traveling early in life ignited my love for exploring new places and played a huge role in shaping the woman I’ve become.

From JuJu, with love 💙