Almost everyone enjoys traveling to new places, with the exceptions of hermits, spinsters and agoraphobics.

And fortunately for me, I am none of those things. I can comfortably say traveling is a true passion of mine. I embark on a trip every chance I get.

At the age of 20 I’ve been to three continents and seven countries.

There is one ironic thing about my travels though: I’ve been on the roof of St. Gregory’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, but I haven’t been to New York City, one of my own country’s greatest landmarks. While my North American travel experience is lacking, I think my travels abroad classify me as a seasoned traveler.

My first trip abroad was to Brazil in 2005 . This trip taught me to not only appreciate beautiful sites but also learn about the culture of a place.

In my senior year of high school, I went on a 10-day backpacking trip across Eastern Europe. Our destinations included Venice, the “City of Bridges," and Prague, the “Paris of the East.” While this trip was fascinating and eye opening, it taught me rushing through cities and being highly scheduled isn’t the way to travel. It’s much better to linger and explore.

My most recent trip was in June 2009 to Barcelona, Spain. This trip was the perfect combination of my other trips. I stayed in the city long enough to explore and emerge myself in the local atmosphere.

Learn more about traveling to Barcelona.