Andrus in Rome
You don't need lots of money or lots of freedom to travel these days. What you do need is a desire to explore, motivation, fearlessness and just the right circumstances to make it happen. Round Trip airfare to Europe can be had for as little as $800-$900 and you can get by on $25-$50 a day there if you stay in Hostels and use public transit. The Developing World (a nice way to say Third World Countries) is even more affordable.
I began my travels around the United States when I was eleven visiting many sites throughout the Southwest, then then next summer we traveled all up and down the East Coast. I was hooked. When I was sixteen I visited Europe for the first time with my sister (England, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein). I quickly discovered that my worldview as a teen growing up in Northern California was pretty limited. Travel expands your horizons and opens your mind like nothing else. The power of seeing firsthand other places, cultures and ways of life is undeniable. It was on that first Europe Trip, immersed in all that culture, history, coolness and oldness that I decided to dedicate my scholarly pursuits to teaching History and Literature and most of my leisure time to travel... To quote Comic Book Guy in the Simpsons Movie "Life well spent!"
