Television commercials lately have been so frustrating that I have been forced to switch to the radio. I cannot handle all of the campaign ads.
The commercials during the Olympics were great, watching Tiger Woods drive a Buick made me proud of my own Le Sabre, but now even Oprah’s revitalizing theme cannot overshadow the angry political messages.
After tuning out television I was met by a radio ad that helped me justify my summer adventure and my newfound financial concerns. The ad for Travelocity.com is geared toward students like us, and the last point it makes is how we will regret not traveling at this age when we are older. Its pivotal statement, “I was young, I was free and I never saw Asia,” tries to persuade you to visit the site and plan a trip. This is one commercial I actually agree with and it helps me justify my journey.
This past summer was the first time I ever left the United States. My friend Hilary spent the summer in London, so as soon as she finalized her plans we started planning the trip that we would take after her internship was finished. Somehow, we decided we wanted to see Italy, so that became our destination. During the course of the summer she saw England, Wales, Scotland and France so, needless to say, she was a good travel companion. While she blended into a crowd of foreigners, I looked more like a city slicker on a farm.
Most travel experts agree that you should travel in off-peak times and book your airfare about six months in advance. So of course, I bought my ticket about a month before our trip, and we ended up traveling during the most popular European travel time of the year.
My best decision was to ask everyone who I knew had been to Italy for advice. People love to talk about their vacations so I received a lot of great suggestions. Additionally, it was probably the only free part of the whole trip.
The next step was the highly anticipated trip itself. I thought that July would never end but finally the day came when I got to board a plane. If I was going to Italy tomorrow I would pack about one-third as much stuff in a big backpack with extra space for the items I would buy. I would probably bring one nice outfit, two wear-anywhere things and an extra pair of shoes. The flight over is really long so make sure that you bring a good book.
Another word to the wise: Do not eat the first airplane meal served. I made this mistake, and I will just say that it made for a very unpleasant trip. Once I finally got to London, I was a little travel weary so I was very pleased to see Hilary at the gate. London is a great first city to travel abroad to because there is no language barrier. It is also an awesome city. I got to see the Crown Jewels, Big Ben, Churchill’s underground war museum and so much more. I also got to meet Hilary’s summer fling. Even though she was a halfway around the world, she still met someone from the Midwest! Yet as much fun as London was, Italy was 10 times better.
In six short days we saw Rome, Florence, Venice, Sorrento and Naples. We stayed in some dumpy hostels and some awesome ones. Venice was the absolute highlight of my trip. If I had it to do over again I would not have made any reservations. You can almost always find a bed in a hostel if you look hard enough. And a word about hostels:Bring earplugs, eyeshades and flip-flops. Be sure also to immerse yourself in the culture.
Yes, my travels were expensive but so worthwhile. How many people can say they have a picture with their best friend in front of David’s behind? So I would recommend that you definitely try to travel while you are still young. Someday, we will have to answer to spouses, children, the mortgage, the car payment, the IRS, etc. So set some money aside and start planning. You will be glad you did.
Alison Schewe, a State News undergraduate columnist, can be reached at scheweal@msu.edu.
