I enjoy exploring new destinations and immersing myself in the culture. Finding that “off the beaten path” restaurant, coffee shop, or hiking trail is always on my to-do list in the places I visit!

A journal and my phone. It has all the apps I need – Bible, GPS, and a research library.

When traveling to Pattaya, Thailand, the ministry team I was serving on focused on the sex/child trafficking that is openly prevalent in the city. Sitting in a bar and talking with one of the girls and hearing her story – what got her in that place, her hopes, and dreams for the future – cut to my core. While I walked the streets, the sheer number of girls was suffocating, the sadness in their eyes, some with visible tears, magnified the hopelessness that these young girls felt. What once was only a story in the news to me because it didn’t affect me, was now forefront and center and very real.

Travel has taught me that I am more adventurous than I once thought! It pushes me outside my comfort zone. I ask myself the question, “Will I have regrets if I don’t do this?” Sometimes I say no, but many times, I say absolutely! So, I stretch…and remind myself of five important words: It’s all about the experience.

I have only recently started traveling so I have many bucket list destinations. I love traveling to Thailand – the people truly are joyful, and the country is beautiful. BUT the national parks in the United States offer amazing beauty and hiking trails that I am salivating to discover. And then there is Tuscany, Italy….