Wanderlust Chronicles: A Journey through my Passion for Travel

Angeleah Parey

May 24, 2023

2 min read

Updated: May 26, 2023

Studying abroad in college unlocked my love for travel. I was lucky enough to visit Ireland and South Africa in 2013 as a sophomore. Those destinations showed me a whole new perspective on how people live and different cultures, and I feel it changed my life.

Cliffs of Moher in Ireland — Cliffs of Moher

After studying abroad, I didn't travel much the remainder of college but I knew I loved discovering and learning about new places. One of my college professors said this quote when talking about traveling somewhere new and seeing & experiencing things you're not used to - "It's not weird, it's different." I know that's not a hot take but it's always stuck with me. I often hear people say something is 'weird' when it's simply something they haven't seen or heard before. So I always try to remind myself that it's a privilege to learn about new cultures and see different parts of the world.

"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." – Henry Miller

With some small trips in the US throughout the years, the time finally came in 2018 to travel internationally again. My sister was studying abroad in Prague, Czech Republic and my dad and I planned a trip to visit her and even go to a couple other countries. This was one of the first big trips where I understood and appreciated how lucky I was to be able to travel the world.

Not only did we see Prague, but we took a day-trip to Dresden, Germany and spent a weekend in Budapest, Hungary. The latter was my favorite part of the trip and quite possibly my favorite country I've been to. This is heavily because I'm half Hungarian and my sister and I grew up with the Hungarian culture very involved in our lives. Seeing a place that has that type of deep meaning and connection to you feels surreal. We visited so many incredible landmarks and destinations and being there even helped my dad remember some Magyar (the Hungarian language) that he spoke with locals which was awesome to hear.

View of Hungarian Parliament from Fisherman's Bastion — Budapest, Hungary

Since then, I have mostly taken domestic trips within the US, apart from a Niagara Falls weekend, and I've slowly made traveling a part of my personality.

What I've discovered about myself is that I love traveling with people and getting to share those experiences with others. Solo travel has become more popular lately and I've done it a couple times, but I felt quite lonely. I want to love traveling alone so I may still take some small trips in the future but being with loved ones fulfills me so much more.

If you made it this far, thanks for being here and taking an interest in my travel experience! I plan to share more about my travels and life in general so stick around if you enjoyed.

Below are some of my favorite photos of places I've been :)