The summer I turned eight years old, we traveled to Germany so that my dad could work on his German. The trip also included three days in London and three in Paris. I kept a little journal, full of misspellings, that kept track of watching the Changing of the Guard, climbing to the top of the Drachenfels, and even visiting the Eiffel Tower.

The summer I turned thirteen, my great-aunt organized a trip to Italy to tour all the best places and visit our Italian relatives. Since my grandmother didn't want to go, I got to go instead! (My parents were preparing for another trip to Germany.)

I credit these early trips with giving me a life-long love of travel, leading to a teaching degree for Spanish, a minor in German, fluency in Italian, and a year in Greece.That, of course, was just the beginning!