I created the “Travellers’ Tales” section to give my readers and other travellers an opportunity to talk about their travels. Today I would like to introduce you to Meghan, a full-time teacher based in Washington DC. Visit her blog at "The Traveling Teacher " .
I would love to hear about your travels too. Go to “Travellers’ Tales” , fill in the quick questionnaire and email it to me with your blog links.
My name is Meghan – I’m originally from Texas, but now I live in Washington, DC where I am a full-time teacher! I love my job and living in DC, but am always itching to get away on another adventure. I live on a pretty strict budget, but make it a priority to travel different places around the globe. Anything is possible when you plan ahead and have the drive!
My earliest travel memory is with my family to Colorado. I’ll never forget the time we spent as a family camping, hiking, and exploring there. We went almost every summer growing up because it was affordable, within driving distance, and beautiful.
One of my most vivid first memories is boulder hopping in Garden of the Gods at a very young age (I was probably about 7). We climbed these big rocks next to a lake and just had too much fun exploring. I remember how powerful I felt climbing around on the rocks and how exhilarating it was to be high up and confident that I could climb without falling.
I just came back from Paris where I found an amazing deal – 4 days (flight + hotel) for $500. It was an incredible trip and I got to see so much in just a week. I loved it!
Notre Dame
The best thing we did was probably seeing so many beautiful places almost empty. We went to Sainte Chapelle and it was completely empty, which made for such a unique experience. I’ve been to other places in Europe like Rome and London where we were all crammed into these gorgeous places and it just wasn’t as personal as this time in Paris. I connected with the city way more because there just weren’t crazy crowds and we were able to fully take in places alone in them.
My best holiday ever was to Peru. Peru is so unique and absolutely beautiful. It was my first time going to South America and I was blown away. We hiked through the Amazon, went to the coast, and hiked to Machu Picchu. The four days getting to Machu Picchu were the best. We swam in waterfalls, biked down a mountain, white water rafted, ziplined, hiked, and visited hot springs. After four days, we made it to Machu Picchu and it was so unique and beautiful. Highly recommended!
Of course you have to hike Machu Picchu, but really, don’t miss everything else about Peru. There are so many incredible things to do there and to just visit Machu Picchu is just a shame because there is so much more to Peru. So when I think about what you must do there, I say - more than Machu Picchu! Adding another city won’t be expensive and you will get to experience so much more.
One of my oldest friend’s and I reconnected a few years back after we both went through break ups and have since become travel besties! We’ve now visited four continents together – Europe, Asia, South America, and North America. We travel so well together it is crazy! We love exploring and are always open to trying new things which makes us great travel companions.
One thing I must have while traveling is my phone. I take all my photos with it, use it to pull up itineraries and documents, and for Google. It’s become a necessity. Plus, my wireless service has free international service so how can I pass that up?
If you want to travel on a budget, don’t have a specific destination in mind. Look for deals, not destinations. I have found amazing deals for Peru, Paris, Greece, LA, the list goes on! While these places were on my bucket list, I didn’t say, “In June, I’ll go to Peru!” This would leave me inflexible and unable to find an amazing deal. Instead I said, “What is the cheapest destination and on my bucket list?” Then, I found deals all over the world and was able to pick one in my price range. So, don’t box yourself in and keep an open mind for new destinations if you want to travel on a budget!
The one continent I haven’t been to is Australia. I really want to get there soon! I am hoping in the next three years I can make it happen. Not only does it look beautiful, but it also has the best surfing and snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef would just be the coolest thing ever.
Great Wall of China
I was in China and lost my train ticket. While in other places this wouldn’t be as big a deal, here it was really difficult. It’s very hard to find people who speak English in China. We ran all over the train station trying to find someone who could help us or tell us what to do. We were already inside and had been checked through security and everything. We were unable to find anyone to help us without leaving the station. Once we left, they would not let us back in. Then we had a problem getting tickets without cash and could not speak to the attendant without a translator.
We had to go find an ATM and ended up missing the train. There were no more trains available that day or the next day in the station we were in so we had to take a cab across Shanghai to get to another train station that had tickets available to Beijing. We ended up having to stay overnight at a hotel near the train station and get on a train the next day.
We lost all our money we spent on the train plus we had to buy new tickets and almost missed seeing the Great Wall. It was a total fiasco and I felt so bad because I was the one who lost my ticket. The worst part was that later on, one of my friends who lives in China told me they would have just let me on the train if I had shown my passport. If only I was able to find someone I could talk to inside the train station.
Blog: http://www.meghanthetravelingteacher.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meghanthetravelingteacher
Twitter: https://twitter.com/megstraveling
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meghan_elise_
Thank you, Meghan , for sharing your fascinating travels with us!
I would love to hear about your travels too. Go to “Travellers’ Tales”, fill in the quick questionnaire and email it to me with your blog links.
Who will I feature next? I’ve got an exciting line-up ahead. Make sure you subscribe to the free newsletter so you don’t miss out on some exciting travel tales.
Sara Essop is a travel blogger and writer based in South Africa. She writes about family travel and experiences around the world. Although she has been to 50 countries thus far, she especially loves showcasing her beautiful country and is a certified South Africa Specialist.
