Travel Enthusiast’s Dream: Nina Ruggiero, Trailblazing Founder of ‘Be a Travel Writer’ Class!

Why Didn’t We Watch the Olympics This Year?

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Several weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me about the Olympics, being held in Beijing, China. As someone who lived in Beijing for 4 years, I was both intrigued and confused at the fact that I was barely aware the Olympics were even taking place. I’d like to explore why I, and some of … Continued

Life as an Expat in Beijing- What to Expect and How to Adapt.

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At age 11, I moved to Beijing and studied there for 4 years. A transformative experience, those years opened my eyes to understanding society, culture and privilege. With foreigners in Beijing making up around 0.4% of the population, privileges are inevitable. A good way to kick off my experience in Beijing is explaining the “celebrity … Continued

SheKnows: Explore Tel Aviv with me!

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This article first appeared on Sheknows with the title: “Studying in Israel as a teen gave me a lifelong love of travel:” As a teenager, I was allowed to travel for nine weeks with 150 friends from Los Angeles on a summer Ulpan in Israel. We studied, we laughed and we learned about ourselves. That … Continued

culture shock a practical guide

So, what’s culture shock?

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Enjoy this excerpt from Culture Shock – A Practical Guide by H.E. Rybol A Matter of Perception Culture shock is often talked about in terms of symptoms or phases. It’s about a series of ups and downs. It’s important to acknowledge those feelings because they are a gateway to what lies beneath, but we shouldn’t … Continued

Slow Cooked in Italy

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If you thrive off the fast-paced, high-pressured lifestyle which most big cities subject you to, then don’t even think about living in Italy; a country where the trains never run on time, shop owners enjoy three-hour lunch breaks, places close without warning and every meal is slow cooked certainly isn’t for everyone. It took me … Continued

Paris: A Home To Call My Own

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I remember it as if it were yesterday. Such an old saying yet no truer words have ever been spoken. Unless they were all lies. In this case the memories are fragments, growing shorter and shorter as years pass, but the happiness even in the crustiest corners of my mind remains true. It was an … Continued

South Africa: Finding My Field

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The Field I was sitting in the warm sunshine of a secluded field, surrounded by unfamiliar trees and bushes when it hit me. I’d done it. I had conquered my fears and mastered my trepidations, which lead me to have the most powerful moment of my life. I was proud of myself and in such … Continued

Running Away to Vienna

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The week before I left the States for Vienna, I cried a lot. It all started when a professor came into my spring term class at university and said the German summer study abroad program was short on students. And he was providing scholarships. Next thing I knew I had dropped out of school for … Continued

Letting out the Italian

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I pound on the door, knuckles slamming against the hard wood.  I wanted to call out for help, but other guests in the hotel were sleeping.  Pressing my head to the door, I jiggled the handle and felt my heart fall as it jerked to a stop with a solid clunk –I was locked in. … Continued

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