...my final submission as STA Travel's World Traveler Intern. I've finished all the blogs and videos, and I've transferred all my photos to the powers that be. And now I'm in for that great transition back to not only life in the United States, but also life here at Miami University. So, I politely address all my professors and ask them to please be gentle with me if I momentarily gaze into space during lectures; it's not you, it's me. I know you've heard that before, but this time it's true!

You see, I've just returned from an around-the-world journey on the dime of STA Travel. As their World Traveler Intern, I voyaged to fifteen countries on three continents in a span of just under twelve weeks. My days were filled with planes, trains and automobiles; elephant rides, bamboo rafting, and white-water maneuvers like you've never seen (mainly because I was a novice and patented some rather awkward paddle dips). I blazed through Europe in a fit of glory, hopped over to China to work with endangered species, fell in love
with Thailand as I trekked its hills and lived with the hill tribes, and finally ventured to Australia to indulge in some adventure activities.

I'm sure by this point you're all wondering: why on earth would STA Travel want to send an intern around the world on her own? And then there's the obvious next question: why you, Rachel? Those, my friends, are terrific questions. STA Travel just launched their World Traveler Internship this summer in order to inspire others to travel. Of course, the people behind the desks realize it doesn't take too much to make a college kid want to bolt from behind his or her desk and hit the tropics. However, brochures aren't too interactive. And, as appealing as a photo or a travel agent's fact sheet about a given country may appear, it's hard to get a grasp on the experience before
you go. I mean, if you're going to be shelling out your hard earned cash to take a trip, you want to know it's worth it!

That's where I come in. I've explored the globe this summer with five different tour companies in order to bring the experience to all of you. I took a mind-boggling number of photos, made several films per trip, and wrote my blogs along the way so that you know how the tours really feel on this end of the deal. The words and images are all my own, and the Giant Pandas in the videos are real (not men in suits doing some sad reenactment of my days in China)! The most fantastic part of the voyage is that I was chosen simply because I hold a passion for travel. In fact, I live to travel, love writing and media arts (although I have no formal training in either), and I've used every opportunity I've had at college to make my way abroad again and again. Somehow my passion and all the loans I've gotten to study abroad were legitimized this summer with STA Travel's internship – the ultimate reward for curiosity and a desire to share my knowledge with others.

So, how about a little storytelling? I'd love to share with you a brief glimpse into the life I was lucky enough to lead this summer! [Find me and tell me later if any of this inspires you to go abroad. I'll feel superb.] Believe it or not, these are just some of the highlights, so you'll have to have to check the website for more info!

Living with the hill tribes of Northwest Thailand. Volunteering to care for Giant Pandas in central China. A visit to see The David in Florence. Elephant riding in Thailand. Opera in the hills of Tuscany. Eating genuine pad thai and sweet and sour chicken in Asia. White-water rafting in Austria. Dancing on stage with the aboriginal people of Australia. Wine-tasting in Germany's Rhine Valley. Skydiving over the most easterly point of Australia (which meant ocean and mountains, people). Bungee-jumping in the rainforest (also Oz, of course). Watching ancient tea and dance ceremonies in China. Climbing the Swiss Alps. Scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Visits to the night markets of Hong Kong. Promenades on the Charles Bridge and tasting of the local brew in Prague. Bamboo rafting in Thai jungles. A night at a Parisian cabaret after watching the Eiffel Tour light up with twinkling lights at dusk. A sunrise hot air balloon ride over Australia on my final morning as the STA Travel World Traveler Intern.

Talk about a full itinerary! And guess what, ladies and gentlemen: travel abroad is also within your reach. But, you'll have to start acting on those grand ambitions now if you want to make the most of the freedoms of youth and summer.

That's where travel resources come into play. If you want to take a trip, well, you know the people to call (hint: I worked for them this summer). If you want to study abroad, utilize Miami's resources – they're fantastic. As a double-major in International Studies and Spanish, I can pretty well justify a semester or two abroad. Yet, a lot of you majors seem to think that adventures overseas are impossible beyond the brief (and often blurry) spring break visits to locales like Cancun. I beg to differ! I argue that you can have long and only periodically blurry stays in nations around the globe, soaking in the culture and language with the locals, and still managing to get those credits to transfer back to Miami.

How? Well, where do you want to go? ... Oh, that sounds good. Write that one down. In fact, write down 3 or 4 places if you don't know where you'd like to go yet; I did the same thing before deciding on my semesters in Spain and Scotland. Then bring your list to the Study Abroad Office, and they'll take you for a whirl around the vast and colorful programs room. Read up on the programs and countries, then hit up your department office to check credit transfers. Just make sure that you have a solid idea (if not a signed sheet from the department) of what will transfer for your major once you return. Check back in the Office of Study Abroad for scholarship options, and get on that early; if I recall correctly, deadlines for any given year actually fall in the early spring of the preceding year!

Then, it's application time. Submit your stuff to the program of choice, and turn your forms in to the Study Abroad Office. Exhale. Cross your fingers. Inhale. Exhale. Continue like that until you get the acceptance letter.

It really is that easy. It's the settling of classes and finance, and then deciding on which incredible foreign locale to call home. My course of study has inspired me to explore our vast planet for the cultures that inhabit it, the languages spoken, and so on. Maybe for you the passion's found in business, geology, or communications. I assure you - they have companies, rock formations, and conversations in every country imaginable. It's your turn to explore your passions in those lands of faraway.

Whether you're planning to study abroad or just make a jaunt over the summer, the staff in every office of either Miami University or STA Travel will bend over backwards to help you. They did that with me, and I've seen them do that with innumerable others. Ask them questions, and you won't believe the store of knowledge you find. Share your thoughts or concerns, and they'll meet you with answers and encouragement. Let them help guide you to the point of liftoff, then see the world with your own eyes.

I now return to Miami having grown immensely from my journey with STA
Travel. This summer I was amused, moved, and challenged. I was awed,
empowered, and humbled by the beauty of each place I visited. I was given an opportunity to see the world through both the eyes of a student and the eyes of just another curious citizen of our great planet. And, for each moment that I lived during those travels, I am grateful and I am bettered.

So, I extend a great arms-in-the-air-because-I'm-so-excited-and-may-want-to-hug "Thank You" to STA Travel for giving a poor college girl the adventure of a lifetime, and I share the same gratitude with Miami University for preparing me to meet this challenge head on.

Now it's your turn. Make travel happen, and then come back and tell us all about it.