Addie overlooking the Grand Canyon Mather Point Addie

Twenty Things to Do While Twenty

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 Recently, I turned 20 years old, which means that I’m officially no longer a teenager and should probably start taking on some adult responsibilities (or at least telling myself that I’m going to). Instead, I’ve decided to write a list of 20 irresponsible (travel related) things to do some time over the next year.

Addie overlooking the Grand Canyon Mather Point Addie

  1. Take a ‘pilgrimage’ to my homeland of Switzerland. Somehow, despite having a Swiss passport, I’ve only been to the country twice – once when I was six months old and once when I was ten. Twenty seems like the perfect time to make another trip.
  2. See the northern lights. Supposedly they pop up every once and a while where I live in Scotland, so I might not even have to travel for this one!
  3. Visit our family’s exchange student in Rotterdam. Hopefully, combined with a trip to Amsterdam.
  4. Hike and camp more.
  5. Visit the Scottish Highlands and try to find Nessie.
  6. Make a return trip to London.
  7. Go scuba diving. This one might be harder because I was planning on getting my PADI Open Diver certification while in Panama, but the combination of a recent head injury (passing out and hitting my head on a door frame after getting my cartilage pierced) and an even more recent oral surgery (I got my wisdom teeth out about 14 hours ago, at the time of writing this post, so you may not actually be able to hold me to any of this) put scuba diving firmly on the doctor’s list of things I’m NOT allowed to do for the next little while, and I have no idea when my next chance to go scuba diving will be after this.
  8. Visit at least one UNESCO World Heritage Site (even though my social anthropology lecturer tells me UNESCO is evil). I should be able to tick this one off in about a week and a half when I’m in Panama (Panama City’s Casco Viejo)!
  9. Explore more of my new hometown, which I have done criminally little of thus far – especially considering it’s a town incredibly popular with tourists!
  10. Go below the equator.
  11. Take a scenic train journey.
  12. Do yoga on the beach.
  13. Spend less money on travel while traveling more. The joke’s probably on me with this goal, but a girl can dream, can’t she?
  14. Make friends with an animal in another country.
  15. Spend a day wandering around a place I’ve never been without a map.
  16. Be more consistent with updating my travel blog – something that should hopefully be helped along by traveling more often!
  17. Have a meaningful cultural exchange not organized by an outside party.
  18. Worry less about visiting all of the top sites and more about discovering the real place.
  19. Take a girl’s trip!
  20. Just… travel. Even if I don’t do a single one of the things I just listed, I just need to suck up the bank account injuries and travel! After all, it’s the only thing that you can buy that makes you richer.

MY FAVORITE TRAVEL TIPS & RESOURCES

Booking Flights: The first place I turn when I’m searching for flights is actually just Google Flights - it’s great to figure out what sort of routes are available. Then, I check Skyscanner and Kiwi for deals. I also love Kiwi for its destination: anywhere feature!

Transportation: I love Omio for figuring out the cheapest way to get from one place to another, and Trainline for booking train tickets within Europe.

Accommodations: I absolutely love Booking.com for finding great hotel deals. After you stay a certain number of nights, you get Genius discounts! For hostels, Hostelworld is my go-to, and I use Airbnb occasionally as well (click here for $40 off your first booking!)

Travel Insurance: I knew that I shouldn’t travel without insurance for the longest time, but I really learned my lesson when I got an infected cut in Bali. Thank goodness I had travel insurance! I use and love World Nomads for their extremely comprehensive coverage.

Travel Insurance: I knew that I shouldn’t travel without insurance for the longest time, but I really learned my lesson when I got an infected cut in Bali. Thank goodness I had travel insurance! I use and love World Nomads for their extremely comprehensive coverage.

Tours: I always check Urban Adventures for great day tours of cities first–I’m obsessed with them! GetYourGuide and Viator are also great options. For multi-day tours, I highly recommend Intrepid.

Camera Gear: I use a Sony Alpha A6300 camera with an 18-105 mm lens and a 35 mm lens. My tripod is the MeFoto Backpacker Air and I loooooove it! I also use a DJI Mavic Air and a GoPro and which allow me to capture everything my regular camera can’t.

Addie Gray is a recent college grad and a passionate solo female traveler. Having traveled to more than 20 countries, she now shares her knowledge on budget travel, solo female travel, and travel photography.

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