January 1, 2016November 28, 2017

Best and Worst Travel Moments of 2015

The past 365 days (minus the most recent few) have been filled with incredible experiences, new people, and new places, and I’m coming into 2016 even more inspired to continue adventuring than ever before.

I thought I would finish off 2015 and start off 2016 by reflecting on my best (and worst) travel moments of this particular annum, and start thinking about my direction for the new year.

I’ll skip the sentiment of saving the best for last and dive right into the highlights:

Best: Hiking the Inca Train Tracks to Machu Picchu

Nearing the end of my South America backpacking trip, I was too short on time (and oxygen) to hike the Inca Trail, and I was too poor to take the train. So, with no other options and an innate, tangible need to see the famous must-see tourist spot, I took a maze of busses, mini-busses, taxis, and hiked (walked) 14 kilometers along the train tracks to the town of Aguas Calientes, turning a potentially pocket-emptying trip into a sub $20 one (excluding food and accommodation in Machu Picchuville, and the admission to the UNESCO site itself.)

It was the best because it was the most backpacker-style thing I could have done to see a World Heritage Site visited by millions who spend hundreds to get there, and I felt like I was cheating the system. It was fantastic, and gave me so much more satisfaction when taking my picture from the lookout point on Machu Picchu Mountain.

Worst: Getting a Kidney Stone Right Before Going to Patagonia

I would go so far as to say I’m a healthier-than-average person. I eat my fruits and veggies, I (try to) exercise, and I’ve never needed to be hospitalized. I’ve never even had minor surgery, like getting my wisdom teeth out (I’m still putting that off as long as I can). So when I suddenly got hit with literal gunshot-wound pain in my left abdomen, I thought I was going to die.

Driving through Buenos Aires in the taxi to the hospital, I remember looking over to Karl and asking, “WHAT COLOR ARE THE WHITES OF MY EYES? I THINK I’M IN LIVER FAILURE.” After years of watching House, I was sure it was either that or some other ridiculous complication that would require a team of diagnostic specialists and a flight back to the states. After about 6 hours at the hospital in excruciating pain, I was given an IV of painkillers and was told I had a kidney stone.

The next week was spent trying to pass the stone and overcome the supposedly childbirth-like pain while in a country that doesn’t believe in Vicodin. I was prescribed a lower dose of ibuprofen than I would usually take for a headache. It was rough, and I was terrified I wasn’t going to be able to hike Torres del Paine.

A few hours before my 4 am flight to Ushuaia, Argentina, I experienced the worst pain I’d had since I’d been in the hospital, and I knew it was time. I took a hot bath to help the kidney stone through and tried to invent helpful yoga poses to facilitate an open ureter. Finally, about an hour before I had to leave my apartment, the pain went away—and it stayed away. I was find to hike Torres del Paine, and the rest of the trip was fantastic.

I know something was watching out for me, though—karma? God? Who knows. But had

that stone decided to wait another week to pop out of my kidney, I would have been in the middle of the woods in Southern Chile, helpless and unable to get medical care. That thought terrifies me, and I definitely plan to get checked for future kidney stones before embarking on any extended trips in the future.

Best: Torres del Paine, Chile

Hiking the W circuit in Torres del Paine National Park was one of the most frustrating but rewarding things I’ve ever done. Over the course of 6 days, my friends and I hiked over 60km through the hands-down most beautiful part of the world I have ever experienced. The part that made it the best was how difficult it was and how accomplishedI felt when I got to the end after running at a dangerous pace down hill on the very last stretch just to make it in time for the bus.

I wasn’t anticipating a leisurely stroll through one of the world’s most famous hikes, but I had definitely underestimated my athletic abilities and my capacity to live in nature. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this was my first-ever legitimate camping experience.

The second-best part of Torres del Paine was the hamburger that we all had when we got back to Puerto Natales. Each of them were about the size of a small puppy, and included basically a full avocado, a fried egg, and anything else that those genius Chilean cooks could think of.

Worst: Torres del Paine, Chile

Torres del Paine was awesome, but SO challenging, and this was only worsened by my very stupid purchase of a sleeping bag with an insufficient temperature rating. News flash: Southern Chile is COLD, and this is heightened when you are just a few kilometers from a glacier, your clothes are wet, and your sleeping bag is a joke. I almost never slept, and I especially didn’t wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the hike.

Because of this, my attitude was really affected for most of the hike. I was negative, constantly annoyed with Karl, and just generally dreading taking each step. There countless times where the beauty of the park overshadowed my lack of rest and brightened my outlook, but for the most part I was probably not very fun to be around. Sorry guys.

Best: Montevideo, Uruguay

Karl and I opted to go to Montevideo when choosing between the Uruguayan capital and Iguazu Falls purely because it was the cheapest option. It turned out to be my favorite weekend trip, and I found so much happiness, peace, and sunshine in the tranquil city that it would be one of my top choices for expat life (in the event that Trump is elected, of course).

Everyone we met was about five notches above friendly. People would go out of their way to help us find our way and make recommendations to us. Our hostel staff was incredible, and during a bus ride around town we were offered assistance by not one but three Uruguayans who were excited we were visiting their city and wanted to show us what they love about it.

Montevideo is Buenos Aires’ clean, calm, and friendly little brother. They still maintained Rioplatense culture found in both cities, but the harsh outer shell that can often make Buenos Aires seem unfriendly was missing. It was a perfect weekend in all aspects, and I can’t wait to visit again.

Worst: Mar del Plata, Argentina

Another beach town several hours from Buenos Aires is Mar del Plata, which prior to visiting I was not aware was home to the most crowded beaches I’ll probably ever visit. I do not like large groups of people congregated together, and when all those people are in bathing suits, it adds an even less appealing quality to an already uncomfortable situation.

Don’t get me wrong—I had a lot of fun renting an AirBnB with my friends, cooking our own meals, and reading while looking out into the Atlantic Ocean, but the entire time I was kicking myself for not choosing a more secluded beach where old Argentines wouldn’t glare at me from behind their sunglasses and where I wouldn’t get sand kicked into the pages of my book with each passerby.

Best: Seeing Bon Iver at Eaux Claires Festival, Wisconsin

This was the closest-to-home travel that will appear on this list, but it is definitely one of the highlights. I was lucky enough to attend Eaux Claires, a first-time music festival not far from my “hometown” in Wisconsin that was founded and curated by Justin Vernon, the creator of Bon Iver and countless other music projects.

I’ve been to music festivals before, most notably Lollapalooza in 2013, and Eaux Claires was nothing like that. It was not only a music festival but also an art festival, so there were installations around the festival grounds and there was always something interesting going on. Instead of drunk teenagers in rage gear popping dance drugs and rolling in the mud, the majority of attendees were part of a middle-aged hippie crowd who listen to Twin Cities radio station 89.3 The Current and shop at organic co-ops. There was a lot of blanket-sitting, music-appreciating, and good vibes floating around all weekend, and everyone at our campsite was respectful and mature (except maybe us, the youngest and largest crowd there)

I’d been a fan of Bon Iver since 2008, and unfortunate circumstances had always prevented me from attending any of their infrequent shows. Standing near the main stage in a sea of awesome people listening to one of my favorite bands play new music and old music with a twist was the highlight of my summer back in the states, and I hope that I see more of Bon Iver and Justin Vernon in the future.

Worst: Reverse Culture Shock

Lets just say that other than Eaux Claires Festival and a short trip to Colorado for the wedding of my boyfriend’s cousin, my summer was pretty bleak. Immediately after returning home from 5 months in South America, I went back to work at the Fireworks Outlet, which had been my high school summer job. After that, I moved back to Minneapolis and worked at the University of Minnesota Bookstore, my college job located in the basement of the student union.

I spent almost every day of the summer indoors after months of exploring cities and National Parks. I didn’t get to travel because I didn’t have any money, and the realization that my grand adventure was over made me sink into a depression that lasted a few months. I was working jobs that I hated and despite sending out my resume and cover letters to dozens of places, I couldn’t land a relevant internship and I felt like my senior year of college was about to be a bore.

Things improved drastically when the fall semester started, but for those few months I constantly felt stuck, dead, asleep, contained by routine, and like a huge part of my life was either missing or over.

Best: Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina

I’ve never been so moved than when I was standing on the balcony in front of a 300-foot tall and hundreds of square miles wide glacier in El Calafate, Argentina, watching patiently and peacefully for pieces to fall off and be lost forever to the lake below.

I was literally watching climate change in action. Photos along the walkway showed how significantly the glacier had receded in the last decade, and I felt incredibly guilty for feeling a pang of excitement when I heard the thunderous crack of a giant chunk of ice break from the monster and send the sea quaking. It was incredible and moving to watch, but I’m afraid that this experience is something that many future generations will never have. I’m happy to have had it and it was one of the highlights of my South America trip, possibly even more so than seeing Machu Picchu, but it left me worried for the future of our planet and other incredible things like this whose clocks are ticking—it gave me a sense of urgency to travel before it is too late.

Worst: Food Poisoning in the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

The Salar de Uyuni was absolutely one of my top bucket list items—but unfortunately a nasty bout of food poisoning kept

me from experiencing it the way that I had dreamed about after watching countless GoPro travel videos on youtube and planning out the crazy photos I would take on one of the flatest landscapes in the world.

Karl and I took a 4-day tour from Tupiza, driving around with another couple (shoutout to Sarah and Tom from the UK!) in a land cruiser with our own personal driver and cook. However, by night #2 I found myself running to the bathroom in our hostel not one, not two, but NINE times to throw up. Food poisoning and altitude sickness had hit me hard, and I was out of commission for at least the next week. The most I could do when we finally arrived at the Salar de Uyuni was sit, and even getting out of the car was difficult. Sarah ended up with the same illness I had, and it wasn’t until we were on a bus from Uyuni to Potosi that Karl discovered he too was infected. Several doggy bags and a t-shirt turned rag later, and we were off the bus and ready for a solid few days of rest before continuing to La Paz.

Good thing we chose the highest altitude city in the world to hibernate, right?

Best: Adventures to Come in 2016

Although this is an incredibly brief list, it doesn’t encompass nearly all of my highs and lows of travel that 2015 held. I’m even more excited about 2016, because the work that I have been doing the last few months is all going to pay off.

Since November, I’ve been interning at a company called World Endeavors, which creates customized international internships and volunteer positions as well as facilitates study abroad trips. It is the first job I’ve had where I feel like the work I’m doing is truly benefiting other people and working towards a good cause, and I look forward to coming into the office every day and spending time with wonderful, like-minded people. I’m not even halfway through my internship and I’m already sad to leave.

I will also spend the Spring of 2016 as a campus ambassador for the website College Tourist, where I will be writing biweekly articles on student travel and participating in social media and other projects. It’s nothing big, but it will be great writing experience and I’m looking forward to meeting my fellow writers!

Last but not least, I also started working at a startup travel company called Travel Young Outdoor Adventures, and I’m extremely excited to announce that I will be co-leading their first ever international backpacking trips this summer to South America and Europe! I’m overjoyed to have legitimate travel plans in the works, and so excited to be revisiting some of my favorite places and also exploring new destinations. If all goes well, this could turn into a full-time gig—something I’m dedicated to making happen.

(Oh yeah, and I’m going to Cuba over spring break!)

2015 has been a great year for travel, but I know that 2016 will hold even more as I graduate college and start life in the real world. It may sound cliche, but I am completely committed to following my dreams of both traveling the world and encouraging other people to travel, and so far I think I’m doing pretty well.

If someone had told me a year ago today that this is what I would be looking forward to in 2016, I don’t think I would have believed them—so here’s to the adventures ahead!