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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSD chapter.

I have always been someone who has loved exploring new places and learning about different  cultures. Throughout my life, I have been fortunate enough to go to so many incredible places and have developed a passion for traveling. It has inspired me to have so many goals in the future, from saving up for a gap year/study abroad program in Italy after graduation, to wanting to choose a career path that involves going to lots of different places. I really love it when I stumble upon places that I did not plan to go to or even know about when planning my trip. However, my absolute favorite part of traveling is  the stories I come home with that I will remember for a lifetime. Here are some of my favorite stories from my travels so far:

  1. Fiji- Fiji probably has to be the most beautiful place that I have ever been in my life. While I will always remember the crystal clear oceans and sand that looked as if  it had never been stepped on, my journey home was definitely the most memorable part of the trip. As our tour guide said  his goodbyes to us at the airport, he pointed out that Jeff Probst, the host of the show “Survivor,” was going to be on our flight. At the time, I was a big fan of the show and started fangirling. When I got to my seat, I looked at the people across from me and thought they looked really familiar. It took me a while to realize that they were both previous winners of the show and that they must have just come back from filming a new season. I have told this story  countless times and still cannot believe the odds that this happened everytime I tell it. 
  2. Australia- If you ever go to Australia, you have to check out a wildlife park. Unlike zoos in America, the animals there are a lot less contained. I FaceTimed my mom and she could not believe that they were just hopping around. Right after hanging up the phone, I was trying to take a selfie with one of the kangaroos and I was knocked right down by it. I started cracking up because I would have never expected to get attacked by a kangaroo on my trip.
  3. Israel- I absolutely love cats and did not expect to see so many  when I got to Israel. After a long journey across the world, I was super excited to go to sleep in my hotel room. As I was opening the door to my room, two cats decided to follow me into the room and would not leave me alone. I tried everything I could to get them out of the room and the only thing that worked was walking outside and running back in before they could follow me. It was an adorable surprise and probably one of the most friendly interactions I have ever had with cats.
Tessa Scharff is a fourth year at UCSD studying Communication. She was born in raised in Los Angeles and is super thrilled to serve as both a writer and as the Marketing Co-Director of HerCampus this school year. In her free time, Tessa enjoys hanging out with her friends, working out at the gym, and exploring new places. Tessa plans on studying abroad this upcoming fall in Florence, Italy.