"To travel is to live" - Hans Christian Andersen
Hi, I’m Michelle Andersen. I have fallen head over heels in love with travel and have decided to share my experiences, in order to celebrate them and share what I have learned with others. Travel has been a huge part of my life before I even realized it. My family- Mom, Dad, and older sister- would take yearly summer vacations around the United States. You better believe we went to numerous museums, monuments, and national parks (and cemeteries because “that’s where history lives now,” according to my Dad). Sitting on a beach for a week was not in the picture with my Mom planning the itinerary.
In the Fall semester of 2017, I studied abroad in Namibia. (It is right above South Africa. Look it up). It’s a beautiful and diverse country filled with people who touched my heart. It also has a complicated history, including the colonization by Germans who committed the Herero-Nama genocide that laid some of the groundwork for the Holocaust in Germany to a South African apartheid rule with the legalized separation of races. Namibia has been through a lot but is still working to figure it out with 50/50 male-female representation in government, reparation talks, and innovative people who are incorporating solar power and other ways to advance their homeland. During my time there, I had a travel blog, which helped me process and share my experiences. I have decided to do the same with my other travels.
I have goals to visit all 50 USA states and all 7 continents. So far, I am at 25 states and Washington D.C. (I do not count “drive bys.” I will only count a state if I have done something there. There are plenty that I would still like to visit again, to explore more, and revisit favorite spots). I have been to 3 continents- North America, Europe, and Africa. 11 countries- England, France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Italy, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, the Netherlands, and Canada. Join me on my journey to See the World.
1) Arizona
2) California
3) Colorado
4) Florida
5) Illinois
6) Indiana
7) Iowa
8) Kentucky
9) Louisiana
10) Maryland
11) Massachusetts
12) Michigan
13) Missouri
14) Nebraska
15) Nevada
16) New Jersey
17) New York
18) North Carolina
19) Ohio
20) Pennsylvania
21) South Dakota
22) Virginia
23) Washington
24) West Virginia
25) Wisconsin
26) Wyoming