People would say traveling alone is scary, and I would agree. I was scared because I was traveling without my family for the first time.  When I was 14, I traveled unescorted to Chicago during Christmas of 2019 to stay with my uncle, but everything turned out okay.  

   The reason I had decided to travel alone was because my family in Miami could not get days off from their job to travel with me. While I feared traveling, I came to realize it is not that scary. Once I got to Chicago I experienced many things, such as seeing snow and riding on a train but most importantly, I got to experience Christmas and New Year’s somewhere else and with another part of my family and friends. 

    After a long flight, I decided to rest. Once I had woken up from my nap, I went out to the living room with my family members to spend some quality time bonding over movies such as: Escape Room, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark. The next day it was decided we would go out and explore the stores, restaurants, and parks.  

   If I had to pick what was my favorite thing in Chicago it would most definitely be that all the people that were friendly and cared for each other. It was also interesting to notice that buildings in Chicago do not have any colors to them because during the snowy season colors tend to fade away unlike the colorful buildings of Miami. 

   The difference between Chicago and Miami would be that Chicago is a bigger and older city. The reason I would prefer to go back to Chicago would be because I have a lot of family members residing there. In Chicago, I had a lot of fun laughing and making memories with them.  

    I would like to go back to see the snow again and visit many more places I could not experience at the time. My time in Chicago has inspired my love for travel, and while I may not be able to visit all the places I’d like to right now, I will someday. 

Tips to traveling alone

– Bring a neck pillow for comfort

– Bring a blanket

– Make sure to eat good before boarding onto the plane

– Bring headphones and/or a book to read

– Bring toiletries to keep fresh on the plane.