Look for souvenirs outside the gift shop.

When traveling, try to avoid gift shops when purchasing souvenirs. There will be unique and original findings when visiting street vendors and random stores you come across while traveling. Looking for original art became a thing for me when I took my first international trip to Europe. While visiting Europe, my goal was to find an original art piece from both France and Spain; I found my artwork on the streets from the artist themselves.

Try traditional foods

Food is cooked differently all over the world. It would not be a trip if you did not try a dish that is well known in the area you visit. Trying traditional foods is like tasting a little bit of the culture. During my first visit to Louisiana, my college friend made sure before I headed back to South Carolina, I tried an original Po Boy, southern Louisiana gumbo, and beignets from Café Du Munde.

Explore off the beaten path 

When traveling, everything doesn’t need to be planned by hour and every minute of the day. There must be some leisure during the trip that will allow you to relax and explore certain things with no time constraints. When visiting Spain, I wanted to see an art museum, and my best friend wanted to find Ice Bar Barcelona. We had a pretty tight schedule while traveling abroad; however, throughout the trip, we tended to adventure away from the tour group, most times were by accident, and a few were planned. Some of our best memories were created off the beaten path.

Visit a historical attraction.

Visiting historical attractions will allow you to gain more knowledge of the area you are visiting. Exploring historical places can open your mind to new things and drive your desire to take on more adventures. When exploring historical sites, I find the history of being intriguing.