Outdoors Week: Hayley is Obsessed with…The World

March 21st-25th is Outdoors Week here at Like a Bird in honor of the launch of my second blog, co-authored by my fiance. (click HERE for more info) Our new blog is all about adventures, treasures and love. All regular posts will be going up this week, but with themes similar to the new blog. Our new blog launches next Monday, March 28th.

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“I’m Obsessed!” is a weekly series where one blogger (or artist, blog reader, crafter, etsian, etc) will share what they are currently obsessed with and why. If you’re interesting in writing a post for the “I’m Obsessed!” series please email me kendra[at]likeabirdblog[dot]com

This week, in honor of Outdoors Week, we have an awesome post from Hayley!

“Hi friends! I’m Hayley, over at see.hay.fly, a blog about an young American girl living in Germany for a year as an au pair. I love where I am in my life and where I have been, but there is still a lot for me to see and do because I am most definitely obsessed with, The World.”

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Cannon Beach, Oregon

I am most definitely obsessed with, The World.

That sounds nerdy, huh? Well good, because I am a nerd, and I also like to travel, a lot. A lot in the sense that I scour travel blogs and websites daily, I search through Google images for far off foreign places i must see, my favorite books are Anthropological Ethnographies, and I plan my future around my worldly dreams. I also have a thing for maps, and my favorite word is wanderlust.

Prague

My love affair with the world started as a young girl. I was lucky enough to have a family that loved to travel. Small trips down to Yosemite, long drives up to Oregon, a plane ride here or there, I loved it all. My obsession only grew when I began to learn about the rest of the world, during elementary school. As I got older, I was taught about the history and culture of these exciting places and I never looked back. When I started taking classes in college, my favorite ones were anything involving anthropology and/or geography. Now I can say that when I come home from Germany this summer, I will be officially majoring in International Studies with a Middle Eastern Concentration, and I couldn’t be happier.

Budapest

I really have been so fortunate to have seen so many great places in such a short time. In 2007, I traveled to Europe as a graduation trip with about 80 students. We went through Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Berlin, Paris, and London, with some quick stops in Bratislava and Dresden. It was an incredible experience and left me wanting more. In December 2009, I decided that I would spend the next year as an au pair abroad, and began that process. I left California in July, and here I am. Surprisingly, I haven’t been to too many U.S states. I have seen almost all of California and Oregon, and some of my other favorite American cities are Seattle, Chicago, Nashville, Maui (is that a city?) but Portland being my absolute favorite. I would love to take a cross country road trip sometime, and I also dream of seeing the Aurora Borealis in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Pisa

Since being here in Europe as an au pair, I have seen a lot more of Germany that I hadn’t been previously exposed too and took a two week holiday in Italy with my host family. I also have a trip to Scotland coming up in 2 weeks. But, my new favorite European city has got to be Amsterdam. You really must go, it is beautiful, lively, and full of culture old and new. My dream trip would include Greece, Croatia, the Middle East, Egypt, Thailand, and Indonesia. A girl can dream, right?!

Amsterdam

The best part about traveling and experiencing the world is exposing yourself to the unknown. There is adventure everywhere, and you can find it through new languages, food, ways of life, traditions, customs, and gorgeous destinations. Also, traveling the world is easier than it sounds. There are a number of ways to do it, and resources to get you started. You could be an au pair, or find another job over seas, there are also many working travel programs for those who go at it alone, or with volunteer organizations. One thing I plan on doing is either studying or interning abroad in the Middle East advocating for women and children, and I really can’t wait.

Germany

Life is one great big adventure, and you only get to do it once, so if you are thinking about pursuing your own love affair with the world and all of it’s different people and places to see, or maybe you just have a travel itch, go for it. Traveling the world is a high that is actually beneficial if followed, so go do it!

Find Hayley at see.hay.fly

(All images in the post were taken by Hayley on her travels.)