After many, many hours of sitting in a cubicle, I came to the states ready to see some National parks and do some hiking! Jon (bf) and I started planning our big trip in January. We were headed North for the first time! The plan was to go to Badlands in South Dakota, Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, Glacier National Park  in Montana, Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, CA, Banff National Park in Alberta, CA, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, Englewood, CO (thanks Scally family for the bed), and then finally home to Springfield, MO.  We traveled over 4000 miles in a fiat and experienced 6 national parks!! (Blog posts for each park will be posted soon)

We would have preferred to go on this trip in July (less snow/more trails open), however I was only in the states from May 14th-July 2nd before going back to island life. Nonetheless, we had an incredible time and the trip was absolutely beautiful. If I could do it again, I would have stayed three days at Banff National Park, minimum. There was so much to see and do there.

It feels so good to be refreshed in time for term 3/4 of medical school, which begins July 2. Within one year of owning a national park pass ($80 investment), I have visited 14 national parks. I was wasting vacations, instead of making them count, before I started enjoying our nation’s parks. I have gained so much more from camping and hiking, than being drunk on the beach in Florida. If thats your cup of tea, I am happy for you, but have you been to a national park lately? I doubt they let you down. Given the mileage we covered, it was a relatively low budget trip. Gas was about $3.00 a gallon, maybe more in Canada, but they sell it by the liter (unsure about the conversion/don’t remember the price). Our tent sites were anywhere from $18/night to $38/night, much cheaper than a hotel, and quite the experience. We rarely ate out and saved money by cooking over the campfire, which always tastes amazing. Our favorite dinners over the fire include Chicken Foil packets, Sausage and Taters, and chili dogs!

I am ready to make it through the next year of medical school, so that I can visit even more parks. Its a two year tradition that I plan on continuing. You will never be more rich than the experience gained from traveling. HUGE shoutout to my role model and inspiration, Jamie Warcken, for helping me take control of my life and showing me what really matters. For the best financial, travel, lifestyle advice, check out her blog! The Hardly Warckens

Huge shout out to Jon, for putting up with hours and hours of my excellent taste in music, and my parents for helping me prepare/pack for this trip! Here’s a preview for the future posts!