My first real trip alone was when I decided to move to Madrid, Spain to become an Au pair during the summer that I finished high school. I decided on Madrid because when I was 17 I went on a class trip to Spain (Granada, Cordoba, Seville, Barcelona, Madrid). I had such an amazing experience and it really sparked my love of travel and adventure. This trip made me think about options other than school after graduation.
Moving to Madrid for 11 months at the age of 18 was the scariest thing but also most exciting thing I’ve done! This was the best decision I’ve ever made because it got me completely hooked on travel and meeting amazing people on the way.
You can get caught up in the idea that you have to go to school at the age of 17/18, finish a degree then get a job and “your life together.” I even thought that this was the way until I learned about Au pairing and other ways of budget travel. Au pairing is when you live with a host family and you receive room and board and an allowance once a week in exchange for taking care of their children for around 30 hours a week. I have found that this is the easiest way to travel for a long period of time on a budget.
*This picture was taken not long after moving to Madrid during the summer of 2015 in Retiro Park and was taken by one of the amazing friends I met there.