Travel Obsession - Descriptive Essay - English 101

The first time I visited Destin, Florida was in the early 1990's when I was seven years of age which started my annual family vacation to Florida for the next ten years. Experiencing an environment completely different to my usual routine has created an extreme desire to travel to as many enticing and exotic places during my life as possible. Thus far I have visited places as close as The Sunshine State of Florida to the Bahaman city of Nassau.

As I stated, the first trip that started my obsession was to Destin, Florida which is sometimes labeled as "The World's Luckiest Fishing Village" (Rainwater). I remember arriving to our condominium after an excruciating drive to only be forced to wait in a hot, black GMC Yukon Denali with no air conditioning for what seemed like hours while our high-rise rental was being cleaned. Finally we were allowed into our condo, as I walked in a rush of cold air hit my face followed by the salty smell of the sea below. Almost instantaneously I realized why so many people travelled here each and every year - Some may think, how could a seven year old who doesn't know how to tie his Batman sneakers know anything about tourism or travel, but I knew - somewhere deep down in my young subconscious I knew why the next six days would be the greatest time of my life. Those days were spent building huge sand forts were I pretended to be a sand captain protecting my medieval castle from the ever increasing salt water tide. I would gather sand dollars and sea shells of various shapes, sizes and colors to throw at the large blue-green sea monsters, which in reality was simply a wave breaking on the white, sandy shore. The seventh and last day consisted of a longing of sadness and packing my red and black Spider-man duffle bags with my beach gear and G.I. Joes. On the drive home I could only hope to visit again next year - It was so different here then at home. The Florida weather seemed warmer; the sun seemed larger, the days more enjoyable.

The next trip I embarked on was a Carnival Cruise to the islands of Nassau and St. Thomas. This vacation was quite the opposite from my trips to Florida. I dreaded the entire time I was on the cruise liner except when I was able to drink alcohol (rum punch) for the first time in open waters on the way to a snorkeling excursion. I was around 13 years old at the time and didn't understand how people could enjoy being stuck on a boat for eighty percent of their time for a week straight, I didn't have the patience to just sit in the sun, the pools were always overcrowded and I was too young to be in the casino or go to the night club. It was a complete and utter nightmare and I would never recommend a cruise vacation to anyone with young children unless it's a Disney cruise. For the eighty percent of the time we were required to be on the boat or suffer a horrible death by jumping into the open ocean with choppy seas, Bull sharks and Octopi I stayed in my small one bed/one bath cabin only coming out at ports and to eat at the designated times at the designated table with the designated people. Unlike my glorious Florida vacations in the past that I loved I couldn't get off the oversized communist boat fast enough. Afterwards I thanked and told my dad that even though I knew he thought we all would enjoy it I hated it and would have rather he saved his money and me stay at home.

Even though I hated the exhausting cruise vacation I did however, enjoy the learning experience. My high school chose our senior trip to be on a cruise ship - even though I would have been around people I knew, I decided against going again due to my last experience, and from how I heard it was afterwards from friends it was a smart decision. I also gained an entire new level of gratitude and respect for the native people of the places I visited, most live completely different then we do in America, they respect people more, they don't judge you on the basis of your ethnicity or gender or because you're a tourist, they were all genuinely good people. Even though I was disappointed it made me realize that not all trips I'm going to enjoy, not every place I visit will be the childhood Florida vacations, that's part of the excitement. No matter how good or bad the travelling is the experience and what you learn is the destination.

Works Cited

Rainwater, Don "Destin, Florida - The Jewel of the Emerald Coast." Destin, Florida - The Jewel of the Emerald Coast. 31 Jul. 2008. EzineArticles.com. 25 Oct 2008 http://ezinearticles.com/?Destin,-Florida---The-Jewel-of-the-Emerald-Coast&id=1373618>.