Year after year, summer after summer. Everytime my family decided it was time to go to on a vacation, we took a trip to Florida. It was the regular. The excursions were always nice, yet the thrills of the pale, sandy, beach and the strong, salty ocean wore off relatively quick. Don’t get me wrong, the beach is a exciting place where I’ll always have fun, but when I think vacation I think of traveling. Traveling to me is a time when you can experience different cultures and more importantly, see new views. Going to the same beach year after year doesn’t really fit my image of new cultures and views. What opened my eyes to what traveling really is was the trip my family took to the Smoky Mountains. The trip changed my perspective on what I want to do with my future family when it’s my choice on where go to vacation.

It started during the summer of 2017. My dad told my sister and I that we had enough money to go on a trip. My sister Megan suggested we go somewhere new, somewhere we’d never gone before. Dad and I agreed. We both thought that taking a chance on somewhere beyond our comfort zone would be worth it. After a couple days we unanimously decided on the Smoky Mountains. We rented out a cozy little log cabin in this town called Gatlinburg and hopped in the car. After a 10 hour car ride that never wanted to end, we finally arrived.

As soon as I stepped out of the car, the excitement began. My brain was already overwhelmed by the unfamiliar landscape around me; trees and hills native to what seemed to be a remote part of the world. Still taken away by the glorious scenes painted in front of my eyes, I could hardly believe what towered outside the front door of our cabin. A brown bear the size of a small car stood tall on the green grass, two black eyes like pieces of coal. Taking no attention to the foreigners that just came across him, the lone brown bear lumbered off lazily, disappearing into the wooded hillside.

After our first visitor had left the premise, we unpacked the car and opened up the cabin. The inside was everything I could imagine in a log cabin. A kitchen decked out with rustic looking appliances and granite countertops, a living room with a cute little TV and a stone fireplace, a small room with bunk beds, and a larger room with a king sized bed. Windows surrounded every room and outside the windows was a deck that lined the whole building. Fragrances cookies and other sweet smells filled the interior. of As we settled in for the night and I was beginning to doze off, I can only remember thinking one thing: taking a risk in a new place was absolutely going to pay off.

On the next day I woke up with a smile. We began with a hearty breakfast and some coffee. My sister laid out a few different options for the day ahead of us. We could either go into town and walk around town or go on a hike up the rough mountainside. Obviously, we decided on the hike. We drove 20 minutes to a 3 mile trail that had a breathtaking waterfall at the end. Not only was the hike refreshing, the sounds of currents crashing down could be heard as we approached the top. the waterfall was more than I could have hoped more. Cascading over rocks and fallen trees, the water was brilliant. You could smell the mist floating in the air. After an exhausting day, we all took a load off in the comfortable living room. Dad put a movie into the DVD player and we all crashed.

The next morning was unusual to me. Normally, when I’d pack up the car to leave the beach, I’d be sad. I was always bummed out that our relaxation time had come to an end. This time it was different. Sure I was still a tiny bit bummed about leaving, yet this time, I looked forward to something. I was excited for where our next vacation would take us. This sensation made me realize something. A vacation doesn’t always mean lounging around the water, laying in the sun. A vacation can be so much more. The Smoky Mountains opened up a world of opportunities, every location with potential to be better than the last.