Rushing to the airport, she helped her family unload the suitcases from the car and started running. She tripped over her own feet, using all her strength to pull the heavy suitcases. A continuous thought rippled through her mind: they were going to be late. Luckily, however, she and her family made it on the plane in time, with only minutes to spare.
Growing up, junior Avery Guth started going on trips with her family all over the United States. In fact, she has now been to 46 states. “I haven’t been to South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska, and Hawaii,” said Guth. “The bigger states are harder to go to, because if you fly in, you’re going to have to drive a lot.” Over Fall Break, Guth knocked Montana, Wyoming and Idaho off of her list.
Although around ten years have passed, Guth still vividly remembers a specific trip to New York. “It was probably my favorite,” said Guth. “I turned seven in New York and because my birthday is on July 5, we watched the fireworks for the Fourth of July there.” Along with the fireworks, she and her family went to a lot of tourist attractions in the city and state, making it one of Guth’s most memorable moments throughout her life.
In addition to all the states Guth has been to, she has also traveled outside of the states to different countries: Mexico and the Dominican Republic. “We stayed at a resort, so we really just saw the best parts of it,” described Guth. “When we went to Mexico, we did go out of the resort and it was cool to see how different the housing is there.”
Since Guth has traveled a lot, she knows the struggles of finding methods of transportation. “Airports are crazy. One time, our flight got delayed, so we almost missed a layover,” said Guth. “When we rent cars, there’s always a problem with it; it could be the line or it could take too long.”
Because of the variety of places she has been, Guth has gotten to experience many different foods. “I think maybe a beignet would be the best thing I ate when I went to Louisiana; that’s what they’re known for,” said Guth.
She has seen the beauty and the wonders of most of the states. In fact, she even feels as if she’s been to places where the photos don’t do the place justice. “Last fall, we went to Vermont and the leaves were changing colors,” said Guth. “It was really pretty because we were in the mountains, too.”
All this traveling has allowed Guth to have many lovely memories with her family. She describes a recent one that took place in Maine. “We all tried a lobster roll, but my whole family hates seafood,” Guth explained. “So it’s just kind of funny because no one likes seafood.”
Many see vacations as a time to de-stress and take a break from working, but Guth sees vacations as fun. “I don’t see vacations as relaxing,” said Guth. “I think it’s just more fun. I definitely like to have more fun than to relax on vacation.”
When it comes to traveling, Guth has one piece of advice to give. “Try to be early everywhere because even if you are on time, you’re definitely going to run into some problems,” said Guth. “Spontaneous things are definitely fun, but when you’re not where you are used to being, definitely be prepared and have a plan.”
Story by Lilian Coffin