Hello World is a simple program that most people are taught when they first learn how to code. I felt like the smartest person in the world when I accomplished this task my freshman year at Stanford; ready to change my major from Communication to Computer Science. That was a short-lived feeling. I ended up failing the class due to, well, life. My best friend who I was blessed to call my grandfather passed away that quarter after a hidden battle with cancer. My world was never the same.

Attempting to persevere, I retook the class and passed. Thinking I could take on more, I burdened myself with the next level CS 106A. Now former classmates will remember me spending all of my time in Mirrielees with my best friend Sam, an actual computer science genius, who was the only reason I passed that class. Countless hours of tutoring, tears, and torture later, I came to the conclusion that this life path wasn’t for me. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to problem solve and be challenged but sitting still is not one of my skills. What I didn’t enjoy was being cooped up and tied to a desk working in dimly lit rooms; funny thing is I became a Producer which is essentially the same thing.

I love exploring. I love getting outside. I love learning new things and meeting new people. This was solidified when I studied abroad in Chile. I convinced my three girlfriends to all apply to the program after it had closed. Surprise: we got in and off to Santiago we flew. Now this is where my trauma came back to bite me in the behind. I had no problem flying as a child even though we mainly did road trips – I will definitely write about how my parents drove with me, my two grandmothers, and sister from Illinois to Arizona.

I had to fly multiple times a year to get from Chicago to Palo Alto. The problem was, once my grandfather passed, I began to fear loss and death. This manifested a fear of loss of control so when I was on the airplane, I felt anxious and thought the plane would crash at any second by just falling from the sky. Those four hour flights to and from school felt like an eternity. Sometimes the other passengers would be nice – one lady held my hand through probably what was one of my first panic attacks which I didn’t know about at the time. Now how was I supposed to travel 15 hours on a plane to my dream program?

Thankfully one of my friends took pity on me and coordinated her trip with mine so that we’d both land in Canada and fly the rest of the way to Santiago together. I have to emphasize that I have wonderful friends that go out of their way (in this case, flying from San Francisco to meet me in Toronto) to make sure that I’m always ok. I’m going to take this moment to acknowledge my personal board of directors and the numerous other friends who have shown me kindness, love, and unconditional support at every point on my journey. I am who I am today because I knew you.

Everyone who studies abroad always brags about being out of the country but my experience was truly life changing. I did a lot of healing. I lived my life to the fullest: had a language partner who took me to the roughest bar in all of the country for our first lesson which included traditional Chilean drinks called terremotos (earthquakes), embraced the arts by visiting all of Pablo Neruda’s homes, surprisingly passed Marine Ecology which was taught all in Spanish, went three hours into the wilderness by myself to go white water rafting, learned how to salsa dance in Argentina, survived severe food poisoning in Buenos Aires, and made friendships that lasted past the program. Our crew, affectionately named “mis chilenos” reunited in New York for one of their weddings in 2015.

I was so engrossed in the college experience that I didn’t apply to any jobs senior year until the final quarter. While trying to write my honors thesis on virtual reality’s impact on perceived social human interaction, I applied to one job. I flew out during finals to interview and the week of graduation I got the job offer. This drastically changed the trajectory of my life. I had always assumed I’d move back home to Chicago after graduation. Instead, I was moving to Los Angeles six days after I walked across the field and received my diploma.

I hated LA. Every single thing about it: The people. The traffic. The weather. I would say it took me about 4 years to really adjust to living in LA (I think getting air conditioning in my apartment really helped). I wouldn’t have made it a single day without the strong foundation and assistance my family provided. I was literally adopted by cousins when I came to California. In Northern California, the Hicks picked me up for every holiday and helped me acclimate to not only a new state but adulthood. Four years later, in Southern California, the Swaynes opened their arms and hearts to me, letting me live with them when I couldn’t find an apartment. Settling in California was really an adjustment. Now I really love LA. It is a place I call home with no hesitation. I’ve even convinced some of my favorite people to move out to LA to be with me.

Some of the best trips I’ve taken have been spontaneous – like crashing my friend’s family vacation to the Dominican Republic or joining my former roommate on her work trip to China. My advice is to always say yes to the trip. You never know where life is going to take you or the experiences you can have if you just open yourself up to the possibilities. I feel most alive when I’m on the road. I wake up early invigorated ready to soak up all the culture a city has to offer. Usually at home, I can sleep in pretty late but I don’t want to miss a second while I’m out of town because I never know when life will bring me back to that place, if ever.

I’ll never forget the pasta at Italy’s Da Akfredi e Ada, dancing the night away in the South Korean clubs, almost drowning in Puerto Rico, dodging fireworks in the street at La Merce in Spain, playing basketball on the courts across from the Roman Coliseum, nearly getting arrested in Morocco, and being brave enough to take a solo trip to Beijing to walk the Great Wall of China. Each experience has profoundly impacted the way I see the world and the way I connect with people.

I’ve visited numerous cities, whether working NFL and college football crews or for personal bucket list travel. I’ve created many itineraries for my friends when they visit cities I’ve spent extensive time in. Even more exciting, I’ve planned two major international group trips. It’s time for me to share not only my knowledge but my passion for traveling. I’ve included discounts and ways to make travel more affordable for seasoned travelers as well as shared the itineraries of the trips I’ve taken for travelers seeking guidance.

HELLO, WORLD! I’m Alyssa Explores and I hope you join me on this journey. We’re going to explore everything LA, with a side of Chicago, and occasionally the world.

Special thanks to my parents, sister, grandmothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family. I know no matter where I go in the world, I have you all and that gives me the strength to always step out of my comfort zone.