Living in your own little world and never experiencing other cultures is a great way to miss out on some amazing things. Sure, you can read some books and go to some folk festivals, but those just don’t compare to actually getting your ass on a plane/train/automobile and visiting in person.

For example, I’m on a trip to Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. Sure I’ve heard friends tell me about it and I’ve seen pictures, but being there was just an amazing experience that no story or book could ever convey.

Not only does being in another country give you the first hand experience, it also gives you experiences that you wouldn’t even have thought about. That alone makes visiting trump sitting on your ass and reading. During the prague trip, I was coerced into a Jewish ghetto walking tour. It turned out to be great, because our tour guide Roman was a damn funny guy, plus he knew way too much about Jewish history (he is a non-Jew Czech local).

Going to the country and visiting also gives you the current news version of the country and culture, not just the history class version. How people act, daily customs, and ways of seeing situations all give that view that you can’t get from a book. You not only witness the lives of locals, but also of other tourists. So far I’ve seen russian, french, italian, korean, chinese, and arab tourists. America may be the melting pot, but this place is like a supermarket.

Also, for those who love the hotties, Prague is most most definitely not lacking. In fact, Prague had the most hotties I’ve ever seen in one city. ‘What about Miami or New York?,’ you ask; yes, there are hotties in Miami and New York, but their silicone-to-meat content makes them non-contenders. The Prague women have that natural hotness that was so fresh to me. As I type this, there is a hottie sitting next to me at the train station. It’s definitely a trip I’m looking forward to making again.

So pack your bags and grab a plane ticket. There’re so many places to see and so many experiences waiting to wow you. I’ll write soon about some things I learned from my trip, both about visiting the countries mentioned and general life lessons.

(My gigantic trip pictures to come)