If I had endless amounts of time and a budget wasn’t holding me down, I would take my version of the most amazing trip in the world. Armed with my mp3 player, a journal and a camera, I would embark on an adventurous global exploration, as experienced through all five senses: Sight, Smell, Hearing, Taste and Touch.

I’d begin by backpacking through Europe. My sight would be awakened anew as I spent days in Paris taking in all of the immaculate beauty and art, as I visited museums, cathedrals and monuments. Once I’d seen everything I could in Paris, I would stop through several European countries for more visual exploration – while a few other senses would come into play along the way.

In Switzerland, I would visit the four regions, taking in the magnificence of the mountains and waterfalls. Before leaving Switzerland, I would have to take a ride on the Swiss Chocolate Train where I’d visit a cheese dairy, a castle and – of course – a chocolate factory! As I made my way through Belgium, the Netherlands and then into Germany, I would be reminded why I could never go through with a no carbohydrate diet as my sense of taste is revived on the oven-fresh brotchen, pretzels and pommes frites of the country. What is the point of having taste buds if we are never going to use them? Besides, don’t forget that I’d be getting plenty of exercise backpacking through Europe.

After Germany, I would head down to Italy where both sight and taste would be pleasantly overwhelmed. I would soak up the gorgeous ruins in Rome and visit the modern hotels with their stunning design in Milan. The mouth-watering aromas would lure me into just about every family-owned restaurant throughout the country. I’d have no choice but to savor some of the best pasta and pizza I could ever imagine. The European backpacking would end in Greece where I would absorb the beauty of the land and waters, Mediterranean flavors and vast culture and history.

Once my excursion through Europe ended, my senses would be alive and I would be prepared for the next phase of my trip through Africa. I’d start off in Egypt, where history and culture are bountiful. Sight would be the first sense I’d focus on. There is so much to see, including the pyramids, the rivers and the ancient artifacts. I would then team up with a local volunteer organization in several countries throughout Africa to assist in building schools and teaching HIV/AIDS awareness to communities. It would be fulfilling to spend my days interacting with children in orphanages and youth in communities as I immersed myself in the culture and lifestyle of each region. In South Africa, I would go on safari, seeing the beauty of nature; listening to the Patsula dancers’ perform; touching some amazing animals and enjoying the company of all of those that I met.

Leaving Africa, I’d take a flight out to South America. I would love to visit Rio de Janeiro around Carnival. All of my senses would be refreshed with the brilliant colors, exotic foods, vibrant music and plenty of dancing! After celebrating in Rio, I would head west over to Peru where I would join a volunteer program that builds schools, homes and orphanages in the countryside for communities in need. On weekends, I would explore Peruvian archeology or try other extracurricular activities like paragliding and white water rafting.

Following my trek through South America, I would sail through the Caribbean and parts of Central America. From Costa Rica through to The Bahamas, I’d listen to the eclectic sounds of island music, taste local favorites and see the amazing reefs in the Caribbean.

On the final leg of my sensory-inspired trip, I would head up to New York, hop into a fuel-efficient car and take a volunteer-packed road trip from New York to California. In less than 30 days, I will visit some of America’s small towns and big cities - volunteering in each place I spent the night. The trip will allow me to lend a hand at the nation’s soup kitchens, music and arts centers, health clinics, schools and homeless shelters. As I ride from city to city, I will volunteer with every project I can from rebuilding homes in New Orleans to working on an environmental project out in California. Along the way, I will see parts of America I’ve only seen in postcards; I will taste the best barbecue in the South and sip the finest wine in the West; I will listen to the street performers in San Francisco and I will feel the raw energy that comes with volunteering.

If you made it through the reading of this extremely long blog entry, you can tell that this trip is more than ambitious. However, if money and time were no hindrance to me, I would take a trip doing exactly as you see here. I would encounter some of the most amazing people throughout my trip, see some of the world’s most refined beauty, taste the most mouth-watering food from different countries, listen to the most raw, uninhibited music from around the world and be touched by so many people and communities.

• world travel
• adventure
• africa
• europe
• South America
• North America
• costa rica
• road trip
• food