Travel can have a vastly different definition depending on who is asked, especially among high school students. This age group can have many different experiences in their lives so far due to their personal situation. Some kids have visited multiple countries, and some have never left their hometown.

“[Traveling is] going somewhere you don’t live and visiting new places,” says Kaylie Hackman, 11. Hackman is one of the many high school students who have never been out of the country, yet she doesn’t feel like her life is any less because of it. 

This definition of travel leaves a lot of room for interpretation, and allows an individual to choose what they  think a “new place” is. While some would say this is a new city or state, others would argue that it could just be visiting a local shop or park.

As a high school student, one may be hard-pressed to gather enough funds for a large-scale vacation. It may also be

stressful to leave one’s social life and schoolwork behind, knowing it is all piling up and will crash down upon return.

“It’s really hard to find time [to travel], and then saving up the money for bigger trips is a big obstacle,” says Morgan Hinton, 11. She agrees with Hackman’s definition of travel and believes that this is a common belief among high school students.

Nevertheless, these students have demonstrated the general thoughts of high schoolers regarding travel: that it doesn’t have to take up time and money to be enjoyable.

“I think life is as exciting as you make it,” Hackman says. “Traveling can make it more exciting, but it’s just how you look at things.”