Julia Anna Moore

I'm sitting here after dinner in my dorm, sipping on a glass of wine and munching on some two-frank cheese, as a third year student who left everything to move to Switzerland and dead ass is daring herself to stay for the rest of her college career (at least). The past few weeks have been absolutely life changing, in the aspect that they have been difficult, eye-opening, and hella fun. I have never been able to find a true tribe back at home. I have found individual friends who are down to travel, go hiking, try new things, take those crazy spontaneous trips that everyone rave about... but not many people actually live up to what they say they will do? I am finally finding a circle of friends who are always down for that sort of thing, no matter what the destination is, or how we get there. We aren't obligated to hang together 24/7 either, we can do our own thing, but at the end of the day we all have the same goal... travel more, love harder, meet more people, and beco...

I had no idea what my living situation would be like when I got to Lausanne, Switzerland. I originally thought I was going to have my own apartment with one roommate. The flat was going to be in the same building as other student flats, so I knew it was still going to be somewhat communal. I was wrong. I'm definitely not mad, but my living situation is completely different than I expected. I'm basically back in freshman year of college again, but with a little bit nicer amenities. There are three floors in my building that house both sexes, each floor has its own communal living room and its own kitchen. Each student has their own room with... wait for it... THEIR OWN BATHROOM. Do you even know what a luxury this is back in the United States? It's insane. I'm so glad I don't have to share a shower with 11+ other people. That kind of thing will be saved for later when I go hostel hopping. In essence, I am really happy with how my living situation worked out, I've...

When I write each week out in my planner, I like to write down goals, my to-do list, and dinner ideas. All pretty generic. But, something that has helped me get through some of the harder weeks, and given me motivation and inspiration, is writing down things I hear other people say. If a quote resonates with me, I like to remember it, so I read it every time I open my planner. Here are some of my favorite from this past year, maybe some of them will resonate with you for your new year.  "Enjoy where you are now, and look to the future."  "Indecision is the worst decision."  "If you don't build your own dreams, someone will hire you to build theirs." "You are your only limit." "Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know." "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and align themselves. Nature may heal and give strength to body and soul...

A very little known fact about me is that I pay for absolutely everything in my life at 19 years old. I grew really early anyways, but when I went to college, all of my living expenses were basically thrown at me, and it was a lot. These expenses include: health insurance, tuition, housing, gas, etc. Over the years, I have honestly learned so much about saving money, and I starting going an amazing streak of putting a ton of cash into my savings account. I figured out how my lifestyle functioned, where I spent the most money, and where I could save money. My biggest mistake my Freshman year of college was eating out every weekend when at dance rehearsals away from the university. But, in my own defense, it was very hard to cook because I lived in a dorm with one tiny kitchen for 200 students. Plus, I was at rehearsals for 8-12 hours at a time, or at a competition that could be hours away from home. A couple of years after my Freshman year, while becoming an actual adult, this is w...

I have learned a lot about travel in the past couple years, and I feel that since I'm younger, I have struggled through a couple of really stupid situations because of my age. Like being told that I can't check into my hotel that I booked months in advance because the company failed to tell me that there was an age requirement. Here are some of the tips I have for all of you guys who want to travel but still have the obstacle of age.   Call before you reserve a hotel, especially if you are reserving through a third party Sometimes third party sites will not be as clear about the required check-in or booking age, so check the hotel's website or call ahead of time. Its better to have to change your plan instead of arriving at your hotel and being told that you can't stay there.   Check out hostels Hostels are much cheaper and more flexible with age, and you can meet some really awesome people in the process. Or book an Air BNB instead If you're really...

My first mini trip once I got to Poland was a road trip kind of deal - which I love. I adore just driving around and finding cool things to look at. I definitely don't enjoy paying for parking, though (who does?). There were supposed to be three stops in one day, but there ended up being four - we accidentally found another castle. All these castles are nestled in the foothills of Lesser Poland, and are really worth seeing, even if its just a drive-by sightseeing tour. I do encourage people to get out of their cars and explore - it's worth it.   First stop, Ojców National Park. This park contains two of the castles I saw, plus some really interesting caverns. This national park is in Lesser Poland, established in 1956. The national park earned its name after the village that resides in the area called "Ojców." The first castle, Pieskowa Skała Castle, is fully restored, housing many historical artifacts inside. But the castle wasn't the only impressi...