Travelling the USA

The kids have gone home, the equipment is packed away and the gates are closing. Camp Chi has officially ended for 2016 and I couldn't have asked for a better summer. I'm going to miss this place a hell of a lot and the people who have made this summer magic. However, I'm ready to move forward and it's now my time to see the USA in all it's glory. Me and a group of friends from camp (and home) have a month to see as much of the country as we possibly can before we're kicked out (visa expires). I'm such a tourist and I'm super stoked to see the 'touristy' things that the United States has to offer.

Starting with Chicago.

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• I'm so excited to see Chicago as it's going to be my first experience of the 'big city'. I've seen London (I guess that's a big city), but we all know that America likes to do things really BIG! I'm going to be hitting the tourist spots like Willis Tower and the Bean as well as the hidden gems that have been recommended by the friends I have there.

• From there we fly to Orlando, where I'm going to see Walt Disney World! Other than that, Orlando is going to pretty much be relaxing by the pool and recuperating from the non-stop life from camp. It's going to be our 'vacation time'.

• Then we drive down to Miami, where we plan on hitting the beaches and the downtown night life. We're staying on a yacht here and we're meeting a few friends so I have a feeling that Miami is going to be amazing!

• We're then flying from Fort Lauderdale to the capital of Texas.. Austin. I've heard that it is one of the best cities on our trip as it's very fun and upbeat. I'm also super excited for the Texan barbecue here and of course the country music.

• Next up, the gambling capital of the world, VIVA LAS VEGAS! We're going to spend 4 days here on the strip and I'm a sucker for the bright lights. Here we're going to hit up some parties and of course, drive to the Grand Canyon.

• From there, we're going to fly to San Francisco, where we're staying in the heart of the city. I'm so excited to visit the city, see the Golden Gate bridge, see Alacatraz and just experience California. We may be Whale Watching whilst we're here, which sounds amazing!

• After this, we're going to drive up to Lake Tahoe. I'm stoked to see the beautiful scenery that Tahoe has to offer, taking hikes through the mountains and spending time relaxing by the lake. We'll have a car whilst we're here, so I want to take a drive to Yosemite as I've been told that it is has some of the most breathtaking views in America.

• We then drive back to San Fran, where we stay for 1 night, before flying to the Big Apple, New York City! New York has always been a place I've needed to visit, as we always see it on TV and I want to experience the same big city beauty that I've seen. We're staying in Queens, but we're a short subway ride from the heart of the city, Manhatten. Again, I'm going to be hitting up all the touristy spots in New York; things like Times Square, Central Park and the Statue of Liberty. These are places I feel you have to visit when you're in a place like this and we're staying for five days, so I'm sure I'll see a lot!

• It's then home time. I fly back from JFK to Heathrow, where as soon as I get home, I start planning the next trip.

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I'm going to blog about the things I recommend to do and don't do in all of these places and have a differentpost for each one. However, it's up to you to experience your own ups and downs of travelling as I believe that's what makes the time worthwhile.

If you ever have the opportunity, I would definitely recommend working at a summer camp in America, whether as a specialist or a counselor. Although it's going to be weird leaving Camp (it's been my life for nearly 3 months), I'm ready now to leave and start my travels. Hopefully one day I'll be back, but until then, it's time to see the world.