Anticipation

I'm not going to lie. I'm really excited

Half the fun of traveling is planning a trip and the time leading up to actually boarding the plane. I’ve had some pretty great trips to look forward to: a summer Arabic program in Egypt, a train trip through the National Parks of the American West, a journey through Japan’s cities and countryside. All special to me in their own way and for different reasons. The next trip, however, is indescribable.

The Middle East has been an interest of mine since high school. But it began to fully develop in college when I decided to formally study Arabic. Working for Smithsonian Journeys has given me many fantastic opportunities to travel and the anticipation has been mounting ever since I was assigned an “Arabian Gulf Voyage.” The voyage will take me through Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE, an area of the world I’ve read about, studied, and hoped to visit one day. From visiting the Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman to crossing the Dubai Creek by water taxi, history and modernism come together to create a unique dynamic only found in the Arabian Gulf states.

I’ve definitely thought about what I need to pack, but it hasn’t been transferred over into my suitcase yet. I still have a day and a half though and tomorrow night it will magically work out!