World Traveller Ms. Katie Mishler
How many countries have you visited?
Since I started traveling in 2013, I’ve visited a total of 16 different countries—and Thailand I’ve visited twice! Every single country I’ve been to, I’ve gone with my dad, which has given me so many wonderful memories.
Where did you go most recently and what did you do there?
I just got back from Ireland and Scotland, and we spent time in both Dublin and Edinburgh exploring the two cities and the countryside.
What is the best day you had on your trip in your life?
Tough question! If I had to pick the first day that comes to mind is in Paris. We had just come in off the train from London, and had missed out tour to Versailles—so we were a little bummed to say the least. We decided to make the most of it and head to an area in the city called Montmartre, it had a stunning cathedral and seemed to have a little less hustle and bustle compared to other tourist spots. We found a local Christmas market, and had some amazing food at a sidewalk café (we dined on snails and steak tartare….so good!). It was just one of those nights where we had a relaxing good time, and made the most of an unplanned evening in the city—sometimes the unplanned things turn into the best things!
What was the best food you ate?
This is really tough, as I have had some truly amazing food, but I would have to say my second trip to Thailand. We were staying off the beaten track outside of Bangkok, and my dad and I wandered into a local restaurant that had no pictures, no English menu, and no one spoke English. We got lucky and one very nice lady dining with her friends came over to help us and did her best to explain items on the menu, finally I asked her to pick 4 of her favorite dishes and that’s what we ordered. I have no idea what exactly I ate, but everything was delicious and it’s a perfect example of getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new—which to me is what traveling is all about!
What was the worst food you had?
Well, airplane food is always the worst food, I really try to avoid it if I can. Aside from the airplane, I think the worst food I had was in Turkey. I say this only because it was the only place I ever got food poisoning—I was so bad at one point I thought I would end up in a Turkish hospital, but I pulled through after a few days.
What was the scariest thing to happen to you on a trip?
When my dad and I were in Rome, he got pickpocketed on the subway riding back from the Vatican (of all places!) and he had all his credit cards and most of his Euro on him. We spend the day in Italy eating cheap grocery store food and also managed to survive 2 days in New York on the little cash we had—arriving back in LA with not a single cent to our name. Needless to say we learned a lot of lessons on that trip, however, we also learned how little you need—and we drank a lot of cheap wine to drown our sorrow which turned into some amazing memories.
Who do you still keep in touch with?
I still keep in touch with people from our tour group to Turkey, we were a small group traveling in winter and we became a pretty bonded group—Facebook makes staying connected so much easier!
If you could go back and do one day over again, which would it be?
My first trip to Thailand we went jungle rafting in the middle of a downpour…there we were on this rickety bamboo raft jumping off into the middle of a river in the pounding rain. It was an exhilarating experience I would love to do again—the scenery was stunning and the water felt amazing (though who knows what was lurking underneath!)
What advice would you give to other people who are traveling?
Try something new, get out of your comfort zone and enjoy yourself! Don’t be afraid to talk to strangers, hangout with the locals, and try local food and drink. They say traveling is the best medicine for ignorance and intolerance, and I couldn’t agree more! Some countries like Cambodia have made me truly value what I have in life, and have reminded me that happiness doesn’t always carry a monetary value. I’ve traveled to what some would call dangerous countries, I’ve been to Turkey, and visited Paris less than a month of the terrorist attacks there—in every place I’ve encountered the best people and have savored every moment because life is just too short for anything else.
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