After the race of projects, tests, and presentations to the end of quarter three, PHUHS students rightfully rewarded themselves with the jollification and relaxation of travel. They were a handful of many, but when was the beginning of travel? 

Travel began as early as humans were able to walk, as nomadic groups wandering the face of the earth. However, this isn’t what most people think of when they imagine traveling today. Most often, the travel that people refer to today is tourism, for enjoyment rather than necessity. Tourism, debatably, began in the 19th century, with the maritime travel of the upper class. With the invention of the railroad, more people, even of lower social standing were able to relish the joys of traveling. Today, traveling is further facilitated by the high technology of airplanes. 

On their breaks, some students took advantage of such opportunities and used their time off to visit and learn about new places. 

“I traveled to Gainesville over the break to tour UF. While I was there, I also visited a botanical garden, spent some time downtown, and took photos of nature, in addition to touring UF,” Hannah Hipolito (‘23) said, “My favorite part was taking photos at the botanical garden since there was a large variety of plants to see. It was also fun taking pictures of my dog when we visited a trail.” 

“I went to New York City for 6 days to visit my grandparents and friends. There, I went to the city, shopped at some outlets, and ate at my favorite pizza shop down the road from my grandparents’ place,” Karen Berger (‘24) said, “As well I saw the phenomenal play, Wicked, with my friend. But my favorite part was visiting my family’s former foreign exchange student and exploring the city with her.” 

“I went to Orlando for the state FBLA competition and then the beach!” Alannah Stavracos (‘24) said, “I loved hanging out with friends. It was so much fun!” 

“I went on a tour all around the island and stopped around different national parks, waterfalls, and shops that were along the jungle road. I also went scuba diving near the beaches and swam around with the sea life there as well as a broken down structure. Then the rest of the trip was just relaxing on the beach, going for walks and runs overall a very relaxing experience.” Lucas Fonseca (‘24) said, “My favorite part was definitely scuba diving as it was definitely the most vivid and exciting scuba diving experience I’ve ever had with turtles, many schools of fish that I swam among, and even a shark. Also I had been wanting to go for a while with my mom again so it was super fun and the water was very clear and warm there so it was a very good scuba diving experience.” 

“I went to North Carolina. I went skiing, shopping in downtown Boone, hiked to see a waterfall and spent a lot of time in the car,” Eliza Lane (‘24) said. “My favorite part of the trip was seeing snow because I’ve only seen it once or twice before.” 

As students work towards the end of the final quarter, many students will be looking forward to reveling in their travel adventures during their next endeavor.