Wanderlust – the Need of Travel

Posted on by efsbnews

Stella Pioli, Italy

I love to travel. Don’t you love that feeling when your first waking thought is, “Oh, yeah…I’m going somewhere today!”?. My parents and grandparents always told me to explore the world, because if we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet.

 

Items-You-Shouldn_t-Take-On-Summer-Holiday-

 

 

A word that we always hear more often is “Wanderlust”. For those who don’t know what it is, it means a strong desire for or impulse to travel and explore the world. It may reflect an intense urge for self-development by experiencing the unknown, getting to know unfamiliar cultures, ways of life and behaviors, or may be driven by the desire to escape. For them, it’s not only travel, but a challenge; they explore places where they are likely to be pushed out of their comfort zones or encouraged to take risks.

wander

Not everybody is meant to travel. There are some people who never feel the urge to leave the house. Staying in the city they came from, hanging out with the people they have known since they were kids, sitting on the same the couch, and staying in the 360 degrees that immediately surrounds them: they’re happy with that. A lot of people in this world don’t see the point of travelling, and most say it’s a waste of time, money, or it’s scary to travel to places that are far away.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page” – Saint Augustine

Then there are the rest of us: the people who can’t sit still and always keep their passports on them – just in case. In fact, if we did not love to travel and explore a new culture we would have never taken this trip to Santa Barbara. It doesn’t matter if you stay for 4 weeks or 9 months, you had the impulse to travel, you were bitten by the travel bug. We are still finding and preparing ourselves for school and career. The skills and experience we gain from traveling abroad gives us life-long personal benefits as well as a leg up in the professional world.

da6f52aab9e54e137a206986558f028a

 

But have you ever wondered why some people need to travel more than others? For those people, it becomes one of life’s essential needs, as important as food and shelter.

Well, a study shows that such behavior traits with a gene variant known as DRD4-7R, which is thought to be present in around 20 % of the population. Some have even nicknamed it as the “wanderlust gene”. DRD4 is a dopamine receptor that helps control the levels of dopamine in our brains. The 7R allele is associated with increased risk-taking, curiosity and various psychiatric disorders including ADHD, alcoholism and drug dependency.

 

The Earth is filled with infinite experiences, wonders and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Imagine, camping out underneath the aurora borealis in the Canadian tundra or hiking through the Sacred Valley of Machu Picchu. I believe that a lot of education is experienced in a classroom or through a textbook, but it isn’t nearly as fulfilling or effective as traveling the world.

o-fotografo-coreano-o-chul-know-capturou-um-belo-espetaculo-de-luzes-no-povoado-de-aurora-em-yellowknife-no-canada-1406718013341_956x537

We are inspired to live better, to be happier and to give back to those in need. Our lives are defined by experiences. The greater the number of experiences, the better the definition of life becomes.

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough” – Mae West.

28436_hd

California Cities

Posted on by efsbnews

By: Fahad AlOtaibi, Saudi Arabia.

 

California Cities

 

 

My first visit in California was so extraordinary; I arrived at the LAX airport on 22nd of July.a1 hollywood

I stayed in Los Angeles for a week and it was one of the best places that I’ve visited, I went to both Santa Monica and Venice beaches.

I loved Los Angeles for a lot of reasons which are Hollywood, palm trees, Beverly Hills, Melrose, the Grove, the weather and many more things.

 

After having fun and a good time in LA, I went to Santa Barbara to the EF School.a1 santa barbara

I loved many things in SB and they are the weather, the beaches, and so many nice people. I like to lie on the beach and drink my favorite soda with my friends.

EF school offers the students of the school plans on the weekend, wherever you want to go to.a1 las vegas

So, I went to the office and I got in the Las Vegas tour. It was so marvelous. It is a city that never sleeps, and I went into every hotel on the strip. They were so exciting.

a1 sf sd

The two last places that I want to visit in California are San Francisco and San Diego. I must choose one of them because I do not have enough time to visit both.

 

The Three Most Beautiful Beaches in The World

Posted on by efsbnews

By Honoka Tsukakoshi, Japan

Do you like beaches? If you are beach lover, you should go to the three most beautiful beaches in the world before you die.

IMG_0163First, you should go to Thailand. There is a nice beach in Phuket named Surin Beach. As you can see, the beach has very clear water and you can enjoy seeing a beautiful emerald green sea and wonderful nature. Also you can enjoy doing marine sports such as diving, snorkelling, and surfing.

IMG_2733Second, Bora Bora island is a good place to go. International Thalasso Beach is the most famous beach there. This island is one of Tahiti islands. If you go there, I recommend you stay at the cottage on the sea. You can see the beautiful blue sea when you get up or you go to bed. However, the cost of staying at the cottage is a little expensive. If you would like to stay, you have to save money.
IMG_2735Third, do you know that there is a nice beach in Japan? Okinawa Prefecture is the best place to see beautiful beaches. The most beautiful beach of Okinawa Prefecture is Maehama Beach. This beach is located on Miyako island in Okinawa Prefecture and people who live there said this beach is the best. If you go there, of course you can enjoy marine sports and also local foods in Okinawa Prefecture.

What do you think about these three most beautiful beaches in the world? Do you want to visit there? I wish you can enjoy staying there and you will be a devoted beach lover!

Santa Barbara Moments

Posted on by efsbnews

Michaela Kopecna, Czech Republic

For someone who wasn’t born in Santa Barbara some things can be completely new and strange. Every country has its own customs or traditions. Some of them could be normal, but some of them could seem little bit weird.

I am a girl from a small city in Europe and I have never traveled across the ocean before. So the words like “jet lag” or “culture shock” were, for me, completely new. I never understood the meaning of them because in Europe we all go to sleep at same time. That means that we have different traditions, but close and similar to each other.time

What time is it?

When you land at the airport your first thing you must check is the time, because in Europe it is 12PM. What time is the right one? That’s the question. Here in Santa Barbara it’s 12AM, so should I go to sleep? No! And that is what jet lag is.

How to use the toilets?

It could be strange, but the toilets are also different. And for someone from Europe it’s a shock. Are there really gaps when you close the doors? So everybody can see me through the gaps, right?hands

Are people here my friends now?

This could happened that you are standing at a bus stop and some stranger starts to talk with you. Just in Santa Barbara. The people here are so kind and helpful. They just talk with you and at the end of the conversation you are friends. How easy. That’s why I feel so welcome in this country.

How to say hi?

Hear Spanish in Santa Barbara is really common. All the names of the streets are in Spanish and also in some public buildings you can hear this language. That is because Santa Barbara used to be a Spanish colony. However, for every day use, just learn how to say hi in Spanish. That will be enough. So “hola” and “gracias senora”!freez

I’m freezing!

Sometimes you can feel cold here because of the air-conditioning or cold weather. Don’t underestimate it and take a  warm sweater into your classes. Even if Santa Barbara has the ocean it isn’t warm all the time. Suprisingly.

Goal!

You can say you are citizen when you help tourists get to the beach. You won! Santa Barbara is not so hard to orient oneself. So after a short time you will feel here like you are at home. Culture shock is gone and jet lag is your very old friend.

WELCOME TO SANTA BARBARAsanta-barbara-lifestyle-itineraries

 

Come on, let’s travel!

Posted on by efsbnews

By Paolo Giordano, Italy

Santa Barbara from the pier

 

I want to start this article with a phrase that I think is so cute “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” Yes, that’s true. When you travel, when you leave your country to search for new adventures, vibes and emotions, you have the opportunity to escape from your daily life and land in another world. All the things that you see change and you have the possibility to discover new lifestyles, customs and traditions, especially when you go in a country with a lot of artifacts.

It doesn’t matter if you’re travelling for job or a normal vacation, when you come back home you will feel better, wiser, rested and with a different vision of life. Yes, because your life will change, and your intention is to continue to travel, save money and planning the future trips.

I want to spend now a few words to talking about my experience in EF. I arrived here in Santa Barbara on August the 6th, and I am going to stay here for four weeks, one month.

I think that Santa Barbara is a beautiful place, such as all of California. It is a little city, not like Los Angeles which is bigger, and the thing that I noticed is the elevated number of restaurants that there are here. There is a wide variety of  food, from Mexican to Japanese, Italian and obviously American!

But my trip here in California doesn’t stop only in Santa Barbara. EF organizes other trips in the USA. So I had the opportunity to visit Las Vegas in Nevada. I think that Las Vegas is an amazing city, and there is no possibility to be bored there. Pubs, discos, nightclubs and obviously casinos are the major attractions of the city, and the only way to have fun! In the same Las Vegas trip, there was the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon reserve and I grabbed the chance and I decided to go there. It was the right decision: one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! Red rocks, the Colorado River, and unfortunately, the weather was not very good…cloudy and after 45 minutes that we were visiting the Canyon it started to rain! Fortunately, we had the time to take a few photos and enjoy the view.

The second trip that I have made, in the second weekend available, was in San Francisco. I decided to not go with EF just because the city is big, and because of the long bus journey. The time wouldn’t have been enough to visit the city as well as possible. So I went by car with a few friends and we had more time to go around the city and enjoy it. We got on a boat and sailed into the bay and saw the Golden Gate, symbol of the city, up close. It was massive, high and breathtaking. A great experience! I enjoyed it so much, but San Francisco is not only the Golden Gate Bridge. The city is full of fantastic places such as Lombard Street, the Financial Center, Union Square, Golden Gate Park, Alcatraz, Cable Cars, Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf where I ate a very tasty Crab!

The last trip: Los Angeles!

Well, I had a fantastic trip in California, but I would have felt incomplete if I hadn’t visited Los Angeles! I went there for just two days, but they were enough to visit all the most important things of the city. First of all I went in Beverly Hills, and then I spent a major part of the day having fun at Universal Studios. It was amazing but the ticket was very expensive! In the evening of the same day, I went to Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign, and to see the view of Los Angeles city. The sign with the light at sunset was something beautiful…I really enjoyed it! The second day, I spent my time visiting the Walk of Fame and the beaches: Venice Beach, Santa Monica and Malibu! I rented a bike with my friends and cycled, and unfortunately when I went to Venice beach it was cloudy so I didn’t enjoyed it as well as I wanted. In Santa Monica, I had a ride over the roller coaster on the pier and then I went to the beach in Malibu by car, just to sunbathe because the ocean was very cold!