I don't believe in my daily horoscope, mainly because all those "you will meet someone today" predictions never come true for me. However, I do believe that my zodiac sign describes me almost perfectly. I'm a Sagittarian, and if there's one trait we centaurs are known for, it's our love for travel and adventure. For me, an awesome trip doesn't necessarily mean going to an exotic locale or a famous destination. It's not about the location, but more of what I learned from the trip. I think that's one of the most beautiful things about traveling--you always learn something new, not just about the world, but also about yourself.

Now, I don't consider myself well-traveled, but I do think I'm lucky to have had opportunities to go on a handful of memorable adventures while growing up. When I was a student, I always looked forward to out-of-town excursions, and in college, I made it a point to enlist in at least one class with a field trip every semester. As a fresh graduate, it's definitely one of the things I sorely miss about being in school. Never mind the additional expenses--for me, field trips are great opportunities to explore places I probably wouldn't go to otherwise. Here are five of my most unforgettable class excursions and the lessons I learned from them:


(Photo used with permission from Kit Reyes)