The average human being never leaves the continent on which he was born. In fact, most never travel beyond their own country. My aunt visited eight countries on four continents. She crossed the English Channel and the Berlin Wall, tasted a glacier in Antarctica and toasted Bastille Day in Paris. And yet, she doesn't consider herself an adventurous person, saying she doesn't enjoy the "process of traveling." Adventurer or not, Bethany has already discovered more of the world than many ever will. She began her travels in the summer of 1988, taking a trip to Europe with several other students after graduating from high school. At the time, Bethany had never traveled outside the country and had never been on a plane without an older relative present. She remembers the experience as being “pretty intimidating” at the time. In addition to safety and security concerns, Bethany often suffered from motion sickness, which was a constant obstacle to her travels. Fortunately, she was able to make the excursion despite these problems. She first traveled to East Germany, living there with a German family for several days after passing through the infamous Checkpoint Charlie. Despite being thousands of miles from home, Bethany was surprised by how familiar her surroundings seemed. American cultural landmarks such as McDonald's and Coca-Cola were abundant wherever she went in Europe, and it was not uncommon to hear American music playing in stores and pubs. She was also fascinated by how easily she was able to make herself understood even though she didn't share the same language as most of the people she met. In fact, she believes that the language barrier has enriched her European experience. “It's amazing what you notice in your surroundings when you can... middle of paper... not quite ready to give up your frequent flyer miles. In fact, she believes her current travels have been just “the beginning of a lifelong odyssey.” She has visited four of the seven continents and now dreams of completing her collection by visiting the other three. She cites Egypt in Africa, Japan in Asia and the Australian outback as future destinations, as well as returns to Europe to visit Italy, Spain and Russia. She also wants to explore the American Northeast, the Grand Canyon and many other American national parks. I have no doubt she will visit many of these places. For as long as I have known her, my Aunt Bethany has been passionate about history, traveling the world, and experiencing different cultures. I don't know anyone better suited to explore these exotic places and can't wait to hear stories of their future travels..