I had always wanted to go to London. Something was calling me there, and I couldn’t ignore it. I did everything I could to get myself there, and it ultimately paid off. I spent the effort adding extra U.S. passport pages, exchanging dollars for pounds, and researching power converters, and although it took a lot of planning, the memories and experiences I walked away with made it more than worth it.

Some get discouraged from traveling due to all the processes involved. While I was getting additional passport pages, my mom was telling me how she disliked traveling because of all the planning that’s involved. However, once you spend a while exploring and experiencing, the stress becomes irrelevant. Trust me.

If you love art, London is the place for you. Walking through London is like walking through a real life museum. The monuments, the huge buildings, and the atmosphere create such an immersing environment. Even the street art is beautiful. I spent a whole day walking around the Victoria and Albert Museum, or just the V and A Museum. Huge rooms packed with artifacts from every civilization were everywhere, and that was only one wing of the museum. Standing beside a huge, ancient artifact left me feeling so small and insignificant in the scheme of things, and it was such a cool learning experience. Huge halls filled with everything from fashion exhibits to fine art wove through the Museum, and I left feeling like I had walked though ten different museums.

I then got to explore the Tate Modern Museum, which was a pretty sharp contrast to the Victoria and Albert Museum. I generally wasn’t very impressed by my earlier experiences with modern art, but the Tate changed that. Just walking into the huge building was a pretty neat experience. I spent hours and hours both looking at and interacting with the art, some of which held very powerful messages. I left feeling pretty empowered.

The best part of my trip was getting to go to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. William Shakespeare and all his works are the object of my undying love, and getting the opportunity to see plays at their birthplace was unbelievable. I chose to see the play as a “groundling,” and although my feet hurt a little by the end, getting to stand at the edge of the stage was amazing. I felt like I was in the play, and I’ll admit, I got so wrapped up that I cried at the end of Othello.

I had such an amazing time in London, and, looking back, I realize I couldn’t possibly imagine all the great experiences I would have missed if all the planning had kept me from going. If there is a destination that you’ve always wanted to see, whether it’s Tokyo, Cancun, or London, don’t miss out. Get a new US passport or add pass port pages, book a flight, and go take your dream vacation.