London is seriously unlike any other city I had ever been to before. Some of my fondest memories came from my week trip to London, and the trouble of having to add extra United States passport pages, getting special electrical plugs and exchanging currency seemed so small once I arrived. London is unmatched in its unique quality, and getting to experience that first hand was life changing.

A lot of people don’t travel because of all the preparation that it involves. When I was waiting to get additional passport pages, my mom and I were talking about all the things that I still needed to do. I wasn’t worried. My mom said she dreaded traveling for that very reason. Don’t let the preparation of traveling keep you from going on the vacation of your dreams. I didn’t let it stop me, and now I have what seems like a lifetime of amazing memories.

London is the epitome of the artistic world. Aside from the beautiful museums, monstrous statues, and breathtaking buildings, even the street art is amazing. Even though walking through London itself is like walking through a living museum, the museums of London are something you do not want to miss. If you have a love for art as I do, a whole week could be spent just exploring the various museums that populate the city of London. The Victoria and Albert Museum, or just simply the V and A Museum, holds pieces that span every facet of art: from ancient artifacts to fashion. Rooms filled to the brim with authentic historical pieces really put existence into perspective; it’s easy to feel pretty small when standing in the midst of artifacts hundreds or thousands of years old.

My stop the next day was the Tate Modern Museum. I was little hesitant about a modern art museum, because I generally wasn’t very impressed with modern art. However, upon entering the monstrous building, I was instantly impressed. Getting to not only look at but interact with the art pieces made the Tate a very different kind of museum experience. Some of the pieces held very strong messages, and I left the museum feeling inspired.

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 USA passport or add US passport pages, book a flight, and go take your dream vacation.