It has to be my trip to Alaska, which took place in 2004 or 2005, when Bulgaria was not yet a member of the EU, and our passport strength was quite limited. At that time, I had never visited another country, and out of all the places in the world, I traveled to the USA, and from all the places in the USA – to Anchorage and Fairbanks. The trip was memorable enough that a photo from it remained a header of my previous blog for about a decade.

It had to be Alaska because my girlfriend went there for a work-and-travel trip and I missed her, so we had a vacation at the end of her work duties.

Things that made it memorable:

• First visa, with the interview process and all the uncertainties around it
• First airplane ride. I was dressed like for climbing the Himalayas because someone told me it would be cold on the airplane. It wasn’t. I probably smelled like a skunk
• Excessive security checks. I was checked far too many times for a trip perhaps because of my Himalayan look. Have you ever seen anyone be checked at the gate past security? I was.
• One of the legs got delayed for 12+ hours
• Someone with the same last name told Delta they were me, got my ticket on the way back, and managed to change it to another location. This resulted in me flying first class (and sleeping all the time)
• Saw glaciers, big mountains, big lakes, big cars, big plates with lots of food, and all you can eat buffet
• Saw many drunks and experienced a culture of alcohol and weed

All of that doesn’t sound too exciting now that I’m older but it was a great adventure for my younger self. Basic things like airplanes, car rentals, motels, and diners felt like magic.