Say Cheese!

I'm Jennifer Leopoldt, a Western Colorado native majoring in print journalism at Northwestern University. I'm new to traveling, but I'll get a good start this summer by spending two months on the road.

After spending the last three years chained to the copy desk of the student newspaper at Northwestern, I've decided to escape from the "Daily" grind this summer. I'll pile into an aging Toyota with two friends for a journey across several legendary roads in the West - Route 66 (Arizona), Pacific Coast Highway 1 (California) and Highway 50 (Nevada) - with the intention of totally immersing myself in Americana along the way.

Although I will see a lot of America this summer, I'm excited to leave the country behind during a month-long trip to Thailand. Once on the other side of the world, I look forward to learning everything I can about a completely different culture than the one found on the highways of America. I've been trying to teach myself Thai in preparation, but it's proving much harder than German and Spanish.

The Thailand trip is a much-needed escape - it's been six years since I left the country. A two-week tour of Europe at 15 was a great introduction to different cultures, even if the gondolier in Venice spent the entire boat ride chatting on his cell phone. The trip also took a turn toward the surreal and embarrassing when my mother and I were propositioned to attend a sex show in Amsterdam's Red Light District. ("Come on in, ladies. It's fun for the whole family!")

Though I traffic in words, my hope is that traveling to all corners of the world will leave me speechless. To learn more about my travels and get tips for your own trips, watch for my Thailand Travel Guide at the end of the summer. If you have questions before then or want to say hello, you can reach me at j-leopoldt at northwestern dot edu.