When I think of great places to travel. I think of Turkey. Earlier this year my wife and I went to Europe, and Turkey was the most positive experience of our whole trip.

We went to Selçuk, Pamukkale and Göreme (Cappadocia), finally ending our trip in Istanbul during Ramadan.

Words cannot express the kindness of the Turkish people. Honestly way more accommodating than any other culture I've experienced. I was so impressed with the rich history and culture. This cornerstone where Eastern culture and Western culture have collided was just amazing.

One fun experience is walking down a street crowded with restaurants/hotels/hostels and having the hosts try to convince you to come to their restaurant.

One not so fun experience (although it did not ruin the trip) happened in Pamukkale. After visiting the travertines, my wife and I were walking back to our hotel. There are a lot of stray dogs and one came out of no where and started barking and growling at us. I didn't know what to do so I tried to distract the dog so my wife could get away. While I was doing this a local came by and started chasing the dog away by hissing and throwing rocks at it. It was seriously scary, and as a dog lover, an experience that would change the way I looked at stray dogs forever (not that I trusted them before, but now I actively avoid them).

If you are reading this right now, and haven't traveled much, please take this message with you. I spent a lot of money this summer but I do not regret it one single bit. The memories I have will last with me for the rest of my life. The people and places I have seen were spectacular. I ask you to consider that one might regret a day of playing video games, but will never regret seeing something so grand an underground city, eating food that you'd never expect, listening to music that your ears have never heard, and meeting wonderful people, both traveling and local, who will change your outlook on life.

Here is a picture of me at the travertines: