Maya McCreary, a junior at Arlington High School is attending the 2023 trip to Japan, but traveling is nothing new for Maya. Although Maya frequently travels, she doesn’t take anything for granted and she has many things she enjoys doing while abroad. “I enjoy getting to see new cultures and getting to meet new people and shop at different places because I love shopping!”

Maya has been to many places, all that include a vast variety of cultures such as Germany, Mexico, and Italy, but there is one place that she loves most. “I loved Nice, France because it’s at the beach, you can shop, and it has Italian food, which is my favorite.”

A dream of Mayas has always been to go to Japan. Along with the culture and food, Maya has always had a fascination with cars, more specifically Toyota. “I’ve always loved cars, especially Toyota and I can’t wait to see the Toyota factory when I go to Japan!”

Traveling internationally can be nerve racking for many reasons, but for Maya, she is nervous for the language barrier.

Not many kids have the opportunity to expand their knowledge through travel, but Maya has always been grateful for the opportunities that traveling has provided for her. “The biggest thing traveling has taught me is to appreciate more and it allows me to get out and experience new things so I can make new memories.”

Traveling is a great opportunity to push past your comfort zone and experience life in a new way. Maya is grateful for the experiences she’s had and she’s excited for the memories she’s going to make this summer in Japan.