Travel Smart and Cool If you're traveling abroad, here's my advice on how to stay safe and have fun: • Research: Staring at a particular castle or national monument and having no clue what it is never feels good. Do your research before traveling to make the most out of your trip. If you want to visit tourist sites off the beaten path, check out Lonely Planet. • Paperwork In order to enter many countries, you'll need a visa or proof from a doctor that you've been inoculated against certain diseases. Check out the U.S. Embassy's Web site for more information about your final destination. • Staying Safe Despite what you might hear in the news, most places in the world are perfectly safe to travel to. To get the real deal on whether Greece and Kenya are safe places to visit, investigate the U.S. Department of State Travel Warnings page. • When in Rome… Nothing screams, "I'm an American tourist!" louder than sunglasses, sneakers, and jeans. Try to blend in as best as possible when you're traveling overseas. It's safer and you'll be better able to enjoy the atmosphere without looking like a tourist.

Growing Up Global

By Elisabeth Wilhelm, 18, staff writer

While most teenagers in the United States get excited about visiting the Big Apple or taking a jaunt across the border to the land of moose and maple syrup, it'd be easy for me to take traveling for granted. Because I've spent most of my life traveling and living abroad, I'm an exception to the rule.

Silk, Combat Boots, and the Great Wall

My room is completely cluttered with cheap souvenirs from past trips. More recently, my Mac hard drive is crammed full of digital photos from my trips abroad. I've got snapshots of the Great Wall, a beautiful silk wrap skirt from Malaysia, jewelry from France, and some leftover guilders from Holland.

But the material things don't really matter. I've met extraordinary people—a boy who comes from what was once India's royal family (and comes to school in an armored Mercedes), the Danish daughter of parents who both work for the United Nations, and Finnish twins who make every day at school nonstop entertainment.

Roots Steeped in Camouflage

These extraordinary friends I've made all live in Germany because of their parents' jobs. I live in Germany because I have a parent in the military and another parent who is German. My mother wore combat boots for 20 years as a solider and doctor in the U.S. Army, which means that our family has moved every two or three years.

I've spent most of my life in Germany (I only lived in the United States three years) so I speak German and English fluently. I've attended international school and schools for other "military brats" like me. Because countries in Europe are so close, school field trips that require our passports are very common.

Treasuring the Memories

The great thing about living in Europe is that it's not strange to hop over the English Channel with my Girl Scout troop to hang out in London (I'm a member of the Girl Scouts Overseas neighborhood). Or, we can take a bus to Amsterdam to play volleyball, or fly into Lisbon, Portugal, for a Model United Nations conference.

Even though it'd be easy for me to take them for granted, I'll treasure experiences like these forever. I am lucky to call Europe "home."