This summer, seniors Emily Elfner, Ashley Koenig, Dwight Maynor, and Nicole Winkel visited, or will be visiting, countries in Europe or the caribbean for getaways with family or friends.

For the first month of her summer, Winkel traveled around Europe. She has been to Germany and Spain when she was a Baby, Mexico at age thirteen, and Germany and Greece the summer after her sophomore year.

She went to Iceland for a day, visiting famous nature spots with her two siblings. After that, she traveled to Germany, where she visited family near Munich and toured around the city with her parents and siblings. After saying goodbye to her relatives, she took a plane to Italy, and spent two weeks visiting cities from Verona down to Rome and Pompeii.. She visited famous monuments and churches, such as St. Peter’s Basilica, in Vatican City. Winkel and her siblings then traveled to Madrid, Spain where they stayed with more family and friends, while touring Barcelona and going to the beach.

“I feel like most of our trips are more adventuring than relaxing,” says Winkel. “We are always on the move and going from place to place in order to see everything we can. When we are with family, we relax more so we can focus on being with them.”

Koenig will be traveling to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic in August. Koenig will be staying at a resort on the Carribean Island for one week. She and her family will be swimming, laying in the sun, and participating in activities such as snorkeling and kayaking. Overall, according to Koenig, it will be a “relaxing getaway.”

“It is nice to be away from all the stress of school and things at home, and just being able to sit on the beach and relax without worrying about anything,” says Koenig. “Just being able to take a week off and go on a fun vacation is incredibly relaxing.”

Elfner is adding to her list of countries she has visited by going to Bilbao in the Basque country of Spain in August. She has gone to Canada many times, Mexico, and China. So, this will be her first time in Europe.

Elfner will be traveling through Bilbao, Madrid, France, Portugal, and a small village near Bilbao for three weeks. She will be living with her foreign exchange student from last summer while she is in the country.

“I’m a little nervous to be speaking and listening to Spanish the entire time,” says Elfner. “I’m not sure how much I will understand, but I am excited to explore around the country. It will be very adventurous.”

Maynor traveled to Germany the first two weeks of summer vacation with his extended family and friends.

“The first week I stayed with my German friend, Celina, at her house. It was her last week of school so I went to school with her and hung out with her friends,” says Maynor.

His second week, Maynor, accompanied by his aunt, cousin, and uncle, toured the southern half of Germany. They stopped in different cities in the area, and also took quick visits to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Austria as well. One of his favorite moments was going to a hot spring in Germany on the second to last day of his trip.

“It was my first time out of the country, and it was super fun,” says Maynor. “It was definitely a lot of adventuring around new areas and seeing new cultures, and I loved everything about it.”