When you meet people who are just as passionate about travel or the outdoors, have a sense of adventure, and have an insatiable curiosity like you do, it creates this connection. There are so many different people and personalities that have inspired themselves and maybe even inspired others to get out there.
I created this new interview series called From _____ to One World on this blog site because I want to get to know other people who have changed their life in one way or another to pursue what they love most: adventure. But in a box, this will explain it all:
From David To One World
Meet David Tawil, a 20-something years old who always loved traveling and tried to take advantage of it while he was still in college like I did. One of the biggest conflicts that a lot of college students go through after graduating is “what will I do?” A lot of graduates often find themselves not ready to jump into the work world or a 9-5 schedule yet, especially those who desire travel and are still figuring out their options before being tied down to a job.
But, what David did was not unusual. He wanted to have an adventure for a lifetime to remember, so he saved a lot of his money while he was working as an Uber and Lyft driver to take off and go travel right after his graduation. He decided to give himself a time frame of only one month so that he can get back to working and within that one month, he traveled to 13 countries in Europe!
The cities and countries he traveled to are:
- Madrid, Spain
- Porto, Portugal & Lisbon, Portugal
- Paris, France
- Berlin, Germany
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Krakow, Poland
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Rome, Italy
- Vatican City
- Malta
- London, England
- Oslo, Norway
Most college students in America are given a 6-month grace period before they have to start paying off their student loans. This is actually a great time to take some advantage of traveling during their grace period and David wants to inspire college students to not be afraid to take that chance. He believes people should take a break from their studies and there’s no perfect time than doing it after graduating.
Let’s hear from David himself to learn about his story.
1. Tell us about who you are and what you have studied in college. Tell us what your travel journey was about after college.
Hello, I am David Tawil. I am 25 years old. I studied Accounting in college and I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in May 2017. Over the summer of 2017, I went to Peru and traveled there for 12 days. I had a layover in Mexico for a couple of hours with both ways as I was on my way to Peru and then coming back to the USA, so I decided to tour Mexico City. I met a friend there in Peru and we became really good friends. We also became travel buddies. He was experienced in traveling because he has been all over South America. So, he hosted me and helped me travel through Peru. During that time in July, we went and saw Machu Picchu and it was beautiful. We kept in touch when I went back to the USA. That following August, he told me he was going to travel to Europe and I told him “take me with you, so I can learn from your experiences!” I ended up traveling to 13 different countries within one month in January 2018.
2. What made you want to travel during college and after?
It has always been a dream of mine to travel around the world. I encourage everyone who finishes college to travel to different countries and it will give you the best time of your life! I know I had the best time of my life and it was an absolutely amazing experience for me. I saw so many different things. I saw museums, famous places, and beautiful historical places. I learned about new cultures and spoke a few words in a few different languages. I met many people from different backgrounds. I really enjoyed traveling. I decided to travel during and after college because we should all travel while we are young. When you get older, it is hard to travel because by then, you will probably want to buy a new car, a new house, and take of your family. Of course, though, I can travel with family but that won’t be until the kids grow up and will be a good enough age. It will also be more expensive with family, so it’s better right now to save money for yourself and you can take this time as a single college graduate to travel longer.
3. Was traveling right after college for a whole month something you were afraid to do? Was there anything that could’ve held you back from doing it?
After college is definitely the best time to travel because that is when you are more free and free to more things that you weren’t able to do before. There was something holding me back… and that was seeking for full-time career opportunities. I did get a few offers but I rejected them and some of them did tell me I can call them back after I travel! I don’t regret it though because traveling to Europe was great, and I’m glad I did it.
4. What was your most favorite country through the whole one-month journey in Europe and why?
My favorite country was London and that was my layover on the way back to the USA. I loved London because there was so much to do. There was a lot of insightful places to see. I got to see the beautiful famous bridge, The London Eye, and a few notable places. I also did a boat tour and saw many things while I was on the boat. There was so much to do, but I didn’t have enough time because I only had a couple of hours in my layover. I almost missed my flight because I didn’t want to leave haha! I had to take the train and buses to go back to the airport because Gatwick was an hour away from the center place. I definitely want to go back to London and I will probably stay there for 2 to 3 weeks, so I can see more of those beautiful sights.
5. What about your most favorite culture? What culture of a country did you enjoy experiencing most and why?
Malta had my favorite culture to experience because they spoke a language that was very similar to my language. I was born and raised in Palestine. My primary language was Arabic, and Arabic is very similar to the Maltese lanaguge. When I stayed with my host, we were comparing the words that were similar and it was very interesting. Their culture is also similar to my culture. The Maltese are very friendly people. Malta is an island and it was very beautiful to travel through too.
6. What was the most interesting thing you’ve seen in your whole trip? Why did this intrigue you?
The most interesting thing I’ve seen on my trip was the Eiffel Tower because it is truly beautiful in person and I went all the way to the top and saw the city of Paris from the top! It was… amazing.
7. Are you ready to go into the full-time job life and be ready to commit to the 9-5 life and all that your job has to restrict you from doing?
I am ready to go into a full-time job and I’m currently applying for some jobs. Whenever I get time off with vacation or a week off, I will use that time to travel to more different countries.
8. We read about stories of people quitting full-time all the time to travel for a whole year or more. Have you ever seen yourself quitting a full-time job to pursue traveling for a long time? Or would you just take breaks from your job when you’re eligible to?
I would just take breaks from my job whenever I’m eligible to. I would probably need a full-time job in my field to make money and then travel. I think I can manage though and find time for breaks, but I would probably only be able to travel for a couple of days.
9. What is a piece of advice you would give to others, especially college students, who are contemplating whether to take a gap to go traveling after college?
I highly recommend that college students take a break after finishing college. You just need a break from school and from life. Trust me. Do something useful and when I mean useful, I mean go out, meet new people, and travel around the world if you can take that opportunity! Take a month off if you can’t do it any longer and you need to work again, but seriously, consider traveling and living your dreams while you’re young and healthy. Get out and do new things that will inspire you! You will learn more about the experiences of traveling when you start doing it.
10. How has traveling impacted you including this one-month journey around Europe?
Traveling has impacted me to be a better person that I am today and it made me realize how fortunate I am to live in the USA because when I go to different countries, sometimes, they are not as fortunate because they don’t have everything they need. They gave me a different point of view of life and made me realize that life is valuable. In Poland and Germany, I went to concentration camps and I was very touched by it. It made me look at life in a different way and truly understand the value of life. Millions of lives were taken away during those times and all those people also had hopes and dreams. Then, they were gone in a blink of an eye. I definitely learned from it all.
11. What were the coolest things you’ve taken home from your trip?
I had bought a flag from every country and that was like the coolest things to me that I took back home from any trip. I want to eventually hang these flags up on my wall and remind myself that I visited these places.
Connect With David On Social Media
Instagram: @dtt8519
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dtawil
If you or anyone you know would like to share their life-changing story where adventure inspired them, please contact me here.
