With club volleyball taking up more than half of my year, I travel around a lot. Here are my top ten places that I have travelled to. These ratings are based on the overall atmosphere of the place, the teenage friendliness, and the affordability.

10. Philadelphia, PA

As a Pittsburgher I think it is natural for me to say I am not a big fan of Philly. There’s a few cool sights to see like the Philadelphia City Hall, Independence Hall, and the Liberty Bell. As cool as those buildings are, the streets of Philly are not. Walking down the streets of Philly there is a prominent stench of marijuana and other drugs and the main tourist attraction, the Liberty Bell, had a two hour line just to take a picture of the bell.  But guess what? There are windows all around the bell that you can also take a picture of the bell from. My favorite part of Philadelphia was definitely the Rocky Balboa statue. Overall I don’t like Philadelphia and I would not return. I would rate the teenage friendliness of Philadelphia a 1.5/5.

9. Louisville, Kentucky

I have been to Louisville a few times in my life. I visited the Kentucky Derby Museum, the Louisville Slugger Museum, and Churchill Downs. It was super cool to see these buildings and the Louisville Slugger Museum even gives away free mini bats at the end of your tour. I never felt unsafe while I was walking the streets of Louisville. Overall I have no complaints about Louisville and I would go back any day. If there were some more cool buildings and attraction sights this would definitely be higher up on my list. The teenage friendliness would be a 5/5 for me.

8. Chicago, Illinois

Chicago was a very cool place to go. I went to the Navy Pier, Millennium Park, and the Riverwalk. I also got to see the Trump International Hotel which was right near the Chicago River. Chicago is a very large city and having no car to use, I had to take the Metro, which is an underground Subway, everywhere we went. The entire time I was walking the streets of Chicago during the day I felt unsafe and felt the speeding cars passing me would hit me. The night was even worse. The streets are filled with people at all times and I felt very unsafe. Even if you did have access to a car it would not help you much as the traffic is awful, especially the week I went when Joe Biden was in town. Chicago overall did not feel like a safe place to be day or night. Teenage friendliness I would rate it 2/5.

7. Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas was one of the prettiest places I have ever been to. I stayed at the Luxor hotel, which is the pyramid hotel on the strip. Walking in I thought it was amazing to look at. It was a huge hotel and there was so much to do. There were two Starbucks, a froyo shop, multiple restaurants, and even a Titanic exhibit. There were also four pools at the back of the hotel and they were nice to sit in. But as I continued exploring the strip I realized I was staying at one of the ugliest and most disgusting hotels in Vegas. I visited many hotels my first day like the Venetian, Caesars Palace, the Bellagio, the Cosmopolitan, and New York, New York. Every single hotel had a huge casino. I lived with the stench of smoke for the entire week. These hotels/casinos were amazing and I had so much fun exploring them. My favorite hotel was probably the Venetian. The ceilings looked exactly like the sky and it was so nice to feel like you were outside without being in 100+ degree weather. Air conditioning is everyone’s friend in Vegas. The main problem with Las Vegas though, is safety. Our hotel room at the Luxor was disgusting and our hotel in general was outdated. Every hotel you went in you had to pass through the smoke filled casinos. My friends and I were even followed by a man who took pictures of us on the streets of Vegas. Even with adults with you. Vegas is unsafe. Lastly, the Las Vegas strip has five lanes on both sides. No jaywalking allowed in Vegas! This was not a teenage friendly place at all so I would rate it a 1/5 for teenage friendliness.

6. Grand Canyon, Arizona

The Grand Canyon is a very cool place to visit. The views are beautiful but also dangerous. If you stay within the railings, the canyon is a perfectly safe place to go but there are some unintelligent people who will hop the railings that put themselves at danger. There are also opportunities to hike down the canyon but if you aren’t hiking there isn’t much to do there other than look around.  I would not plan an entire trip around going to the Grand Canyon. If you ever do go to Arizona I would make it a point to go to the canyon. This was overall a 3/5 teenage friendly spot to go.

5. Dewey Beach, Delaware

Dewey Beach is a small town beach near Rehoboth Beach. Dewey Beach is just as good as Rehoboth just without the crowd of people. The water is the perfect temperature and the beach is never full. Everything is within walking distance and all the restaurants are pretty good. It’s a very family friendly vacation spot and you are able to walk everywhere. As a teenager I would rate this place a 4/5 teenage friendly vacation spot.

4. Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. is a very cool place to visit. There’s the Lincoln Memorial, Thomas Jefferson memorial, The National Mall, the White House, and many more buildings and monuments to see.  There are many tours available that will take you around D.C. Some of these tours can be pricey but there are some affordable bus tour options where you have the opportunity to view a lot of these monuments. It only cost around $15 and it was a two hour tour around D.C. Some of the food and hotels near D.C. are a little pricey but it can be an affordable and fun trip if you plan it correctly. The roads are a little unsafe to walk near as some people speed by but overall it was a fun trip. Teenager friendliness would be 2.5/5.

3. Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale is a very affordable and family friendly vacation spot. There are hotels that line the beach which allows you to leave directly from your hotel and straight onto the beach. The water is the perfect temperature and if you don’t feel like going to the beach you can swim at your hotel pool or you can go to any of the attraction spots like the Everglades Tour or Deep Sea Fishing. Fort Lauderdale restaurants allow you to bring any fish you have caught in and they will cook the fish for you. Fort Lauderdale gets a 3.5/5 for teenage friendliness.

2. Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee

The Great Smoky Mountains has beautiful views. The cabins we stayed in sat on a hill and had amazing views just like the picture. There was also many forms of wildlife you could watch, including bears. There was one day when we woke up the bears were just walking on the street. Nearby to the mountains is an amusement park called Dollywood. Dollywood has some awesome rides like the Wild Eagle. The drive from Tennessee was long but well worth it and this is a great vacation spot that is different than just going to the beach. I would rate The Great Smoky Mountains a 4.5/5 for a teenage friendly vacation spot.

1. Surfside, South Carolina

Surfside, South Carolina is a nice small town beach. All the beach houses nearby the beach have a small pool in the backyard and are all within walking distance from the beach. This vacation spot has by far the best vacation food I have ever had. There are many restaurants on or near the beach that have fantastic food. A lot of the beach houses there also provide a golf cart which you can drive around the roads and you can even park them at the beach. I saw more golf carts being used than actual cars. There is a grocery store right nearby so if you stay for a while, it is easy to get groceries. This was my favorite vacation I have ever been on and it is a great place to go if you are looking for an affordable, safe, and fun vacation spot. As a teenager I would rate Surfside Beach a 5/5 teenage friendly vacation spot.