1. EXTREME
travele
6 |CENTRIC
Ellen Arnold is backpacking in
Iceland in July 2014.
Photo courtesy of Ellen Arnold

2. E
er
One student goes through extraordinary
measures to travel the world in her free time.
STORY BY | ALEXIS MINIERI
F
or Ellen Arnold, time off means
more than just a break from school
and work; it’s an opportunity to
explore as many places as possible.
During summer 2014, Arnold, a junior
advertising and public relations major at
UCF, and a few others took their
explorations to the next level by
backpacking across Iceland. Sleeping in cars
or in pastures on the side of the road and
hanging out with wild horses was only part
of the adventure.
However, that’s not even the most
extreme part. Arnold has a tendency to
travel every chance she can get. In January,
just before heading back to school, Arnold
also camped on the beaches of Costa Rica.
In the summer of 2013, she went island
hopping and cliff diving in the Greek
islands.
What’s her secret? Saving as much
money as humanly possible. She has funded
her trips through multiple serving jobs at
restaurants including Red Lobster, Smokey
Bones and The Cheesecake Factory.
“There were times where I would go 19
days without a day off,” Arnold said. “I’d do
doubles on the weekends. A day off would
be the biggest deal in the world to me.”
Arnold said she prioritizes her spending
for only absolute necessities, which means
school tuition and plane tickets. She also is
responsible for paying for her own rent, car
insurance and all other expenses without
the help of her parents or school loans.
Arnold got a job her junior year of high
school and started saving for her college
tuition and first Europe trip. Arnold and
some friends left for Ireland the day after
her 18th birthday in June 2012. They stayed
in various hostels around the country for 20
days.
So, what started her itch for traveling?
“When I was like 8 to probably 13, I
would just sit in my room and read books. I
hated road trips. I hated going anywhere. I
just wanted to sit in my room and read,”
Arnold said. It wasn’t until she was a
teenager that she began going on
adventures around her hometown of
Sebring, Florida.
Arnold’s close friend and fellow traveler,
Rebekah Watts, has watched Arnold grow
into the traveler she is today.
“Ellie has always been adventurous, from
simply wanting to explore trails or
spontaneously go somewhere,” Watts said.
Watts and Arnold met in high school and
planned their trip to Ireland the summer
after Arnold graduated.
“It all started with us talking about a road
trip to Canada, but then Ellie brought up
the idea that if we’re saving up all this
money we should go overseas,” Watts said.
So, they planned out how much money
was needed, where to go and how long they
would stay.
“Next thing I know, we are sitting in
Starbucks in Sebring buying our plane
tickets to Ireland,” Watts said.
They stayed in a bed in breakfast in
Dublin for 17 days and stayed in hostels for
two days at a time when traveling to other
cities.
“[They were] moments I never would
have experienced if it weren’t for Ellie,”
Watts said.
Although Arnold still loves reading,
something inside her drives her to explore.
“Just being somewhere where things look
different, feel different, the people are
different, the lifestyle is different, just
makes me feel like I’m doing something
with my life,” she said.
For her next excursion, she plans to go
to the airport with a backpack and book the
next flight out.
“I don’t care where to,” she said.
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