While many students may know French teacher Mr. Matt Jacobi, many don’t know about his adventures and travel experience. Over the years, he has embarked on countless journeys, exploring nearly every country in Europe. From the bustling streets of Paris, to the beautiful landscapes of the Swiss Alps, Mr. Jacobi says his travel experiences have enriched his life in ways that few could imagine. Despite his travels, he remains humble and rarely speaks of his adventures, making this aspect of his life a fascinating secret to those who know him only in the classroom.
“[I love to travel] because it’s fun to experience new places and visit new sites, taking in new experiences and cultures,” Mr. Jacobi said. On almost every break from school, Mr Jacobi has a trip planned somewhere.
There are always new places to be explored and people to meet, the New Albany graduate says, but if you never travel and find what’s right for you, then you may never get to go through these experiences. Everyone who travels has to have one of their favorite places or go to a place to go when they don’t know where to go.
“Obviously I really like Paris because I’m a French teacher, but Disney World is one of my favorites because it’s super easy to forget about life and become immersed in the world of Walt Disney,” Mr. Jacobi said. “I also really liked the Swiss Alps because of its peacefulness and it’s very quaint.”
Mr. Jacobi’s most recent travel also happens to be his favorite, Jacobi tends to visit Walt Disney World whenever he can which is typically on a break of some sort with school. Now with every favorite place to go there has to be a least favorite place, maybe somewhere that’s dangerous, too expensive, or maybe even the food is a game changer.
“A lot of people would disagree with me, but my least favorite place to travel was surprisingly Florence, Italy. I felt like it was very dirty and I didn’t feel safe there. It was one of the only places I’ve traveled in Europe and didn’t feel as safe as some other countries,” Mr. Jacobi said.
When vacationing, cost can be one of the main factors that keep people away from going to the places that they really want to go.
“Travel is very expensive in general, but if I were to choose it would be any of the smaller towns in Europe. It doesn’t have a lot of tourists coming and going which makes it really easy to keep the price down,” Mr. Jacobi said.
The cost of vacation takes away from the experience sometimes, but if you can find a place that is cheap and still shows the quality of somewhere with expensive qualities.
“London is very expensive, because prices are very high and the pound is more expensive than the US dollar. London is also a very popular place for tourists to visit,” Mr Jacobi said.
He has not only traveled abroad, he has also lived in another country.
“I studied abroad and lived in Paris for a summer, but I could move to Paris — but it wouldn’t be permanent because I would miss home and family too much. But overall, Paris would be the place that I would consider if I were to move,” he said.
Food is also a factor in deciding where to travel. When it comes to Mr Jacobi, he tends to lean towards French food and European food in general.
“[Choosing a favorite] is a tough one because a lot of countries in Europe have really great food. I would have to say if you like pasta Italy would be the palace for you, but personally I love French food so France would be my pick with all of the breads and cheeses that they have,” Mr Jacobi said.
He says there are also places to avoid when it comes to the food.
“Out of places I’ve visited I think I would say the Czech Republic; it certainly wasn’t bad, but the food is really great in Europe so it wasn’t particularly great [in comparison],” Mr. Jacobi said.
Mr Jacobi’s next trip will be to Gatlinburg, Tennessee on Thanksgiving break.
