My First Trip Out West

This story was submitted anonymously to the Stories of Travel collection as part of the May SEEQ sessions.

I went to Las Vegas, Nevada to attend a fashion conference in 2015. It was my first time traveling further out West than Texas. The trip had only been planned two weeks in advance. I had started interning with a fashion startup only a few months prior. They invited me on their endeavor to source clothing for their boutique. My knowledge of Vegas at the time was limited. However, I was beyond enthusiastic to visit a place far from home. It had started snowing only about an hour before my flight. I hadn’t received any cancellation notice from the airline, so I continued to drive through the snowfall to the airport. I remember boarding the plane with a sigh of relief that the flight was still on. The flight had a layover in North Carolina. I grabbed a bite to eat, and then headed off for the next part of my trip.

The pilot told us over the intercom that we were entering the state of Nevada. I opened up the window shade and looked out into the landscape. I saw miles and miles of nothing but giant sand dunes. There were no trees, buildings, or any signs of civilization. My eyes were glued to the window for the remainder of the trip. This was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Upon arriving to the Las Vegas airport, I was greeted with a “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign and at least 20 functioning slot machines. I quickly realized that the climate in Nevada was vastly different than anything I had ever experienced before.