How Travel Inspired Girl Scout Alexa to Write a book

Traveling and writing are in my blood. At least that’s what I like to think. Ever since my mom and grandmother took my older cousin on a trip to London, I’ve been dreaming of exploring Europe. And I’ve been writing short stories about girls in other countries and time periods for as long as I can remember. I eventually combined both of these loves together: I wrote a book partially based on my experiences on a European adventure.

Alexa's Book

It was the summer of 2019. The summer before we even knew pandemics existed. Sixteen-year-old me was embarking on a trip (or “European extravaganza” as I like to call it) with my campus ministry. It was eighteen days in Italy, Austria, and Germany. I had been to Europe before, but the only place I had been to that was included on the itinerary was Italy, but I didn’t see much. I was dying to go to see the sights and just have an adventure of my own without my parents. It was a little scary considering it was the first time I’d be away from my parents for a long amount of time, but I was excited for the unknown.

The first few days were a little tough because I missed my parents and I nearly had a heat stroke at the Colosseum due to dehydration. But after that, it got better. I got to know a really great group of people, and we created lots of memories together We felt blessed by being close to the Pope during a papal audience in Rome, played soccer on the Patio in Assisi, had an underwhelming experience on an overnight train to Vienna, and explored the filming sights of my all-time favorite film The Sound of Music via a tour in Salzburg. This was mixed with gelato, staying up late at night bonding with my roommates, games of truth or dare, trying new foods, and several other memories that I could go on and on for hours talking about!

Before I knew it, the eighteen days in Europe were over. It was time to go home. I was happy I would get to see my parents again, but I would miss all of the friends that I made. When you spend so much time with a group of people every day, it feels weird when you go your separate ways.

The European extravaganza not only taught me about how to be independent and try new things, but it felt me feeling so inspired that I began to write. I mean, like I said, I’ve been writing since I could spell. How could I not make up a story as I was traveling across a foreign country? I started off with a basic idea: a girl goes to Europe. From there, I began to develop more of the story, using elements from my life while sprinkling in some fiction. But one thing stayed the same: the European setting.

After nine months of conquering writer’s block and time management, the book was published on May 18, 2020. I often refer to this accomplishment as, “one of the few good things to come out of 2020.” I felt some sort of satisfaction as soon as I saw “A Star To Wish Upon by Alexa Bervid” on Amazon. A writer publishing their first novel is the equivalent of your team winning the National Championships.

Think about it: if I hadn’t had the courage to embark on the European extravaganza, I may not have even published this book. Sure, I probably would have written and published one eventually, but it would be a completely different story and I might not have gotten it done at this time.

How has Girl Scouts prepared me for a career in writing?

Well, back in the olden days when our troops had almost every girl in the grade, we loved to make up stories and perform plays. All of us would perform, but I would make up the script. In fact, the earliest thing I ever remember writing was one of my Girl Scout plays. Crafting plays for me and my fellow troop members to put on was just the beginning of my writing journey.

But what about my career as a traveler? How did Girl Scouts prepare me for that?

Well, we’ve been going to places, whether overnight or just for the day, since we were Daisies. We started off with taking day trips to explore historical sites such as downtown Annapolis and St. Mary’s City. Alexa's official Bio

As we got older, we began to stay at places overnight. Examples include Hooper Strait Lighthouse in St. Michael’s, the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal House followed by a day trip to Washington D.C., and Ocean City.

Girl Scouts did a really good job with taking one step at a time, starting off with day trips to places close by to staying overnight at a place about an hour away to staying two nights at a place that was two hours away from home. If they had not prepared us in this way, I may not have had the courage to go to another continent without my parents. And if I hadn’t started writing scripts for me and my fellow troop members to perform, I may not have been as confident of a writer as I am today. When it comes down to it, it feels like Girl Scouts knew that I would be publishing a book someday and they were helping me through the journey to get there.