{"id":5127,"date":"2021-07-28T09:00:01","date_gmt":"2021-07-28T09:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/takeflyte.org\/?p=5127"},"modified":"2021-07-29T08:42:18","modified_gmt":"2021-07-29T08:42:18","slug":"donor-profile-matthew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/takeflyte.org\/donor-profile-matthew\/","title":{"rendered":"Donor Spotlight: Matthew McArdle"},"content":{"rendered":"
FLYTE is more than a non-profit organization. It is a community built by supporters and donors who want to empower students to change their lives \u2013 and the world \u2013 through travel.<\/em><\/p>\n Taking his first international trip as a university student, this week’s donor chooses to support FLYTE because of the significant, positive impact travel has had on his outlook on life. We’re so grateful for Matthew’s generosity and the wisdom he imparts with us today!<\/em><\/p>\n I currently live in my favorite city in the world, NYC, working as a consultant for a tech focused, corporate travel agency.\u00a0 Prior to that, I actually lived on the other side of the world in Singapore where I worked in a similar role at a different corporate travel agency.\u00a0 The years I spent in Singapore were some of my favorites, mostly due to the fact I was able to easily and cheaply travel to many different Southeast Asian countries on vacation days and even over the weekend.\u00a0 Singapore also has the best airport in the world!<\/span><\/p>\n I was born in the Los Angeles suburbs but for college, decided to take a pretty big leap for me at the time and move across the country to NYC to attend NYU and study Sports Management.\u00a0 A big sports fan growing up, I was ecstatic when I was able to secure internships and jobs across the industry including at Yankee Stadium (during Jeter\u2019s last season), Staples Center (during Kobe\u2019s last season), the NYNJ Super Bowl and Madison Square Garden.<\/span><\/p>\n Attending NYU also allowed me the chance to study abroad in one of many of their global locations.\u00a0 I chose Prague in the Czech Republic. Not only was this my first time ever leaving North America, but this was the first time I had the opportunity to easily travel to other countries, and learn first hand about many different cultures, all over the course of just a few months.\u00a0 I can thank this experience for opening up my eyes to the positive impact that travel can have on someone.<\/span><\/p>\n Pre and post Covid, traveling remains by far my favorite thing to do in my free time, and even sometimes for work!<\/span><\/p>\n Non travel related, I love to go to concerts, watch sports (go Lakers and USC Football!), try new recipes and restaurants, run along Manhattan\u2019s east coast, and read.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Most importantly, travel has taught me that no matter who you are or where you are from, we are all human beings with the common goal of wanting to live a happy life.\u00a0 This may seem obvious but when you meet someone from what you would normally think is a completely different way of life than you and are able to share some form of mutual memories and laughs, you realize how small the world actually is.<\/span><\/p>\n Personally, traveling internationally for the first time, which was a few day stopover in Lisbon before heading over to Prague, really developed a permanent desire for me to want to visit as many countries as possible over my life, learn first hand about the respective culture and make local friends.\u00a0 I’ve taken any chance I’ve had to travel internationally and\u00a0 now have many good friends in so many countries around the world, who I try to stay in regular contact with.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n So many, with many of them revolving around food!\u00a0 Foodwise, I think my peak memory was trying my favorite dish of all time, pho, on a little stool at a local corner restaurant in Hanoi.\u00a0 Second would be enjoying my favorite all around meal, Korean BBQ with some fellow hostel mates in Seoul.\u00a0 In general, I don\u2019t really plan many specifics about the food I will eat, but rather, always try something from any place that captures my eye while exploring cities on foot.<\/span><\/p>\n Naturally, being from LA, I like to surf and drive.\u00a0 I had the chance to surf in two incredible places, Bali and Yilan, Taiwan which were definitely memorable.\u00a0 Regarding driving, I really enjoyed driving around the mountains and beaches of New Zealand northern island for 10 days.\u00a0 I even had the chance to ride a motorcycle all around Taiwan\u2019s east coast and in Myanmar, something I would never want to do in my hometown in LA.\u00a0 Finally, I even rode a real life Mario Kart through the streets of Tokyo!<\/span><\/p>\n If i had to pick only one memory, it would be exploring Italy\u2019s Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast with at least 10 of my best friends in college over our spring break.\u00a0 The picturesque coasts, windy roads, red wine, and of course food are unbeatable in my memories.<\/span><\/p>\nTell us about yourself.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How has travel impacted your life?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What’s your favorite travel memory?<\/strong><\/h2>\n