Friday, I will complete one of my dreams: going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Fla.

As a lover of the books and movies, the experience walking down Diagon Alley and picking up items from Ollivander’s Wand Shop and Dervish and Banges will be unlike any other.

I plan to buy a wand, eat a chocolate frog and drink a butter beer.

However, as a college student, the trip has been planned on a budget.

Planning a five-day trip to Florida filled with adventures is not cheap.

The vacation will also be packed with other tourist attractions, delicious food and a lot of kayaking.

The total for the vacation is going to cost about $1,000.

While this may seem like a lot, or a little, to people for only five days, the experiences will be worth it.

If given the choice of living in the mansion or traveling the world, I would choose to travel the world, hands down.

According to a research report published in the Journal of Positive Psychology in 2012, life experiences make people happier than material possessions.

The researchers found it was no surprise that life experiences make people happier because they shape who we are.

Even though I will acquire a lot of Harry Potter memorabilia during my time in Florida, imagining I am actually buying supplies for my first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is much more fulfilling.

OK, experiencing this may transport me further into Harry Potter fandom, but later this summer I am also going to climb a mountain in Maine, both of which I have never experienced.

Last summer, I got to raft down the Grand Canyon and skydive with mountains surrounding me. 

Looking back at these memories, the credit card bill isn’t what stands out. 

What stands out is the feeling of being on a mountain for the first time, which was absolutely exciting and glorious.

If there is any place to start dancing, it is when you just experienced something new or completed a life goal. 

It is an age-old question on whether one would choose to be poor as dirt but have lived a life wealthy of experiences or choose a life with a large bank account.

I would like to think that we would all choose the experiences over material items but not all would. 

We only have one life to live. 

All I know is lying on my death bed, I will not cherish the possessions surrounding my body, but the memories I have shared with the people I love and the experiences I took the chance to have.

Amanda Wilkinson can be reached at 581-2812 or akwilkinson@eiu.edu.