We traveled to Innsbruck, Austria and met with the Innsbruck Tourism Board to learn about how they market Innsbruck and the surrounding Tyrolean area as a top destination to visit. As the meeting went on, we learned that extreme sports are popular activities in Innsbruck.
We had an opportunity to sign up for everything from bungee jumping to white water rafting! Even though I was slightly terrified, I decided to join a few others and sign up for paragliding.
Instant Regret:
After signing up, we had two days between signing up and take-off. With each passing day, I was talking myself out of it. Jumping off the side of a cliff didn’t seem like a good idea anymore. Everyone on the trip kept trying to convince me to go through with it. My classmates encouraged me to be brave and because of that, I decided to go. After all, paragliding is something I might never have the opportunity to do again.
Time to ‘Glide:
The time came. We had to ride a cable car to the top of the mountain. I was very much on edge throughout the ride…quite literally. The instructors were nice, but I was still extremely nervous.
Next thing I knew, I was strapped in… the countdown began… and I started running off the mountain. The parachute caught wind and off we went!
Once we were in the air, you would have thought it was a green screen. The flight was incredibly calming and the views were beautiful.
I am very thankful that my classmates were supportive, encouraging, and didn’t let me talk myself out of paragliding.
The reason I chose to attend the IBS Summer Europe program was because of the amount of countries we would visit and the real-world experience I would gain through company visits. Not only did I travel to beautiful places and learn from large companies, I made some amazing friends that helped me step outside of my comfort zone.
I loved my IBS experience and hope that others will take the opportunity to experience the program as well.
