Why are you afraid?

-I don’t want to travel by myself

More and more I hear people say, “I don’t know if I could travel by myself.”  

It’s not even about traveling… people won’t do anything by themselves anymore.  People are scared to sit in a restaurant and eat alone. Why is that? Because it’s awkward? Because it’s uncomfortable? Because you’re worried about what other people will think about you?

I guess when you really want something, the less you care about all of that. Would I like to travel with people? Yes. But traveling by myself is SUPER nice too!! I can do whatever I want when I want and I meet tons of people that I may not have met had I been with my friends.   

You are never truly alone. Ever. 

And yes, I did walk into a pub in London by myself, sat at a table, and ordered a ridiculously huge meal.  Hakuna Matata.

-I’m going to wait until I’m older/retire to travel

WHY?!!?

I know this isn’t sound financial advice, but my gosh! Don’t let money stop you from living and traveling and seeing the world!

NOW IS THE TIME!!!

I’ve heard stories from people who were planning on traveling and seeing the world once they retired…. And then the husband (or wife) got really sick and could no longer travel.  YOLO!

If money is an issue, I promise you there are affordable ways to see the world/do it on a budget.   Many times, you’ll even get more out of the experience because you’ll be forced to interact on a closer level with other human beings! (There’s an idea!)  J 
(This past trip when we were in Spain... I basically only paid for food, a few dollars here and there for the underground, and split the cost of a hostel which was super cheap. A lot of major cities have free walking tours which are actually pretty well done and allows you to see all the major sites!)

And do it before you get tied down! Another reason to go NOW!!!! 

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Coming from someone who was (and still is) extremely quiet and has an introverted personality.... 

Coming from the person who gets super stressed and anxious and worries about every little thing...

Coming from the person who would rather stay in and have a day completely to herself....

FLYING SOLO IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I COULD HAVE DONE and it is my goal to get people out there exploring the world.

Last day in Espana!

I can't even begin to describe everything that I'm feeling right now. 

Physically, I'm pretty tired. For someone who is normally pretty reserved, quiet, sticks to the same routine, etc... this trip has taken a lot out of me. Leading up to the trip I was pretty anxious and there were a couple days in between that were high anxiety. Usually, it's just me being my normal self... making mountains out of molehills, but nonetheless I can't control how my body reacts. 

While that part is never fun for me, I enjoy all the VICTORIES along the way.  How many times did I jump on a bus or a train and figure out the metro system? How many times did I find my way around a city completely alone? 

At the same time, as stated before, I'm dreading coming back home. Traveling is a sort of addiction for me and I can't stop. I'm always thinking about where I want to go and what I want to see. Not only that, but the people! I LOVE talking to them and swapping travel stories. :D   

(which only further lengthens my list of places to see!)

Highlights from my trip:

It was so AMAZING to me to see the BIG landmarks. As cheesy and as tourist-y as that is... I couldn't help but just stand and stare. (Big Ben, Eiffel Tower, Sagrada Familia)  I also really enjoyed the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. :)

I talked to quite a few Aussies, a couple Americans, a couple New Zealanders, a couple Irish folk.... THEY MAKE TRAVELING WORTH IT. I love walking around the streets and being on tours with people from ALL OVER THE WORLD. That is such an amazing thing. 

Today was spent in Barcelona. As stated earlier, Sagrada Familia = AMAZING to see in person. We did 2 free walking tours. One was of the old city and one was a Goudi tour which was actually my favorite :)

Have a 9 hour flight to New York tomorrow and then gotta catch another flight to Cincinnati.  

                                    Hasta mañana. 

Hola from Valencia

Suprising fact: People in Spain are SUPER nice. Aside from Paris, Spain (as a whole) was what I was most worried about simply because I heard so many stories of pickpocketing. Spaniards are very nice and helpful... New Zealand/Australia still rank as THE nicest, but Spaniards are a close second! (Maybe Irish are #3?)

Anyway... This is day #2 in Valencia. We walked around on our own yesterday and saw a lot of the major sites.  Today we took another tour gratis (FREE!) and walked around the city again with some explanation this time! Valencia is a lovely city. I'm becoming obsessed with tapas !! I think I had crab the other day, which I otherwise would not have eaten in the states. I just grab whatever looks good even though I have no idea what it is. It's actually really fun. :)

So yes, Spain is going well.... I love being in a country where English isn't the first language. (As long as it's Spanish!)  Although, the other day, I honestly forgot which side of the road people drive on in the states... In Spain they drive on the right, but I'm so used to other countries being opposite us, I couldn't remember!  I'm also really, really, really dreading coming back home... 

There is something inside of me that dies a little when I return home. I love traveling, I love experiencing new things, I love being challenged, I love meeting new people from all over the world,  I love it, I love it, I love it. Ohio is just so... Ohio.  :(

Tomorrow we are off to Barcelona and I leave on Monday for home! This trip has been perfect in that it hasn't gone by too fast and it hasnt' gone by too slow.... I'm still not wanting it to end though.

Already working on two different trips for next year  !

España day 1 in Madrid

Yesterday I woke up at 3am. 

I waited in el aeropuerto for 4 hours. (2 in the beginning and 2 waiting for Carla)

During the time I was waiting for carla, I wasn't able to get currency with my credit card. I also didn't have wifi so I couldn't tell Carla where I was.

I also realized how little Spanish I knew. 

I was having a rough morning. 

But then Carla arrived and my day turned around. I honestly haven't laughed so hard in... who knows how long! We got lost on the train and I was in tears from laughing so hard. (If Carla wasn't there I probably would have had tears, but of another variety!)

We walked around Madrid a bit and took a tour gratis! (Free tour) 

Today we explored el ciudad (the city) some more and went to quite a few parques (parks) 

Tomorrow we are off to Valencia !!

Sleepless and day tour to Paris

This post is really weird for me because I'm blogging from my phone... I don't like it !

Why am I blogging from my phone? Because I'm at the airport and it's going on 5am! 

Yesterday I had a day tour of Paris... Woke up at 5 am yesterday and a quick day tour is exactly what it was... Had lunch on the Eiffel Tower, went for a river cruise, saw the major sites (including the Mona Lisa !) and made some new friends (American and Australian !)

Today I had to wake up at 3am to catch a flight to España! I'm meeting up with my German sister (the one I traveled with in NZ) and I couldn't be more stoked to see her !

FAQ about solo travel

People have been asking me how I'm getting around by myself so I'll do my best to answer... I'll give you a heads up right now and let you know I haven't been the most budget conscious on this trip just because I HAVE been alone...I would rather pay a little more for added security (even if it's just in my head!)

IRELAND:

Obviously, I flew into in Dublin. After having been up for 30 some hours and not wanting to mess with the system, I grabbed a taxi to the place I was staying. I was in the city centre so I could just walk around the city.... I signed up for 3 different day tours through Irish Day Tours and would highly recommend them!  As I left the city, I was bit more conscious and I took a bus back to the airport.

I did also jump on a Hop on Hop off tour on my first day... (again, not really awake) This was beneficial because I got more history and information than if I were to just be walking around by myself. I also had a few hours to kill before I checked in so I just rode it around a couple times. :)

LONDON:

Flew into London from Dublin....  I took Heathrow Express which is an airport rail link that dropped me off at a station close to the place where I was staying and then walked from there.  I ended up getting The London Pass which enabled me to get into some attractions for free (and have fast pass!) as well as have use of the tube, busses, etc.

I have become quite the pro at the tube! :)


So that's all I have so far....

Tomorrow I'm off for a day trip to Paris! Have to wake up at 5 am so I'm not thrilled about that part of it.... and the following day I'll be waking up at 3 am to fly to Spain.  (YIKES!)

Also of note: I WENT TO HILLSONG LONDON TODAY!! :) :) :)

Here are some more pics of London:

Let's be British

Nothing whatsoever happened on Thursday. It was kind of a waste. :(  I slept in for the first time since I don't know when. (I was getting up every day at 5 something in the morning for tours!)

I went at the airport and waited for 3 hours since the flight was delayed... got into London and crashed in my room.

Today (Friday) was my first full day in London.  I did a bike tour in the morning which was a good way to get an overview of the city and see the major sites.

And... rode the London Eye:

Note of accomplishment:  I am THE WORST at directions. I can't explain to you how bad I am.... BUT! I took the tube today and (since my phone died) I didn't have directions to get back to the place where I'm staying... Here's the great part... I REMEMBERED STREET NAMES AND LANDMARKS FROM YESTERDAY. THIS IS A RARE FEAT FOR ME AND SHALL BE COMMEMORATED AS SUCH. 

See, Daddy? You want me to learn directions and how to navigate... just send me to a different country and I'll figure it out. :)