here it was, boarding announcement of my final flight. After I settled in my seat, I remembered how it all started over a month ago, when I was in the middle of my sabbatical. I had finally decided to take that solo trip to Europe, which I had been wanting to go from a couple of years, but it never worked.
After working out my itinerary for a while, my final plan was to visit 7 places in 6 countries in Western Europe including France, Belgium, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Rome and Portugal in 20 days.
As it was my first solo trip, I had many questions. Is it going to be safe? Would I be able to pull it off?
I had to get my foot out there and find it myself.
I still remember the day I was boarding my flight from Bangalore to Paris with jitters in my stomach and excitement. There were many things going on in my head. I wasn’t sure if I had planned enough.
Surprisingly, once the flight took off I felt more relaxed. I instantly knew it was going to be an amazing journey!
Travel does change things.
The person that leaves is rarely the same as the one that returns.
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Finding Perspective
I also bought Paris Museum pass which helped me cut across the long line in so many museums. I made this a habit every time I land in a new city, I would spend some time around, visiting information centres and gathering maps, metro route maps and as much information needed for going around the city. Never miss to travel in metros and trains in Europe. They are the best transport mode you will find, well connected and easy to travel.
I arrived in my first destination, Paris, where I would be staying for 5 days. I went through the immigration and waited in the airport for good 2 hours, going through the tourist information centres, checking the metro line connectivity and passes available, vaguely planning on the places I would be visiting in the next 5 days.
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