Traveling Solo

{High tea at Harrods}

I had such a great response last week to my post on fulfilling my dream of traveling through Europe alone {see post here} that I thought I would tell you a little more about my journey, and give some advice to ladies {or gentleman} who are thinking about doing it themselves!  While these recommendations are by no means foolproof, they are simply what worked for me.  I think the best rule is just to listen to your gut and follow your heart!  You know better than anyone else what is right for you.

• Sleeping: This for me was my biggest decision.  Since I never had the opportunity to study abroad in college, I also never had the experience of staying in a hostel.  Now this was something I went back and forth on.  I was interested in it because obviously it's cheaper, but also because it would have been a great way to meet people.  However on the opposite side, I am very affected by my surroundings and like to wake up somewhere that is both aesthetically pleasing and cosy.  I was worried that if I stayed in hostels the entire time I would be unhappy and not feel comfortable if I wanted to stay in for a rainy afternoon and read.  I was also worried that I was already going so far outside of my comfort zone by traveling through Europe alone that I would push myself too far and not be able to enjoy myself.  Ultimately I decided on a mixture of staying in guest houses and renting flats, which turned out to be perfect for me.  I had my own studio in Paris, and by the end of my two weeks it truly felt like home.  It was definitely more expensive than staying in hostels {but much cheaper than your traditional hotel} and thankfully I had saved up enough that I could afford to travel the way that felt most comfortable to me.

• Eating: Have you ever gone out to eat alone?  Thankfully I have before so this wasn't as uncomfortable for me as it would have been for some.  At lunch I would sit at a cafe with my favorite book and watch the people pass by--definitely one of my all time favorite activities while traveling!  Dinner was a bit different and I would be lying if I didn't say that I did feel strange at times being the only solo diner in a restaurant, so many nights I would sit at the bar and make friends with the bartender!  But ultimately you are your own best company, so just enjoy the time to relax and take it all in.

• Meeting People: The last time I was in a completely new city and forced to meet all new people was when I was a freshman in college.  That was nearly 8 years ago {even though it seems like only yesterday}, so I was definitely a bit rusty in this area.  But I'm happy to say I met some amazing people along my trip.  How did I do it?  Signing up for free walking tours was a great way to get oriented in a new city as well as meet fellow travelers.  I also took a cooking class in Paris where I learned how to make croissants and pain au chocolat {photos here} and met an absolutely darling girl from the UK who I ended up spending quite a lot of time with over my two weeks there.  Again, if this is your number one concern then I think the best way to meet people is staying in a hostel.  However, I was lucky in the fact that I had friends in both London and Switzerland, and my mom decided to come visit me for a few days in Paris!

• Safety: As I mentioned in my post last week, I was definitely concerned about my safety while traveling abroad.  I did some research, and to appease my fears purchased a few "personal safety" items to bring along with me.  I can't tell you if these would actually help keep you safe {thankfully I didn't have to use them} but they did make me feel more confident which is half the battle!  I brought a door stop alarm {to alert you if someone is opening your front door}, neck stash to keep my important documents during travel days, personal alarm, and a self defense keychain {not sure if this actually would do anything, but Amazon recommended I add it to my cart so I just went with it}.  Paranoid a little?  Probably.  But I always believe that it's better safe than sorry!

• Staying in Touch: For me, this was simple!  I started my blog as a way for friends and family to follow my adventures.  I didn't get any kind of data plan, as I simply didn't use my phone {except for those few times I was absurdly lost and had to turn on my Google Maps, which unfortunately cost me an arm and a leg in roaming fees}.  And Skype really is a modern miracle!

• Averting Pickpockets: Europe has a reputation of being full of thieves and pickpockets, and while in most areas this isn't true it does have quite a few more folks that are praying on unsuspecting tourists.  The best way to protect yourself from this?  Don't be a "tourist."  It is always important to be cognisant of your surroundings and your belongings, especially while on public transportation or at any popular tourist destination {i.e. the Eiffel Tower}.  Nose behind a map?  Wearing a fanny pack?  Yelling in English {in non-English speaking countries}?  Yeah, most likely a thief will be able to pick you out of a crowd.  My best recommendation is to simply act confident and try to blend in.  Do as the locals do.  And just be aware.  If you do that, I believe you can prevent nearly 90% of robberies...as most likely there is a "tourist" ripe for the picking next to you.

• Documenting Your Travels: Bring the best camera you can afford and be sure not to forget a charger, extra batteries, memory cards, etc.  I love to sit down and look through old photos of my travels, and know that the older I get the more I will cherish them.  Also, I brought along a journal for me to write down memories, save mementos, sketch, etc.  I didn't use it to simply document my day to day activities, but rather wrote down small moments throughout the trip.  I believe it's the little things that are the most important, so it is critical to find some way to remember your special moments and feelings.  And if you like blogging, that is a great way to document your journey as well!  

• Other Pieces of Advice: Have fun!  Go outside of your comfort zone and strike up a conversation with a stranger, you never know where it may lead.  Take mental photographs.  Eat {and drink} local specialities.  Go off the beaten path.  Notice the big things and the little things.  Remember, it is not always the destination but how you get there that is the most important part of the journey.  Push yourself to try something new every day!  Live life with no regrets!

PS - Follow Dreams in HD on bloglovin' here!

Making a Dream Come True

{Taking it all in, in Paris}

I started this blog ten months ago as a way to document my life-changing experience of traveling through Europe solo.  I didn't get the chance to do a study-abroad in college {I was busy with four marketing internships} and had hoped to take a year off between graduation and starting a full-time job to travel.  However, I received a great job-offer, and that coupled with the fact that the recession had severely affected the job market {many of my friends were either jobless or had to take low-paying, thinkless jobs since they were not able to find anything in their field} pushed me to jump into the working world right after graduation. 

Slowly but surely the travel bug began to consume me, and I became filled with regret that I didn't get the opportunity to spend time abroad as a student.  I am a firm believer that it is better to have tried and failed than to live with regret, so I decided to follow my dreams and travel through Europe alone.  

Now for those of you who don't know me, this decision was quite out of character.  I have always been very timid, and honestly didn't think I was brave enough to travel in a foreign country alone.  I remember laying in bed at night thinking, "You can't do this.  You will be miserable.  You won't meet anyone.  You will be homesick.  You will miss Ryan too much to be able to enjoy yourself."  Those nights continued, but over the next few weeks my thoughts started to change.  One night I was in bed and thought to myself "Why can't I do this?"  And that was that.  I had made up my mind, and the next day bought a round-trip flight from Cincinnati, Ohio to Paris.

My parents and Ryan were both extremely supportive and excited about my decision, however I would be lying if I didn't tell you they weren't incredibly nervous for me.  They worried that I would be lonely.  That I would be homesick.  And mostly, they worried about my safety.  I would also be lying if I said that I too wasn't concerned about my safety.  Movies like "Taken" {thank you Hollywood!} lurked in the back of my mind, and I worried about walking home late at night on unknown streets, getting lost, getting my beloved camera stolen, and worse.  To appease my fears I purchased a few safety supplies such as a personal alarm which I kept in my hand at all times while walking alone at night {I didn't have to use it, thank goodness!}  It may or may not have made me safer, but it did make me feel more confident which I think is half the battle.

The day Ryan took me to the airport I cried.  I wished that he was able to come with me.  I worried about eating dinners alone.  I worried again about my safety.  I worried that this was a huge mistake and I would be lonely and miserable.  We kissed goodbye and I was off.  Honestly, having to say goodbye to Ryan was the hardest part of the entire journey.  But from there, it was all uphill.  I couldn't believe I was about to spend two weeks in my favorite city in the world - Paris - then travel to countries I had never seen before.  A quick nine-hour plane ride later and I was in the City of Light, and well, the rest is history!  

Looking back, I know this was a huge turning point in my life.  The experience was absolutely wonderful, but even more than that, I feel like doing it has made me a stronger, more empowered, and courageous woman.  I wanted to travel, but didn't have anyone to do it with me.  So instead of pushing that dream aside and always looking back and wondering "what if...?" I made it happen.  And that itself was a life-lesson that was worth every penny I spent on the trip. 

I will leave you with a favorite quote, which has been a huge inspiration for my life.  “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

Care to see more?  Detailed posts from my trip are below:

Paris: {1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6} {7} {8} {9} {10} {11} {12} {13}

Switzerland: {1} {2} {3} {4}

Austria: {1} {2} {3}

England: {1} {2} 

PS - Follow Dreams in HD on bloglovin' here!

Rookie Mag

Even though I just turned 26, it seems like just yesterday that I was a teenage girl trying to figure out exactly who I was and what I wanted out of life {well who am I kidding, I am still dong that}.  So when I read Rookie Mag I can't help but be taken back to my high school years and wish the amazing zine would have been around for me ten years ago.  Rookie is an online publication for teenage girls filled with brilliant stories, essays, art, videos, comics, photography, and more.  They create about 15-20 pieces of content per week around each month's theme {for example, last months was longing}. 

There is something about reading Rookie that makes me so nostalgic for my youth.  Exhibit 1: An excerpt of the June Editor's Letter: "The sun when it dances on water, the way old memories of summer are kind of overexposed and blown-out from the sun, the way the sunshine cuts in and out of your vision when you walk under the shadow of scattered branches and leaves, the way sun persists against closed eyelids."  Reading this takes me back to being a 16-year-old girl laying in my yard on summer vacation, toes in the grass, staring up at the clouds, dreaming about the future.

And the girl behind the zine?  None other than teen queen Tavi Gevinson.  Tavi, a senior in high school, started her blog "Style Rookie" five years ago and within a year was sitting front row at the NYFW shows next to Anna Wintour.  A quirky middle-school student with a passion for vintage fashion, she instantly became an icon amongst her readers, and in 2010 created Rookie Mag, which focuses on pop culture, art, and feminist discussion.  She has at least 40 different contributors to the magazine, but still creates her own content multiple times per month.  Her mentor is Ira Glass and his wife, Anaheed Alani, is the Editorial Director of Rookie.  And Tavi, the Editor-in-Chief of her magazine, does all of this while being a senior in high school living at home in the suburbs of Chicago.  Seriously, how does the girl do it?!  Regardless of how, I am so looking forward to watching Tavi and her beloved Rookie grow into what I think could become a true media empire.

PS - Follow Dreams in HD on bloglovin' here!

Images via Rookie Mag

Missing Paris

I know I have had multiple posts dedicated to my love of Paris {just a few are here, here, here, here, and here} but for some reason yesterday as I was looking through a blogger friends photos of the City of Light I was just overcome by how much I miss it.  I have been to Paris twice {once for a week, once for two and a half weeks} and for some reason the city just clicked with me.  And I know I'm not the only one, as my literary love Ernest Hemingway had a similar view on Paris..."If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it says with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."

Everything about the city is beautiful, filled with culture, delicious food, amazing art, and stunning architecture.  Each street you walk down seems to be more lovely than the last.  And if you wander a little bit off the beaten path you may stumble upon some of the most interesting and gorgeous little wonders such as a secret garden, tiny market, or a shop that sells only antique keys {how cool is that?}  There is such a refined sensibility throughout the city, and I can honestly say I have never felt as inspired creatively as when I was in Paris.  I feel a bit cheesy saying it, because I mean who isn't in love with Paris?  So cliche, right?  Oh well, I will just have to be content with looking through my old photos, watching "Midnight in Paris," and eating cheese {with wine of course}...until next time!

PS - Follow Dreams in HD on Bloglovin here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dresden, Germany

A few years ago my family traveled to Germany to visit my sister that lives in Berlin.  We spent most of the trip exploring her home base, but one day decided to rent a Mercedes and drive on the Autobahn to the beautiful and historic city of Dresden.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the city, it was decimated by firebombing during the end of WWII {which Kurt Vonnegut detailed in his fantastic but heartbreaking anti-war novel "Slaughterhouse Five"}.  The entire old town and Royal Palace were destroyed, with an estimated 25,000 citizen casualties.  This UNESCO World Heritage Site has since been completely rebuilt and now serves as a symbol of reconciliation and a quiet reminder of the inhumanity of war.  It was incredibly moving being able to explore this gorgeous city.  Our day concluded with a peaceful drive through the German countryside and a stop at the beautiful Morizburg Castle.