How old were you when you the first time you went?

First made it to Europe at 24, went on a Contiki tour. Visited London, France, Spain, Italy, Austira, Switzerland, Netherlands and Germany. Would not do a tour again, but it certainly gave me the bug. Have been back every year since and now live in London so I can travel more!

I'll Play

1. age 24

2. Italy: Rome to Florence to Lucca to Sienna back to Rome.

3. My boyfriend, now husband, prompted the vacation in order to propose to me. He had been to Europe prior on the post-college 4 month backpack trek and choose Italy but let me choose all the destinations outside of Rome and Florence. He waited until the last night to propose leading me to constantly worry that he had changed his mind (it was an unspoken that we would get engaged there) as we had never traveled together prior.

We were too poor to go back again as we live(d) in NYC until we were able to do a trip to France for my 29th birthday. We made do with yearly trips to Kauaii as his parents have a condo there and it was free to stay.

Now we travel abroad 2-3 times a year with a goal of trying to go everywhere--or as many places as possible by the time I am 40--that leaves me 6 1/2 years.

Right now we are planning for May in either Berlin, Vienna or Krakow. Last night we started leaning toward Berlin. But hard to decide.

Also, we go where our FF miles will take us, luckily, being in a hub city helps as we have had no problems cashing them in.

Age: 24.
Where: Iceland (a week) and Scotland (3 weeks).
Circumstance: My sister and her husband were living in Glasgow at the time so obviously I had to go and visit! Although I had always wanted to travel (and planned to that end) that got me totally hooked - have not stopped since.

1. At birth
2. My home
3. My Mum was there at the time.

I was 58 when I first went to Europe and loved it. I studied English literature in high school with a teacher that had a passion for Europe. She talked of her travels and gave us all that same passion too. But unfortunately the lack of funds put that on hold for decades. But now I am going to Paris, Brussels and Troyes this March. It will be my fourth trip to Europe.

1. 1966, age 0

2. Where? Braunschweig, Germany

3. "What circumstances took you to Europe?" I was born

My first trip to Europe was at 15. I still remember that overwhelming excitement as I looked out the airplane window and saw British lisence plates.

I walked through Heathrow with my eyes wide absorbing all the "new" things, including the toilets -- LOL!

My Mom and I spent two weeks in Scotland. One week in Edinburgh visiting friends and the other week traveling by train to Inverness and then on to the Isle of Sky.

Every travel decision was spontaneous. We went to Inverness to see Loch Ness. While there we discovered our clan came from Kyle of Lochalsh (sp?) next to Isle of Sky, so we took off to find our "homeland."

I've been addicted to travel ever since. In May, I leave for my fifth trip (in 15 years - can't believe it!) for a second visit to Italy.

First trip back to Europe was when I was 10. My mother ,younger sister and I went and spent the summer with my grandmother( dads mom) . I was born in France but we had moved to back to Canada ( mom was Canadian a "praire girl")when I was still an infant , so this was our first time back to meet assorted family members. since I was travelling with my mom and sister I didn't need to speak french and just remember how big my grandmothers house was, how it had a wine cave in the basement, how weird the milk tasted, and they had no ketchup!!
At 13 I was sent back to France to spend the summer with granny again. By myself this time, and my granny spoke no english, and I , still no french. My granny wrote my parents complaining all I would eat was soup, ham and ice cream. I wrote home saying all I could understand on a menu was potage, jambon, and peche melba, LOL . I made friends with french kids who wanted to practice english with me. I learned very little french, LOl. My granny spent the whole 3 months taking me all around europe, showing me a great time, she even scheduled private all day tours for places like the Lourve.I was a lucky girl.

I then returned at 23 with a friend, we spent 2.5 months touring around, included Greece and loved it.. had so much fun. Since then have about 5-6 times since. With my teen, with my friend, with my dad, on my own.
Going with my 12 yr old this July.
Plan is to get there at least every 2 years now. I like to go for at least 3 weeks at a time, but have also gone for 9 days once, and that was way too short.

1. Age 17

2. Valencia, Spain with weekend sidetrips within Spain

3. Summer school (after high school)

1.34, 1992

2. Spain

3. My mother and three sisters all wanted to go somewhere together, so I came up with Spain. One by one my sisters backed out, but 1 great Aunt and her friend, and 2 Aunts all wanted to go. We had the best time, and really enjoyed the tour we took.
I haven't been able to go back to europe alot since then, but in 06 one of my sisters and myself went to Germany for two weeks, on our own. This April we are going to Greece for two weeks, but this time it is with a tour.

At the age of 13 with my 17 yo sister to visit grandma.

My first independent trip to Europe happened few years later. My best buddy and I, both 18, flew across the big pond for 6 weeks of fun and discovery...

Been back more times than I can count.

My gf and I are going back this Tuesday. Actually we're going to Egypt first, but afterwards we will stop in Croatia, to visit with our friends

1. Born in Europe
2. Wales
3. Outside my control

First trip to Europe was when I was 42 Sept 2005
We drove from Amsterdam to,
Paris,France
Hornberg,Germany
Zurich,Switzerland
Innsbruck,Austria
Salzburg,Austria
Munich,Germany

Then sept 2007
Paris
Munich
Mittenwald
Wurzburg
Frankfurt

Next Sept 2008
Amsterdam
Brussels
Paris

Hi,

I was 30 years old in 1990.
Our very first trip was 1 night in Liechtenstein (our first night in Europe) and 10 nights in Switzerland.

Paul

40
Vevey Switzerland
to celebrate my birthday and visit a dear friend who lives there

1. Five in 1957
2. London
3. My mom's first trip back to visit family since she'd left as a war bride in 1946. I can remember how black the London buildings were and the rubble piles remaining from the Blitz. (Some of those piles were still there on our next trip to London in 1963.)

At 16 flying Pan Am from SFO to explore London on my own, visiting siblings in Mainz & Geneva, then to Paris, and eventually visiting cousins in Amsterdam & Zwolle. It was my first and longest (10 week) independent travel ever.

I was 35 and flew into Munich and out of Paris. My friend and I had backpacks and a Eurail pass and a loose plan. We went to Rothenberg, Vienna, Salzburg, Fussen, Lucerne, Florence, Rome and Paris. It was a fantastic trip! I learned so much about myself and many times felt very ignorant - of world history, art history, language, and much more. But, I have taken some classes, done a lot of reading and have been back about 8 more times. The first trip infected me with a huge European travel bug, and fortunately I have been able to take advantage of all of these learning opportunities.

I was 23 and I auditioned for and won a spot on a USO Tour, performing for US military bases in Europe at Christmastime.

We performed all over Germany, Italy, and Belgium, and I took day trips to France on my days off.

I went back the next year on my own, then started chaperoning school groups for 8 years in Paris and the Loire, then got into the habit of spending every summer, all summer, in Europe....eventually bought a second home in France and ended up spending a couple or more months there every year.

Plan to retire there in the not so ditant future.

Hi All,

1. Five weeks old.

2. From Arabia, we spent three months going around the world with one month spent in Europe. We used to get those airline tickets that expanded like a bellows! I still have the around-the-world certificate issued by Pan Am for 1955. We did this every other year from 1955 until 1968.

3. It was regularly scheduled long leave.

s

Although I've lived in the US for over 30 years I was born in England, but that was in 1947, when Europe started across the Channel. So on that basis:

1. 21
2. Malta
3. Christmas vacation with boyfriend and his family

15 years old.

Switzerland, Italy & Greece

Had to pass an art history class to join the adult's tour. About 18 of us "kids" qualified with about 30 chaperones. <GRIN>

The next time I had the chance to go was when I was 50; Barge trip through Burgundy. Exciting. 1 year later, by myself to Paris. Wonderful!

Age 19, between my sophomore and junior years of college. My parents had little money so I had to put myself through school with scholarships, loans and part-time jobs during the year and 2 in the summer. In my sophomore year my great aunt died and left me a small inheritance. So - I decided that summer to work only half the summer and travel the other 6 weeks.

My boyfriend's brother was buying a WV from europe (don't ask) so we got super cheap airfare to Frankfort and did a 6 week road trip from there in the car - then returned it for shipping to the US.

We headed west to Paris, south to San Sebastian, over to Barcelona, stopped in Nice, then drove up to Innsbruck to Garmisch and finally back to Frankfort.

We stayed mostly in gasthauses and pensions (except for the Hilton in Paris, after a first night there at a place I do NOT care to remember). We also found a great luxury resort on the coast north of Barcelona that was then I think about $25 a night for an ocean view room with balcony - including breakfast and dinner.

It was a truly fascinating learning experience in several ways:

I was studying history - primarily european - and seeing so many places I had only read about was incredible

I was amazed at how fast my high school Spanish and 2 semesters of college French came back when needed (desperation can really jog the memory)

I was surprised at how competent I could be in dealing with a lot of unexpected situations

I realized that I loved travel - esp in europe - and would do it a much as possible (have been back 70+ times since between vacation and work)

I learned that spending 24/7 with someone - ANYONE - for 6 weeks can be way too much time together. Young love can easily be dissolved by realizing that the beloved, however charming, attentive and devoted, can be totally impractical and childish when things go a little bit wrong. I didn't mind being the practical one - but I drew the line at being the mommy - esp since he was 5 years older.

I was just 16, several of my friends in my German class convinced our teacher that if he would take us for the summer we would fund his trip. He at the age of 22 escorted four boys and one girl all throughout the then West Germany. Brave man. I moved to Boeblingen outside of Stuttgart at the age of 21 (thank you IBM!!). left at 24 and have gone to Europe at least once a year for the last 24 years. Paris remains my great love and Venice is truly my soul mate. This year, for the first time we are off to Prague....a new adventure.

1. 1977 (I was 4 years old)

2. From what I've been told and some of the pictures we have, we visted what was then Yugoslavia, Austria and Germany. I've been told that we were there for a Month and drove to different countries.

3. My mom, dad and I went with my grandparents. My grandpa had an aunt that lived in Yugoslavia.

1. 15
2. Paris
3. Since I was studying French and had been for ages, I felt it was sort of my duty to go. As a note, this was summer 2003, which should ring bells in the deadly-heat-wave dept.

I loved it. Now I live here (only for a year!).

1. 17
2. Eng., France, Neth., Switz.,Germany, Austria, Italy, Ireland
3. High school cultural "If it's Tuesday this must be Belgium" type tour. Had a great time! First time away from home, had lots of drinks, went to many museums, concerts, operas, and amazingly, came away with an appreciation for the countries visited!

Did not go back until my son did a study abroad in 2001. Went with a friend for our 50th, going again this Sept, and would like to seek out ancestral homes in France, Germany, and Ireland.

1. Age 21
2 &3 . Traveled with some high school and college friends the summer after my junior year. Typical backpacking/hosteling Eurail pass experience. Visited Italy, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway (going north of the arctic circle to Bodo), England, Scotland. We did a lot of moving around and sleeping on overnight trains. Definitely not the way I like to travel now, but we saw a lot and had a great time.

I was 8. Our family, mom, dad, and 5 kids went to Europe in 1957. My father was on a sabatical for 1 year and attened the University of London. We lived in Surry, England, renting a house and us kids attending public school. Each school holiday we would travel around England and the mainland.

We left San Diego and traveled by train to New Orleans where we boarded a freighter for a two week trip to Bremerhaven, Germany. There we picked up and VW Bus, which we drove all over Europe. We camped across, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy and Belgium. I recall staying in a hotel just one time, in Avignon on Christmas Eve. It was pouring rain and all the campground was flooded.

For our return home, the VW Bus was placed in the hold of an Italian ocean liner, leaving Southhampton for the trip to New York. We then drove across the US, again camping along the way.

I was 19 the first time I went. I went to London, England with a college class I was taking over spring break. I am happily getting to return there and to Rome in less than a month!

Although I don't quite meet your criteria, just thought I would share.I am 26, and although I haven't yet visited I will be leaving SFO for London Heathrow on April 30! I will visit London, Cornwall, Ireland,and Scotland. The circumstances taking me abroad are simply that I haven't yet visited europe.Can't wait!

1. 16

2. Switzerland (Les Diablerets and area, Vevey, Chateau de Chillon, Bern, Lucerne) France (Paris and drive through Normandy to MSM, D-Day Beaches and St. Malo, home stay in Caen w/French Family)

3. "Forced" to take French from 5th grade on-- thanks to President Kennedy's . Was horrible at it but stuck with it due to some intrinsic, impossible-to-identify, fascination with France. 15 yrs 9 months... I was finally old enough to get a job and earn $$$ to go with Voyagers International on their "Language and Culture" Tour the next Summer. Great experience that didn't advance my French but did foster my infatuation. Trip pretty much cured me of doing tours (ok, maybe when I'm REALLY old and REALLY feeble), but it was a good introduction.

1974 Won full scholarship from People-to-People to attend l'UBO in Brest, France--which was renewed--Merci infinment, P to P. Totally feeling more at home in French culture than mine by that time, I obtained a year's reprieve from returning home by getting an "Assistant" position at l'UBO. Finally couldn't avoid returning any longer, though.

Married and had family-which included a herd of 60 dairy goats-not exactly a life-style that you can leave for any length of time with obligatory milking twice a day! But great side benefits-like fromage. So we travelled, but much closer to home!

Making up for this 25 year hiatus in traveling has been one of the greatest, life-fullfilling events for me. My husband, who had lived/worked in France and Brussels in his younger, single days, is as enamored as I, and we now make France an annual romantic tryst.

18. College semester abroad in London. Afterwards, I travelled alone by train to Rome, Naples and Calabria for a month before returning to the States.

I was 35. I took my son to Europe for his high school graduation. We had planned to stay a month with a month Eurailpass, but after a couple of very bad experiences, we came home after only two weeks. I swore I would never go again, but the next year I tried again and have been going 2-3 times per year ever since.

I was 37 and went to Spain last December to visit my exchange student that I had hosted the previous year. 4 of my friends went with me and we had an amazing time. We stayed in Madrid and took 2 day trips to Segovia and Toledo. My husband and 11 and 8 year old daughters are going back in July for 3 weeks. We are going to Switzerland for 4 days, Rome for 3 days, Paris for 3 days, Madrid for 4 days, and the last 6 days will be spent at my exchange students family's house on the Mediterranean. Hopefully this will be one of many trips for our family.

Tina

17 in 1967
London, Paris, and drove through France, Madrid, Lisbon

My grandfather had died the year before, and he left my mother $10,ooo. My parents never believed in saving what they could spend, so they ordered a French car (their third) and took my 14 year old brother and me on a three week trip to Europe.

Their friends thought they were crazy to sacrifice a nicer trip for the two of them for "Europe on $5 a Day" for the four of us. We had a fabulous time, and my parents always told us that they never regretted their decision.

The first time I went to Europe, I had just turned 21 and just gotten married -- my husband and I spent 10 days in London on our honeymoon. I had always wanted to go to London, and the trip whet my appetite for more travel!

If my kids were to answer this, they would say they first went to London at the ages of 7 and 6 because of their dad's/my husband's work. Lucky kids! Like me, I think that first trip gave them a good case of wanderlust.

I was in my thirties. My husband and I and our teenage daughter spent two fantastic and beautiful months driving around Italy without any hotel reservations except for the first couple of nights in Milan. Back than it was not crowded as it is now. And I only got upset once during the entire two months. My daughter was in the front passenger seat and was suppose to be the navigator for her father but she couldn't stop staring out the window (a country road between Pisa and Lucca). The "deal" was if she sat in the front seat she would pay attention to the map. LOL, I finally bopped her on the head with a magazine to remind her. Good times and beautiful memories!

1. I was 20

2. Started in Ireland, then went to Spain, Italy, France and England.

3. I studied abroad for a semester in Ireland, and took advantage of the lovely budget airlines to get around to other interesting places. My family has always been interested in traveling, but our budget kept us in the US, so when I had the chance to go though school, I went!

Now I'm planning a trip for 2.5 weeks after I graduate (in May), and I'm thrilled to be going back! Hopefully I'll be able to do a trip once a year from now on (of course, they won't all be to Europe... not only does the dollar suck, but there is just so much else to see!).

1. 14

2. Rome and Itri, where Dad was from, Sicily to see where Mom's folks came from and visit cousins plus all northern Italy, including Venice, my favorite.

3. Family trip to visit Itlay; first time for my brother and me. Now my husband and I are taking our own family and my daughter is now 14, but she'll be 15 when we go! --Debbie

1. At age 6 my father was attending a month-long crude oil marketing workshop at Oxford he dragged all of us along.

2. At age 8 England again.

3. Age 14 England again.

4 Age 16 England again.

5. Age 17 England again.

4. Age 18 England again.

After that, I've been back to Europe at least once a year and realized that there was actually more to Europe than good 'ol England. Try telling my parents that! though to their credit they've been To Sweden and France a couple of times.

I was 20 when I first went to Europe. It was the summer after my junior year in college and my friend and I went on a 6 week backpacking trip through Europe. We went to London, Amsterdam, Paris, Nice, Florence, Rome, Venice, Cinque Terre, Malaga and Madrid. It was so much fun and really sparked my love for travel (and travel planning)!

oh - shaytravels, have a most fabulous first time!!!!

1. age 47 (1982)

2. Flew into Frankfurt, train to Amsterdam, train to Paris, train to Florence, train back to Frankfurt for flight home.

3. Our daughter was living in Florence and we went to see her. She met us in Frankfurt (completely broke, having spent every penny on the overnight train trip from Florence).
We spent 3 nights in Amsterdam, where we also visited the suburb (Bussum) where my husband lived after WW II. then we took the night train to Paris, where we spent 3 nights seeing the sights, staying in the most awful hotel room I ever saw. Then night train to Florence, where we stayed 6 nights in a pensione four blocks from the Duomo. The morning of our return to Frankfurt there was a local train strike in Florence, but fortunately DD's Italian boyfriend warned us and we were the last ones on the last train out of town. We rode on the steps next to the door all the way to Bologna. But we made it back to Frankfurt and home again.

Since then we have been to Europe about 15 times, almost always including Italy and Florence, plus Venice and the Veneto, Tuscany, Orvieto, Rome, Umbria. But we also went to Provence, the Loire, the Dordogne, London, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, and two more trips to Holland (Utrecht is our favorite, and Maasstricht.)

We're in our 70s now and making a trip to Italy this May. I hope the dollar gets stronger so we can afford more trips before we can't go any more.

1. 49
2. Ireland
3. Friends asked if we wanted to go with them on a tour and it was the year of our 25th wedding anniversary.

Never had really thought of traveling in Europe. I loved to travel all over the USA with my husband and children...and was happy doing that.

Now my husband and I are hooked on traveling abroad and have been to France, Monaco, England, Belgium, Netherlands, and Italy, and back to Ireland since that first trip in 2001.

41. My husband won a trip to Rome and Florence. First class all the way. Since then, budget all the way. Both are wonderful.

I was Just about to be 25

Landed in Rome, stayed there 3 days, but it was an all over central Europe 3 week trip ending in London.

A Mom & Daughter trip. Just beginning a job as a travel agent as well.

With all my travels, this was still My trip of a lifetime"

I was 22 and fulfilled a lifelong dream of seeing the great cities of Europe, beginning with Paris. It was my dream city and didn't disappoint.
I went with a friend and a two month Eurail pass and a general idea of where we wanted to go. We also visited Rome, London, Venice, Florence, Lucerne, Nice, Sorrento.

It was the realization and beginning of a lifelong love affair with travel and I've been traveling ever since.

I came to live in NYC from the midwest at 25 and thought "Now I'm halfway to Europe, I'll be going all the time ..."

Took me till about 32 to make it - first trip over was to Jordan, in fact, with a nice layover in Amsterdam coming home. Was back in Jordan not long after and laid over in Vienna. (Both European capitals were great "culture shocks" after Amman, in different ways: Amsterdam so "anything goes", Vienna so "civilized" and rule-book-orderly.) I would later become Paris-mad and a committed Italophile.

Both trips to Jordan were work related, with a friend to do decorative painting. The first at a new palace for King Hussein's middle brother, the 2nd for the Intercontinental.

1. Aged 51.

3. The original premise for the trip was a combined 50th birthday celebration with some close girlfriends. Dreamt about and planned for since our 40th celebrations. NY for our 55th's!!.

2. 12 days in Greece with my HB, 5 days in London with the girls from point 3 above and their partners. Paris for 10 days with the girls.
The guys went to Ireland and played golf and then joined us for 5 days in a villa in Tuscany (Castellina).

It wass a fabulous trip with precious friends. I have been friends with some of these girls and their husbands for many years, and met one of the girls in our first year of high school (13 years old).

Returning with my HB in May/June this year for a month in Italy/France. VERY excited.!

Thank you for this post - it is fun to read. St Cirq - thank you for contributing - it's lovely to know your history as you contribute so much fab info to these posts.

1. 29

2. Rome, Paris and London

3. A bank in Honolulu was giving away tickets anywhere in the world if you open a new Money Market Account. I jumped at the chance and asked my future mother-in-law to come with me. I remember how excited I was when I stood at the balconey of my hotel and I was looking at the beautiful city of Rome. Since then I have not been able to stop going to Europe. I am looking forward to our upcoming trip to France.

"1. At what age did you first go to Europe?"

Another zero. Born there.


"2. Where did you visit?"

Wuerzberg and Bad Kissingen.

"3. What circumstances took you to Europe?"

Father was in the US Army.

We returned in Jan 1966, lived in Nuremberg until fall of 1968 again as part of the NATO commitment.

My family (DW & DD) have been back twice since, in 2004 and in 2007 with a heavy emphasis on Germany, Switzerland and Austria. We made it to Hungary and Italy in 2004.

One of the sad things many US servicemen and their families did during the time we were stationed in Nuremberg was to "camp" in their quarters and not take advantage of the marvelous opportunity to see Europe. We traveled at least monthly and took longer vacations once a year to really see and marvel at the culture.

MvK

1. 19

2. Moscow and Leningrad in the (then) USSR

3. It's the motherland...I always wanted to go, and saved my pennies.
There's actually a trip report here:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34873874

I was 35 years old the first time I went to London. Faithful traveling companion and I took our 13-year-old Anglophile daughter on a one-week tour. We really thought it would be our one and only trip abroad. Thirty four years later, we're planning our 24th or 25th (we've lost track) trip across the pond, this time to Holland, Belgium, and -- for the 14th or 15th visit, London. (P.S.) The Anglophile daughter grew up and became a travel agent.

Hmm, I was born there, but took a long time to get back My mom and dad met in England, dad went back to the states (without knowing about me) and mom moved to Edinburgh, then to Copenhagen. I was born, then six weeks later we were back in Michigan.


1. At what age did you first go to Europe? zero. The second time, 26

2. Where did you visit? southern England and Ireland (around Dublin)

3. What circumstances took you to Europe? I finally had some disposable income, and at the same time saw an advert in the local new age shop of 'a mystical tour of Britain', so I jumped

1. I was 16, it was 1984

2. Italy

3. My high school Spanish teacher took a group of students to Italy for spring break. It was a group tour (through CHA, which I understand is still around). We even got to spend Easter Sunday at the Vatican! This is where the travel bug really bit me.

The next year the same teacher took us to London and Paris and that was the deciding factor...I majored in Travel and Tourism Management in college.

At the age of 19 my parents sent me and my 17 year old sister to London alone for a week...hey, we had been there before and thought we knew everything!

My junior year of college I did a study abroad in Switzerland.

Yup, you could say I have a bit of wanderlust!

1. Age 0
2. Brugge
3. Birth

1. I was 6, had my 7th birthday on the ship ride from NYC to England. It was a French ship (Liberte?) and they gave me a rum cake for my birthday. Not the kind of cake I wanted!! We took a different French ship (Flandre?) back to NYC.

2. We stayed in London for a month, then went to Paris for two weeks to see our French relatives. I remember seeing Big Ben, a maze, the ferry across the English Channel, and the Eiffel Tower.

3. My parents took us out of school, but we did have to write a journal and study on the trip.

I wish we had done the trip when I was a little older so I'd remember more of it.

1. 13.
2. Oslo, Helsinki, Stockolm, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other cities in the former USSR.
3. A student trip.

I was 22 years old. I am now 60.

I had been drafted into the Army. I luckily went to Germany instead of Viet Nam. My 21 year old wife joined me 8 weeks later and we started a love affair with Europe.

During our time there in 1970-71 we made it a point to go to as many countries as we could....England, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, etc.

We have now made it back to Europe over 25 additional times....did Germany, CZ and Austria last year...and will continue to go back until we cannot get on the plane anymore. I stll thank Uncle Sam for introducing me to Europe and teaching me how to get into my own car and explore Europe at my own pace.

26

Iceland, Luxembourg, France, drove to Switzerland and back to Paris, Brussels.

Honeymoon

I was 20 years old and I had never been on an airplane before (my mother hated to fly)! I was going to study for a semester in Copenhagen, Denmark. I was quite shy, and flying halfway around the world by myself, going to a country where i knew no one was really a scary adventure. I turned out to be one of the greatest periods in my life...

I was 19 and preparing to study abroad for a semester (soph year) in Besancon, France. I would've gone sooner if my college allowed (course conflicts, etc).

Ever since living in France those wonderful 6 mos back in 2001, I have been bitten by the Europe bug and I try to go back once a year. France mostly, but to different parts. Our most recent trip was to Provence last September. Ohh, la France!!!

I was 21 and was gone for 8 weeks, taking a ship both to and from. We landed in Southampton and sailed back from Cherbourg. It was a tour with 10 other college students from various parts of USA, and, as I remember, cost about $1600 (is that possible?), which covered transportation, lodging, sightseeing,and most meals. After 5 days in London, we took the overnight ferry to Hook of Holland, and then on to Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland,Italy, and finally, France. I can hardly do justice to the experience in a few sentences,but I still love to read the post cards and letters that I sent home. They allow me to regain that sense of awe and joy that the trip inspired in me. It was 18 years before I went back, but I have had several trips since then, and whereas they have all been wonderful in their own way, nothing has quite compared to that first experience.

For a glimpse of what European travel was like in the early 60ies, rent Rome Adventure. Although my experiences were not exactly like Suzanne Pleshette's, we dressed the same!

1. At what age did you first go to Europe?

31

2. Where did you visit?

Germany and Austria

3. What circumstances took you to Europe?

Always wanted to travel to Europe, finally had the money, chose destination based on the combination of where we wanted to go and the availability of FF tickets

9years old.
London, Paris, Madrid and Lisbon, about 4-5 nights in each.
With my parents and brother and sister, I'm the youngest. It was so much fun, we dressed up all the time, trying to look classy and fit in. (We did not own blue jeans anyway!) I loved it!

THANK YOU so much for replying. I immensely enjoyed reading the wide variety of responses. I apologize for the botched up title. I noticed it one second after I hit the “post” button.

Bozama: Did you ever learn French? I took an adult education class this past fall, but did not have much luck.

Jean: Did your mom get homesick for London after being away for so long?

Dax: Were you 100% alone at 16? If so, I admire you for being so brave. I would have been terrified at that age.

StCirq: I am jealous. What country do you live in now? Will it be easy for you to retire in France?

Nytraveler: Over 70 times to Europe. That is impressive!

Seafox: Your German teacher was brave and you teenagers were very lucky.

Shaytravels: Enjoy your trip and never stop traveling!

Barbmc: You have traveled quite a bit during the last few years.

Hpeabody: How old was your daughter at the time? Mine was 10 (almost 11) the first time that I took her to Europe.

Amy: I loved your trip report. Thank you for sharing.

GreenDragon: Did your mom travel back to England much?

Alfisol: Your 7th birthday sure sounds nice. My daughter had her 13th birthday in Nice, France. She had a cake, and they sang “Happy Birthday” to her in French. It was a moment that I will never forget. She will turn 14 in London.

Tim and Liz: Did you enjoy your trip to the former USSR at age 13? What was it like?

1. 24

2. Lived in Munich for a year, visited Greece, Italy, Austria and Holland.

3. Traveled around the world starting in S.F. to Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand (10 months), Malaysia, (2 months) Burma, India, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, and then Israel for 6 months. and from there to Europe for a year.

If we had gone to Spain at that time, I might not have returned to the U.S.

1. 20
2. Birmingham, England
3. Visiting my boyfriend

Birmingham may not be everyone's idea of a romantic European getaway, but you'd be hard pressed to have a better time than I did on this trip.

--hadn't seen boyfriend (now husband) in 4 months
--New Year's Eve fancy dress in the local pub
--went to my first panto
--went to my first football match (Villa Park)
--learned never ever to have a burger from a van at a football ground
--had my first kebab
--coach trip to Chester to see my favorite band

Since that time, I made about 35 trips to the UK and Ireland lived there for a total of 3 years.

18, in the U. S. Navy. Gibraltar, Cagliari, Naples, Taranto, Cannes, Genoa, Golfe Juan, Aranci Bay, Marseille, Piraeus, Split, Suda Bay (Crete).

I was 21.
Germany, Austria
A couple college friends and I found great airfare and put together a trip over winter break. We landed in Frankfurt, rented a car and hit the road! We borrowed an apt for a few nights from one fellow traveler's cousin who was away for the holidays, but generally had no real plan and no reservations! Can't imagine "winging it" now with the kids!! We spent New Years Eve in the center of Munich. It was a great trip and a great experience!

I've only made it back once since, 2 years later with boyfriend (now husband) - he took me to Paris for a week. Our family vacations have so far been US/Caribbean based, but we've been trying to narrow down our European choices for where to go next year, but have too many places our family of four would like to see. I guess we'll have to plan several trips

30ish. I met my wife in Vienna & proceeded to Venice, Florence & Rome. She had been over there for a month prior to my arrival w/a school trip as a chaperone.

35 and it was a three week business trip to London, by myself. What a treat. I can even recall the hotel the Company put me up at, the White House (now a Melia). The London office was in a converted row house on Gordon Square, nearby the British Museum and adjacent to University of London. The data center was in the basement and my office (provided to guests) was on the uppermost floor (with no lift). Returned the following year for a 2 week stint. The company no longer exists but it was called London United Computing Systems (LUCS) a brand of United Computing Systems (UCS).

And that was the beginning of the urge/need to visit Europe as often as possible. Without putting too fine a point on it, that trip at 35 was a good number of years ago.

I first went to Europe when I was 19; I went alone and stayed for two years. I saw England, France, Spain, Morrocco, Algeria, Austria, Germany, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Switzerland, Yugoslavia.

I went to escape small town life and my own boredom.

I worked twice in England, met hundreds of great people and had the most amazing experiences. I returned to small town life a changed person and with an addiction to travel that at 58 is not sated.

Pat

To answer your question, I live in the USA still, but have owned a home in the Périgord for 17 years that is just waiting for me to move in permanently.

Will probably put in central heating first, though

My first overseas trips were at age 15 to Italy (for 5 weeks), and at age 17 to China (for 3 weeks).

Both times were with orchestras.

15
It was 1980 and I went on trip with my high school. I was the only student in spanish class who went on the french trip! LOL
We went to London, Geneva, and all around France. It was a lot of fun. We were barely chaperoned, but we were good kids. The trip cost my parents about 2000. That included everything. (airfare, meals, hotels, and tours for 17 days.)
My dad gave me 200. dollars in the different money, (pounds and francs). I came home with about 75. dollars. I spent about 125 on beer/wine and some trips to Mc donalds (where two very cute boys worked in Geneva)
I am going back this summer at age 43 for my second trip and hopefully the beginning of many more!

KL467:

Yes I did travel 100% on my own except when I was visiting my older siblings and cousins. I've lived on my own since the age of 16 (mom died, dad got a new family) so it wasn't anything different than my normal life.

1. I was 50 years old.

2. My first husband had died a few years earlier. My three children were in college and I was an empty-nester. My sister-in-law talked me into going on a tour with her and her teacher friends for spring break.

3. We had a great time in Sorrento, Italy with day trips to Amalfi Coast, Capri, Naples, Pompeii and a couple days in Rome.

Since then, I have returned to Europe twice. Same sister-in-law and I went to visit my daughter while she was studying in Milan. And I married again and we went to Paris for our honeymoon last year. Can't wait to return.

I was 17 when I first went to Europe. My dad was in the Air Force and he was stationed in Germany for my senior year in high school (1985-1986). It was a very interesting time to be there.

I traveled to as many places as I could that year. I joined every club at school (the drama club went to London, Model UN went to the Hague, etc.). I traveled all over Germany (including to East Berlin), to France, Spain, England, Italy. In fact, I was just going through some "treasures" my parents sent me and came across a note from my 12th grade history teacher informing my parents that I had missed too many days of school and that my education was bound to suffer. I don't even remember that letter, which makes me think my parents never showed it to me. I guess they agreed with me that I was learning more history and culture in my travels than I ever would in a classroom.

Being in Europe was a revelation. Prior to my travels, I don't think I had the slightest clue how young the US really is. I also learned to drink beer and appreciate soccer (watching the 1986 world cup with the Germans was very fun), and I fell head over heels in love with Italy.

I was 8, and had my birthday on the transatlantic crossing on the SS Shalom of Zim Lines, in 1965. We started in Israel, and after a year in Israel (dad's sabbatical) we then flew to Europe and did a 2 month tour of Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy and England. Can you imagine taking 3 kids 8,10 and 12 on that trip? It was life changing!

I was 30 the first time I visited Europe.

We went to Italy - Rome, Florence, and Venice in October 2005.

My husband and I wanted to go to Italy for our honeymoon two years before that, but it was either put a down payment on a house or go on the trip, so the trip waited until we could save the money again. So the trip became a celebration for our 30th birthdays and a delayed honeymoon.

I was a freshman in high school, went to Rome and some outskirts for a week with a group of students, with 2 teachers from my school. The trip was amazing, a lot of fun and quite educational. I still remember some of the sites I first saw then, though I've been back to Rome since, while living in Paris during college.
I'm curious about what makes you ask this question...
S

I was 23.

I went to Paris alone.

I knew one word of French - enchante - and it worked pretty well for me but I did eat some strange foods and did resort to a McDonalds at one point.

Had a ball, met some French kids my age and hung out with them, but never visited one Art museum.

I'm 47 now and finally getting to all the art I missed.

Still love Paris and just found out I'm going again for my 48th birthday!!

gruezi

First trip:

Age 16 in 1985 (please don't do the math) and we visited The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France (Paris). In high school I was in a marching band and we competed in the World Music Contest in Kerkrade (Netherlands). It was an amazing, eye-opening experience for me.

First visit to Europe...age 4

Visited parents homeland of Hungary. Also went to Austria.

Since than, approx 20-25 visits back to the same area. During these visits, have also been to Slovakia, Czech, former Yugoslavia, Albania, Turkey, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Holland, England, Switzerland, through Lichtenstein about 4 times so that I could get a pic of the sign "welcome to Lichtehstein" and Denmark... also a wonderful side trip to Tunisia. I live in Florida, but have never been west of Chicago except for Hawaii.

After having a bad day at work, I packed up and actually moved to Hungary for 4 years. Loved it. Met DH there and got married. Our daughter was born there. (Her first trip out of Hungary was at 4 months old to Spain, and over the pond at 6 months)

Upcoming trip in June will include HU, Poland, Austria, Slovakia and England

I thank my parents for giving me the travel bug. That was one thing that they never said no too. In fact that 2 month trip to Europe for high school graduation was great. I still don't know if they are aware that the majority of it was spent in a wine cellar.

I was 3 and 1/2 and it was the summer of 1970
Italy, Denmark, and Sweden.
My dad, who was an educational writer, had a number of work commitments. I think he had a conference of some kind in Italy, and possibly one in Denmark, as I remember meeting up with some of his colleagues in Copenhagen. We also ran into some neighbors (from New Jersey) on the street there! He was also writing an article about the Vasa, which had recently been raised from the harbor (in Stockholm?-I think). I can remember a bit, but lot's of it is a bit fuzzy, and young children have a strange perspective on things. My next trip, when I was eight and 1/2 was in the late spring of 1975, when my father, who is a very, very brave man, took my then five-year-old sister and I back packing through Europe for three weeks with Eurailpasses. We went to Luxembourg, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Liechtenstein, Denmark, Sweden, and Iceland. I still remember a good bit of that one! My only regret is that we never made it to Germany. I'm hoping to do that this year or next, which will be the first trip for DH and DS.

1. Age 14

2. France (Paris, Loire, Dordogne), Switzerland (Berner Oberland), and Germany (Baden-Wuerttemberg)

3. A family vacation with my parents and brother; 3 weeks in the countries mentioned followed by 3 weeks on a French farm north of Paris (part of a exchange program; we had hosted one of the family's sons the previous summer).

I fell in love with Europe on that trip (medieval castles in particular). I have since spent a college semester in Montpellier, another 2 weeks in France with my parents and DH, and just came home to the states after 2.5 years in Stuttgart, Germany.

I was just a girl of 22. Newly married, and my husband was in the military. We were fortunate to have been posted all over Europe & the UK for nearly 18 years. It was wonderful. I regret the marriage (just joking) but not the traveling, or the many friends I made over the years.

Interesting post.

I was not quite 5.

We visited family in Amberg, Germany (roughly between Nuremberg and Regensburg).

My Mother, who was German, was returning to see her sisters still living there.

I have some vague memories of the trip, like the fact that I ordered milk at an airport restaurant. My mom warned I wouldn't like it. Well I didn't, and it was warm to boot! I also have a pretty clear memory of being afraid of the chimney sweeps on the street.

A quick aside, for that trip my sister was just a year older than I. She recently produced our old passport which I assumed had been lost. They actually issued one passport for the two of us. There's one photo with two little girls in it! Of course, that was in 1965. That wouldn't happen today!

H

Phieaglefan, my first passport (issued 1957) also has two people in the picture: me and my mother. I love that picture!

1. 30 years old; last year in March 2007.
2. Rome and Paris
3. Went for my second wedding anniversary. I've always dreamed of going but due to my career, even when I had the money to do it, I couldn't find the time. My DH convinced me to just take the time off and try to enjoy a much needed vacation - he was SO right!! We are going back in three weeks for our third wedding anniversary to visit Prague, Munich, and Venice. I simply can't wait!! Work is so overrated!

1. age 19

2. First to Salamanca, then to Madrid. During vacation days, to the rest of Western Europe.

3. For my junior year abroad in 1970. Headed to Spain with my steamer trunk (and all my hopes and dreams) on the S.S. Michelangelo, along with 20 other college women from New England and the South.
Docked in Algeciras; spent my first night in Málaga and fell instantly in love.

1. At what age did you first go to Europe?

March 1997, 28

2. Where did you visit?

Italy: Milan, Florence, Venice, and Lake Como (2 weeks)

3. What circumstances took you to Europe?

I grew up with a snout buried in books and dreams of travels to Europe; however, noone in my small town (that I knew anyway) had been abroad, so it seemed a pipe dream.

Anyway, on Dec. 8, 1996, I was having a not-so-great day at work, opened the Tribune, and there was an ad for $399 (tax included) from O'Hare to Malpensa. Without thinking it through, I booked the last dates of the offer (last 2 weeks in March). Fourteen trips to Europe and three to other countries later, and I haven't stopped dreaming about the next destination.

p.s. Great question! And, I love reading everyone's responses. Thanks for brightening yet another frigid day in Chicago!

1 At what age did you first go to Europe?

19. Turned 20 while there.

2. Where did you visit?

Spain


3. What circumstances took you to Europe?

My college roommate was taking Spanish as a minor and wanted to go on the school-sponsored trip. I told her I would go with her.

28, Amsterdam.

I was on a return flight from a 6 week backpacking trip in Indonesia. My flight had a 1 1/2 hour layover, I got off the plane and while sitting in the airport, considered staying for a few days, since I had never been in Europe before and didn't know when I would be able to return. Came up with the even crazier notion that I should move there.

Got back on the plane to NYC, either sold or gave away most of my belongings and proceeded to return 3 months later to Amsterdam with a one way ticket, a backpack and a suitcase knowing no one.

I lived there for a year and a half. It was not always the easiest time (I had no working papers) but I wouldn't trade my experience for anything.

I am still very close to friends who became my 'family' in Amsterdam (and also one in London and one if Buenos Aires).

During the time I lived there, was able to visit parts of Germany (performed in Berlin!), Norway, England, Denmark, Spain and Portugal (and Paris for all of 6 hours on my way to Portugal).

Have returned to Amsterdam twice since to visit...and it's a nice that I still feel like I'm home even though it's not anymore..

The last 4 years, my husband and I have travelled to France.., the Alps, Provence, Dordogne, Cevennes, Pyrennes but love flying in and out of Paris! Hopefully we'll be back again this year.

Oh, and the layover was in Amsterdam...

It all began when I was 15 years old and in high school...

I went with my French class (I'd been studying since first grade) and stayed two weeks in Paris, in the Quartier Latin. Phenomenal time!

We then went on to Saas Fe, Switzerland for one week with a host family to ski and have fun. What could be better??

I paid for my trip myself with babysitting money and a part time job. This trip started me on a lifetime love of travel and exploration which I've passed on to my husband and kids.

Age 36
Globus Gateway tour of Switzerland & Austria
I was working for a German firm HQ'd in Munich. My boss was in the States & let me stay in their flat in Munich & drive their Mercedes. I had also just finished 3 terms of college German.
I've been hooked on Europe ever since & go as often as I can.
Great thread!

Scdob: You asked why I asked the original question. I like seeing at what age people got the Europe bug, especially because it did not happen to me until age 33. In 2000, I was watching some Alfred Hitchcock movies that were filmed and/or set in Europe. I realized that I was not familiar with some of the places and history in the movies. I got on-line. The more I found, the more I wanted to find! And, seven years later, I am still on-line trying to find out everything I can about Europe. I guess that I can credit Alfred Hitchcock for bringing me out of my shell. I have now driven the roads and stayed in the hotel that were in the movie “To Catch a Thief”.

I was 64 when I frist went to Europe. It was a trip to Italy that included Rome, Florence and Venice.

When I lived in New York City, approx. 15 minutes from Kennedy Airport where you could get a non-stop flight to just about anywhere in the world, I was not smart enough to take advantage of it.

Now that I live in West Palm Beach, FL, I first have to get a flight to a major overseas airline hub to connect to a flight to Europe.

1. 25
2. Edinburgh
3. We moved to Edinburgh!

I had been to Israel but never anywhere else outside the US and Canada. My husband and I always said we'd live in Europe one day so as soon as we got married he found a job here and we just moved a few weeks later. We've now been able to travel several times a year for the last two years and I've had such incredible experiences. I still can't believe I actually have advise for travelling in Europe!

I had a chance to go at in 1980 at age 21. My cousin and her husband lived in Paris. I had just met a new boy and didn't want to leave him (how dumb is that?) Married that boy and at age 47 accompanied him on a business trip to Paris. Probably a good thing I didn't go at 21, I would have never come home. I would move there in a moment. Trying to convince husband to take an assignment in Paris for 2-3 years with his company but no luck thus far. Going again this May. Will hopefully get to Munich, as well as Paris and the Brittany coast. Cannot get enough of Europe.

Age 63. 1999. Am I the oldest to get there the first time?
Only got there after 34 years of teaching school.

England, Ireland, and Scotland on a tour with a friend.

Since then I have traveled to Italy 2 times, France, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Netherlands.

This year 2 weeks to Spain in the Spring.

Not Europe but Asia 3 times, Thailand Vietnam, Laos, Singapore,Malaysia.

Never dreamed I would be able to travel this much in 9 years.

I think I enjoy Europe the most.

I was 20 years old newly married to
the Regional Manager of Sabena Airlines, the old Sabena.

We went to Brussels, Ghent, Bruge and through England. Since that time I've travel to most of Western Europe, Greece, Egypt, Asia, many many times to Thailand, South America and so on. Approximately 50 countries.

Travel is an Education everyone should have if possible. We found most cultures to be welcoming and interested in America. However,
in the past few years, all that has changed. I continue to travel to Europe yearly and often to Asia, but unfortunaely, we are not as
welcome as we once were!

It's all about how we, Americans,
act when we are on someone else's turf.

I will continue to travel as long as it is possible for all reasons

CLEO

1. I was 17 when I first went to Europe.

2. I visited Paris!

3. My twin sister had just graduated high school (I chose to graduate a year ahead) and for our graduation present my cousins (who work for American Airlines) took us to Paris for a week. It was the furthest we'd been from Texas in our lives (before that, NYC was it!). It was so amazing! I really hadn't wanted to go to Paris (preferring the idea of London), but since my sister was a very good French student, it's where my cousins insisted we go. I am so glad we did. It made me fall in love with Paris and want to see Europe as a whole.

I wasn't able to get back to Europe until I was 23. It was 2002/2003 - I was a computer consultant and had just been laid off so I decided to go backpacking in Europe for a couple of months (Spain, France, Vienna, Czech Republic, Italy, Germany and a small town in England where a friend of mine lived). It was the quintessential experience for an American like me at that time. My sister came with me, of course!

Unfortunately, I haven't been back to Paris or Europe since, but I am hoping to go and really see London and explore a bit more before I turn 30! Next up on my list is Australia and New Zealand, though. And just as an addendum, one of my favorite places to escape to (because of affordability, ease, and proximity) is Puerto Rico! =)

Vanessa
Forest Hills, NY

1. 38

2. Paris France, Rome and Vencie and London

3. I had wanted to go to Italy since High school studying Latin. I won a $5000 trip supposedly to Orlando, but travel agent said I could go wherever I wanted. So we found $600 tickets to Paris instead of $1100 to Rome so we went to Paris with Eurail Passes to go to Italy. We had a nice 9 day trip and we now have our passports, so when we see a cheap flight overseas we can now go again. It was great and we were able to take our 12 yo son and he loved it. In his Art class this year, they talked about several things that he has seen like Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Louvre. I would love to return to Rome for longer, but next trip will probably be Germany since my husband's father came here from Germany.

ky,

don't give up - convince your husband to come on over for a few years - you will never regret it...

gruezi

1. 15

2. Kouvola, Finland

3. 11 months as a Rotary exchange student. I got to travel quite widely in Finland. I also got to visit Leningrad and Stockholm. I haven't been back to Finland, but I have traveled all over the world.

1. 48

2. 3 weeks in France and northern Italy. We had booked our first few nights in Paris and then rented a car and went all over.

3. I always wanted to go, but work and finances interfered. We always felt that we couldn't go long enough to really enjoy the experience. My husband had travelled through Europe while stationed in Spain with the Navy.
In following years we went for 3 weeks to Greece, 3 weeks to Ireland and England and then 3 weeks to Spain and Portugal. Not once to southern Italy however. We always travelled the end of October, beginning of November.
About this time my daughter took a two year position in Rome and we finally went. More trips to Italy followed. We had a beautiful trip to Sicily, a fantastic trip to the Italian Alps when we went skiing Christmas Day and several driving tours through Tuscany. She met a gorgeous Roman man, married and now lives there so we have to go whenever we can. I am always looking to combine a trip to visit, with a trip to explore. My 18 month old grandaughter has already travelled transatlantic 3 times!

1. I was 11
2. I went to France, Switzerland and Italy
3. My mom and I went for the first time to visit my sister who had been living over there for a few years. It is 10 years later, she still lives there and I am about to make my 11th trip in a week!!!(First transatlantic flight alone!)
I am also going back this summer to study in the south of France and travel a bit around central/eastern Europe!!

I was 21 years old and went on a 22-day, 9-country tour. My friend and I were the youngest ones on the bus!

I went because I had a windfall of $644 from a paid-up life insurance policy that my mother held. She allowed me to use it for whatever I wanted. I chose this tour. Best thing I ever did.

age 5----Germany ...I crossed the Atlantic on the SS Hanseatic ...people don't have that experience much anymore...

28

21 day Contiki Tour of Europe with couple days added on to beginning in London

Never traveled before outside of US/Canada, never traveled solo, was worried about so many things but sucked it up and put down deposit. And then my life changed

1. In 1970, when I was 18.
2. Amsterdam, Copenhagen, W. Berlin, Kognissee,w.Germany, Rome, Lausanne,Switz., Paris and London.I spent 2 months traveling.
3. I did this trip upon graduation from high school.

52

12-day motorcoach tour of England and Scotland

My Mother was interested in doing this tour and asked if I would go too. We had a wonderful time and met a great group of people. On the tour I met an Aussie and ended up making four trips to Australia to visit him during the next four years and he made five trips to the US to visit me. That UK trip sure put the travel bug in me!!

I was 9. It was a spring break trip with my family and uncle.

We went to Paris, several towns in the south of France, and Milan. We also stayed a few days at EuroDisney since my brother and I were still pretty little.

I will say, if anyone is contemplating taking kids there and wondering if they are too young, I really was old enough to appreciate it and still have such fond memories of the trip to this day. I loved the food and the beautiful scenery, and it taught me an early appreciation for other cultures and our differences. I can still remember all the museums, churches, and sites as if it were yesterday. My mom also had me keep a journal of each day.

I was almost 30 when I first went in 1978 (at the time of the great NE blizzard, just 30 years ago). My fiance had gone back to the UK when her visa expired and this was my first trip overseas to visit with her, her family and her friends. Spent time in the UK and Scotland and was never so cold in my life, record lows and the water pipes in the historic inn that we stayed in at Salisbury froze, so that the bath water from the floor above wound up in our tub. Did get a chance to walk around Stonehenge before they fenced it off, quite an experience. Back then it was specialized stores for different types of products (not supermarkets or Tesco's or COOP shops), little cnetral heating, part-time hot water, afternoon shop closings and nothing as exotic as a bagel or piece of fresh fruit in the greengrocers, but Indian food was inexpensive, as were the Chinese restaurants and Fish and Chip shops. (we got married two years later and still travel back frequently, sometimes adding a trip to the Continent).

The first time I went to Europe I was 20 and taking part in a summer abroad program in Paris. I was able to visit London and areas in Brittany and Normandy. I have to say its an experience that changed my life. I had never had a desire to visit europe before that point and from that day forward I can't wait to go back. I only wish I had more money to go back more often.

P.S. Forgot to mention that there were no American TV shows on the tellie, mainly billiards competitions and sheep dog trials (which I really miss), so my East Coast accent was considered strange and amusing. I was often asked if I had come to work in the North Sea oilfields, the only reason Americans were there, which was the last time the Pound was so high against the Dollar.

After dreaming about it for many years, I finally made it to Europe when I turned 50! I spent 2 weeks in Italy- starting and ending in Rome, but covering a lot of country in between.

When in high school, several girlfriends promised ourselves that "if we ever turn 50......" never dreaming how quickly that day would come. Thanks to the film, Under the Tuscan Sun", our dream started to take shape and in September of 2007, when we all turned 50, 2 of us were able to coordinate, work, school, family and all the demands of life and fly off.

The dream grew from the Tuscany region and we eventually covered a lot of Italy, from Rome to Sienna, Florence, Milan, Vienna, Florence again, Naples, Sorento(side trip to Pompeii and Herculeneum), Capri and finally back to Rome.

It was everything I dreamed and more. We are now planning another trip, just the girls, for 2009 and hope to keep at it as long as we can. Hopefully as the demands of kids and family ease up a bit, we might be able to make it an annual event.

I first went to Europe at 15.

I went to England-specifically Windsor, to stay with a friend. She had been in my 4th grade class - her father was teaching for a year at the local university. We kept in touch for all the years after they moved back and I finally got to visit her between my sophomore and junior years of high school.

We saw all the London and Windsor sights and rode bikes around Windsor, met her friends and had a grand time!

I was 19 - took a bus from the west coast to Boston.....that alone was
worth the price of admission for an
innocent not-yet-abroad! Then a
freighter to England. Stayed for just over a year - hitched all over
the continent. And survived.

1. Age 24

2. Flew into Munich then spent a week in Innsbruck (stayed at the Europa Hotel) and made a side trip through the Dolomites/Cortina and on to Venice.

3. Familiarization Trip for work

Have been to Europe since, 10 times.

1. 41 years old

2. Flew into Hamburg, Germany via
Frankfurt from Houston, Texas,
picked up in Hamburg and
driven to Stade, Germany

3. Company sent husband to Stade
for a 13 month assignment


Prior we had traveled mainly throughout the Caribbean and Mexico, our goal was to visit all of the islands, however the assignment in Germany changed that. It was so easy to travel around Europe, we made the most of it on the company dime and have continued, usually traveling to Europe 2-3 times per year. We are spoiled.

1. Age: 20

2. Countries visited: England, Scotland, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, and Italy

3. Circumstances: Studying in England.

Next visit to Europe: age 51 (visited daughter who was studying in Rome).

Additional visit in 2005 (Florence, Italy)

Next trip: Rome and Sorrento (March 2008)

1) 15
2) Amsterdam
3) Exchange student that didn't get exchanged. Host family mother had a heart attack 2 weeks before my arrival. Program couldn't find a replacement in time so I spent 4 months bunking in the hotel managed by the European director of housing for the exchange program. He and his family felt so badly for me (and 2 others in similar situations) that they made sure we had a fabulous experience although we never went to school. The year was 1958 and exchange programs weren't nearly as sophisticated as they are now. Much advance paperwork was necessary to get us into schools. Although we spent most of the time living in a hotel, they made sure we spent time with families and young people. We traveled on our own by train to Germany, France and Switzerland and visited much more than the normal tourist sites. It was the beginning of my love affair with the Netherlands - I've made 10 return visits - and my world adventures which now include Mongolia (chaperoning 8 14-year-olds) and Budapest right after the collapse of communism and China in 3 different decades. Can't stop - next trip is to Czech Republic in October. If possible I'll get a weekend in A'dam this spring.

Our world is full of wonder, how I love it!

age 19

junior year abroad in brighton, england.

traveled all over europe during that year.

1. 1 or 2 years old

2. Kent, England

3. Visiting relatives and family friends.

1. At what age did you first go to Europe? 20, in 1999

2. Where did you visit? Stayed in London. Visited around England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Amsterdam and Paris

3. What circumstances took you to Europe? Study abroad program. I definitely caught the bug that semester. In May, I'm taking my fourth Eupropean trip.

In '53, my mother & I went to England on a freighter from New Orleans to Liverpool, I think. Had a birthday on the way over; think the ship's chef made a cake. She was a war bride & it was her first trip to see her family in St. Helens (Lancashire then, Merseyside now), between Manchester & L'pool. Next trip in '83 to re-visit family.
90-93 he was civilian RN w/US Army in Wuerzburg, Germany; long weekends great for short trips - Florence once, Switzerland another time. Shopping trips to Karlovy Vary, Pilsen, & Prague, Czechoslavakia.

Each summer we drove to UK & around, trying to see as much as poss. in 2 wks., always the Lake District - gorgeous! Edinburgh once.

2 more trips in '99 & '01; made it to Ireland for 2 days - lovely, must repeat for longer! Always try to spent 4-5 days w/family; great source for day trips.

Would love to go again - today!!

1. 19 or 20

2. England, Denmark, Greece, Israel, Sinai Peninsula.

3. To visit family in Israel. My uncle was running a summer camp. My younger brother and I took an odd assortment of charter/student airlines that routed us thru the above countries. We traveled around Greece by train and bus to Corinth, Delphi, Mycenae, Nafplion. In Israel and the occupied Sinai, my uncle's camp took us down the west side of the Red Sea to Sharm El Sheik,(where there was a posted shark watch while we snorkeled, we climbed Masada and Mt. Sinai, and visited the monastery at St. Catherines. Also took the bus up around the sea of Galilee and visited Sfad, Haifa.

1) 32 yrs old (back in '03)

2) England (London, Newbury, Oxford, Bath)

3) To meet my hubby's (then boyfriend) family. They live in good ol' Wickham in the Berks. Since then, been going to England every year. My sis joined us last year. It was her 1st time in Europe. She & I embarked on a girlie trip to Paris, Florence & Rome.

My European trip was 11 years ago to England when I was 23. I was dating an older man, now my husband, who took me to the lovely Claridge's Hotel in London and Chewton Glen in the countryside. I can still remember my first Pimms Cup and playing croquet out on the lawns. And I felt quite proud driving all over the place on the "wrong" side of the road.

1. 19.

2. Dusseldorf -- Copenhagen -- Munich -- Grindelwald -- Montreux -- Stockholm -- Trondheim -- Molde -- Lilehammer -- Oslo -- Kristiansand -- Odense -- Copenhagen -- Amsterdam (-- Jerusalem -- Tel Aviv --) Amsterdam -- Paris -- Barcelona -- Paris -- Le Havre -- London -- Edinburgh -- Kyle of Lochalsh -- Edinburgh -- Newcastle -- London -- St. Ives -- London

3. I was taking a semester off before transferring schools, and I had two brothers in Israel, the Montreux Jazz Festival was about to start, and a couple of friends were about to drive around Scandinavia. Kind of the archetypical 3 month Eurail Pass sleep on trains and at youth hostels late '70s find yourself trip.

StCirq ~ A friend who has a great little house in Italy financed her central heating and other winterizing by negotiating an Oct-April rental to a neighbor (whose own house was none too warm in winter). She had to use her savings for the work, but has replenished it in just a few years.

Lots of very interesting stories!(skimmed, but want to read thoroughly)

I was 36, husband 39, children ages 7,8, 10. We moved overseas for 5 years...3 in Dakar, Senegal W.Africa, and 2 in Lisbon Portugal.(oil company) (35 yrs. ago ..yikes)!
But such a wonderful and fun 5 years)
One summer we took 5 weeks and spent 2 wks. driving around on our own in Kenya,Tanzania..and then flew to Europe for 3 weeks driving and covering lots of territory.
Moved back to TX when the kids were teenagers and after they were off to college my Husband and I have traveled to Europe once or twice a year,seeing a big part of Europe, mostly by car. Always fascinating.

However...the most thrilling time was the FIRST trip on the way to Dakar.. We stopped in London for 5 days (husbands business) and the thrill, in the 70's , of being in that beautiful city just took my breath away.

First traveled to Europe at age 21. Sailed to England, then to Holland, bought a new VW in Kassel, Germany and drove around for 3 months.....Switzerland, Italy, Greece, France, Spain.

A friend and I wanted to do a grand tour and it was wonderful!

Some years later wound up living in Norway, Nigeria and Italy for 6 yrs.

I went in 1972 when I was 25. I was originally enrolled in a month long weaving course in a castle in Mayorca but 2 weeks before I was to leave they cancelled the class and a week later I crashed my VW. The VW mechanic offered to buy my crashed car and help me arrange to pick up a new one in Germany so my whole trip was rearranged on the spot. I visited family in London, friends in Paris, Belgium and Madrid. And wandered all over Spain, France, No. Africa, Belgium, Holland and Germany - wherever the winds carried me. I stayed in Hostels, cheap hotels and camped alongside the road. It was a wonderful, exciting and adventuresome trip. Oh to be young and fancy free!

1. I, unfortunately, had to wait until I was 33.

2. We went to Germany (Mainz, Rothenburg, Fussen, Dinkelsbuhl) with a quick side trip to Austria (Salzburg). We were there for 10 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas - absolute HEAVEN! In Salzburg we happened upon a Christmas Festival complete with werewolves (can't remember what the locals actually called them) and Kris Kringle. We went without any kind of reservations (freaked me out completely) and couldn't have planned it out any better if we had tried!

3. My husband had been lucky enough to live in Germany for 4 years while in the Air Force and really wanted to show me the country.

We've only been back to Europe once since then (most of our recent travelling has revolved around visting our friends/family - Boston, Dallas, Charlotte, Seattle, Honolulu). We spent 2 weeks last April. 9 days in Italy (Rome, San G., Florence) and 5 days in Dublin. Though, we are planning another trip to Ireland - hopefully later this year!

My husband retires soon, so I'm hoping we will make Europe a yearly destination! I'm shooting for Australia, too (we have friends that live there, so definitely have to go. Right?!).

I was 21 and had just broken off my engagement so I figured I'd better take it on the lam. Three of my girlfriends had planned a trip to Spain and Portugal so I latched on to them and we had a ball! Much better than getting married -- for me, anyway!

I was 27 and borrowed money from the credit union to finance my first trip to the UK despite advice from my mother that I should buy a new mattress instead. I loved it so that within two years I had paid the money back and borrowed some more and again I travelled to the UK. My husband and I had a fantastic time in England in 2005 and in 10 ten weeks time my friends and I will again be back for 3 more glorious weeks. My passion for this country has never abated and I have never regretted not buying that mattress or borrowing the money for those first two trips.

1) 21

2) Two weeks traveling through Scotland and Great Britain (1 week in London)

3) My grandmother took myself, a cousin, and an aunt. Her family immigrated from Scotland, and we went to see where they lived and meet distant cousins.

31 and I went to Amsterdam, Delft, Rotterdam, Haarlem, Antwerp, Brussels and Luxembourg city. I went for a conference and took time off to visit the places I wanted to got. Loved most of it found luxembourg city a little restrained for me.

1. 6 years old.

2. Paris

3. It was a stopover on the way to Yemen!

Age? 52 years old. No, that's not when I got the bug. I was first booked to go to Europe in pre-airplane days when you took 6 weeks to get there by sea. That venture collapsed at the last minute, and affordability, job and family commitments etc, all conspired to delay it another 30 years.

Where? Malaysia, Turkey & Greece initially, then a good deal of UK and Western Europe, returning via Canada (3 months altogether).

What circumstances? Lots of things serendipitously came together at the same time. The kids had grown up and fled the nest, my wife & I were both temporarily free from job demands (but had the security of jobs to come back to), our desire to travel had peaked after several years of false starts (there's a story there), and some good travel deals came on offer at exactly the right time.

1. I was 42 the first time I went to Europe, in 2006. To be honest, I never envisioned I would ever leave the good ole USA. Took hubby and 19 yr. old daughter along. Left kids ages 2, 17, and 13 at home.

2. Spent eight days in Paris. We spent two weeks in Prague. Somewhere in there we went to the CZ countryside, half a mile from Austria, to their country home. Unfortunately, our passports were left in Prague, so we were not able to leave CZ. The Paris part was my dream...always wanted to go there, never thought I would. There was no way I was going to Europe without going to Paris!

3. We were invited guests to spend two weeks in Prague, CZ. Invited and treated like royalty, might I say. The previous year, we hosted a young girl as a foreign exchange student. She lived with us for eight months unexpectedly (long story, emergency residence change). We became her substitute parents while in the US, and fell in love with her. Her parents invited us to Prague as a way to say 'thank you' for taking such good care of their daughter. We still have contact with her, she will be coming to visit us this summer for about a month. Prague is very beautiful! Hard to spend two weeks there, but also it was about forming bond with her family as well as sight-seeing.

Sunny from Iowa

I first went to Europe when I was 23 with my boyfriend who I married a few years later.

He flew from from Montreal to Halifax where he picked me up and we went to London where we had an 8 hour layover (thankfully we had maple leaf lounge passes) before flying to Thessaloniki and then to Athens. It was long travel day. When we got to Athens there was no one at the airport it was after midnight and when we went outside there was a tank, I was definatly not in Nova Scotia anymore.

My boyfriend and I had been dating long distance for about 8 months when we went to Greece. He hadn't been back to Greece for about 5 years (he's Greek) and he invited me which I readily accepted. We visited family in Patras, went to Zakyinthos, back to Patras to visit YiaYia who got sick and was in the hospital and then went to Santorini for the last 5 days of the trip. We had an amazing time and I would never trade one minute of it, I fell in love with Greece and I found a partner for life.

What a fun thread!
Age -- 24
Where -- England, Paris, Rome, Sicily in 3 weeks
Circumstances -- Dreamt of going for as long as I can remember. My husband thought we should fulfill those dreams before we settled down to "real life" and our family. We started "trying" for the family and planning the trip at the same time. Unfortunately and fortunately, I wound up getting pregnant right before the trip! So, when my son answers this question he can say "6 weeks and still in the womb!"
We loved it so much we went back to Paris when he was a year and moved permanently to England when he was two. We've been here for almost 8 months and have no plans to go back any time soon. We love it here.
I realize that all the people that answered this thread were already browsing the Europe forum, but isn't it amazing how many lives have been changed by our travels? I think I read all of the threads and no body answered "And I'll never go back!"

1. I was 17.

2. I visited London, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon before taking a ferry to France where I visited Mont Saint-Michel and Paris.

3. It was the summer between my junior and senior year of high school, and my AP History teacher took a group of us from his class.

At the age of 32, I'm going back to Europe in May (Greece) for the first time since then and can't wait!

1. 2 years old

2. Germany (mostly)- my family lived there for 4 years and we traveled to the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Spain and France.

3. My father was in the Army and we were stationed in Heidelberg (Germany) for those 4 years.

I didn't get back to Europe until my honeymoon 25 years later when we traveled to Germany, Switzerland, Austria and northern Italy.

Have been back to Switzerland 6 times since then, mostly to hike and twice to ski. We hope during retirement to spend a summer in Europe, and an entire month of that summer hiking in Switzerland.

First time I was 27 a 12 hour stop over in London on the way to Zimbabwe with my dad & my 6 year old daughter. That was my first trip overseas.

While I was out of the country for 2 weeks my husband started to have an affair which eventually (when I found out) ended our marriage, forced me to move to another city with my daughter and get a new job (we owned a business together).

Less than a year later my new job took me to Germany and then on to many European countries over the next 15 years - I've lost count of trips but including personal trips I've been at least 40 times.

Although I left that job in September 2007 my current husband and I love to travel and plan at least 2 trips a year over seas. In March we visited Greece for the first time and are planning a 10 day trip to Switzerland & Italy in September.

Happy travels......

I was 15 years of age. My highschool geography teacher and his English wife organized a trip for a group of students from a very small town in the wilds of northern Ontario. We spent 3 glorious weeks in England in the spring of 1972.

Looking back, I realize what a monumental effort it was for this young couple to plan this trip for us. They organized billets with their relatives for two weeks in the Lake District. We were each paired up with a student in the local highschool and spent a day going to classes English-style, followed by an evening school dance in our honour. The town even held a civic reception for us. We climbed Great Gable and went horseback riding. They took us to a fancy dress-up restaurant and taught us which fork to use first. This was quite an adventure for the bush babies that we were - our experience with fine dining up to that point involved 3 flavour enhancements: salt, pepper, and ketchup!! They took us to an operetta which I confess I slept through - jetlag, I'm sure!

After two weeks there we said tearful goodbyes to our wonderful and generous hosts and piled onto a train bound for a week in London, where we had rooms in a wee hotel in Earls Court. It was typical of the day - dusty lounge, squeaky, lumpy beds, and bathroom down the hall - or stairs. We didn't mind at all, and tucked into an English fry-up every morning with gusto.

Every day in London was also planned with great thought and precision. We had a marvelous time visiting the London Zoo - where I say my first Canadian wolf -- go figure!! We saw all the usual sights: Tower of London, Changing of the Guard etc. We went to the theatre to see "MouseTrap", and --- drumroll please --- the musical "HAIR"!!!!! Remember folks -- this was the seventies and we were hicks from the sticks! Boy did we have bragging rights when we got home!

Being a fashion conscious young lady, the icing on the cake for me was shopping, and our money went a very long way back then. I came home to our little northern town showing off the latest "Hot Pants" and over-the-knee suede high-heeled boots!! Fortunately no-one was unkind enough to tell me that I looked like I was ready to turn tricks!

It truly was a trip of a lifetime and we all owe that couple a debt of gratitude for introducing us to the big wide world out there. One of those students has "paid if forward" many times since by taking groups of Girl Guides from the same little town abroad to various jamborees. Those girls will be forever thankful to her for opening up their world.

I had to wait until I turned 40 to take my next trip to the UK, and my husband (who had backpacked through Europe as a hippy-dippy in the seventies) drove me through England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It was a fantastic month long birthday gift. The highlight of that trip was meeting my cousins in Northern Ireland for the first time --- which necessitated a return trip, with my mother and sister in tow, 5 years later, when we toured all of Ireland.

That was followed by another road-trip to explore Yorkshire and the East Anglia area. My last trip was to celebrate my 50th birthday, when we spent a week in London. It was my first time back to London since I was 15, and it was every bit as wonderful as the first time - but our accomodation was much improved!!!

My husband would really like to return to the Continent, but I just can't seem to get enough of the UK -- I LOVE IT!!!

Susie50: What a trip! And at age 15!! I will be visiting England, Scotland, and Wales in July for the first time.

Age:15
Where: England & Scotland
Circumstance: School trip!

1. 5 (possibly 6, but I believe it was 5). Flew ALONE!

2. West Yorkshire, UK

3. To spend the summer with my nana.

Well, I was 29, it was 6 weeks after 9/11/01 and I still convinced DH (who was always a terrible flyer) to go to Italy for a friend's wedding (whose apt was in the quarantine zone in Manhattan, so we spent 3 of the 6 weeks after 9/11 waiting to hear if there still was going to be a wedding in Tuscany.)
Best decision we ever made. We have gone all but one year since.
In 7 days we will take our not-quite-two year old daughter to Paris. Hoping she gets bit by the travel bug a little sooner than I did....

I was 16 years old when I went to France for the summer as an exchange student. I lived with a wonderful family in Rouen, France.

I was 27 when my husband and I went to Germany and Austria for 2 weeks in 1983. We had gotten married 2 1/2 years earlier and began working at very intense jobs. This was our first vacation!

We went in January with no plan except to cross country ski and see some cities. We began and ended with relatives outside Frankfurt and visited Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, and cross country skied in the towns of Maishofen, and Kossen. We had our clothes in backpacks and found b&bs at the tourist offices in the train stations when we arrived in each place. Nobody from home knew where we were, our offices couldn't reach us - it was heaven! We bought bread, wurst, cheese and oranges at the local shops and just packed up a lunch every day. Or skied to the next town for lunch and then skied back.

The first year our children both went to sleep away summer camp we tried to visit Italy on frequent flyer miles. We just couldn't get tickets, so instead we ended up hiking in the Canadian Rockies for 2 weeks. We loved that so much we spent 7 years revisiting the area, and didn't return to Europe until 1999 when we brought our middle school aged daughters to Scotland for a 2 week driving tour. They had begun playing with bagpipe and drum bands and we wanted to give them a taste of the place.

We've been overseas many times in the past 10 years, mostly to Germany, Austria and the UK. London is my favorite city on Earth (I grew up in the NYC suburbs). But the two most magical trips were the first one with my husband to Austria and the first one with the girls to Scotland.

Here's mine.

1. 39 yrs old

2. London, Paris, Rome

3. Been toiling for so many years and I thought I deserve a birthday gift for myself. Besides I figured that I should travel and travel before my parents come here to live with me, or if I get married and have a family, I may not be able to do whatever what I want to do.

1. 5
2. London, Switzerland
3. My parents loved to travel. We lived in Libya at the time. Went to Europe every other year.

Luckily, I married someone who loves to travel as much as I do. My oldest daughter's first trip to Europe was when she was 18 months old. Went to France, Italy and Hungary.

11 in August 1968. Went wiith my parents and 13-year-old sister to Israel, Italy, Switzerland and France for 4-week group trip. It was quite an interesting trip, even for an 11-year-old, with it being just a year after the Six Day War, the summer of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and the year of the student riots in Paris. Quite a time! Have been back to Europe 9 times since, with and without my own family, which includes my husband (first trip at age 42; my 14-year-old daughter, first trip at 10 and my 11-year-old son, first trip at age 7).

Great question!

1. I was 33.
2. London.
3. Had been working like a dog for about 7 straight years (70 - 80 hour weeks with no more than 1 vacation day in that time) and wanted to slow down, recharge and enjoy what I had been working for.

We loved, absolutely loved, London. More so, however, we loved a 'foreign' country and everything it gave us. We marveled at the different customs and spent hours talking about them.

I still work a lot, but have managed to follow up that trip to London with two more trips to London, two to Frankfurt, three to Paris and five to Italy since 2002. Italy is by far our favorite and our sixth trip is coming up.

I was 21, and traveling with my then-boyfriend (now husband of 35 years). We spent 10 weeks in Europe and Israel for $800 each total, including airfare from NY-London and back from Amsterdam, airfare from Athens to Tel Aviv and back to Zurich, and Eurail passes!

We were in London, Paris, Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona, Geneva, Florence, Rome, Athens, Hydra, Spetsai, all over Israel, Zurich, Vienna, Innsbruck, Munich, Copenhagen and Amsterdam. At least that's what I recall now!

We've been back many times, but never a trip of that magnitude (although we did spend a month with our kids in the UK, Paris, Alps and Italy 10 years ago).

It was a fantastic start

1. 27

2. England (Cambridge, Oxford, London) and Paris

3. My then-boyfriend took me to meet his family. After we broke up a few years (and trips) later, I repaid the favor by bringing my sister (23) and Dad (60) to England, France and Italy for their first trip to Europe. Still trying to get Mom (62) to go!

1. 45

2. Paris 2005

3. I did it as a gift to myself for a life put on hold. I raised my children (2) as a single parent (nothing special). I was feeling great about them fulfilling their military obligations and finishing their education, finding excellent jobs and leading good lives (so far). I felt the life I had on hold needed to be resurrected and I couldn't think of a better place than Paris to jump start it. I've been going every year!

1. 56

2. Paris (abd Versailles)

3. My daughter was studying there and my friend had not seen his brother (who lives in Scotland) for 16 years. We got to Paris with every intention of spending two weeks there and one week in Scotland, but trying to arrange a roundtrip flight there and back defeated us, so we just stayed in Paris (but we did make it to Scotland this year, with three more weeks in Paris as well). Why on earth did I wait so long?

Summer between my junior and enior year of college. (Not telling the year but it was in the days of "Europe on $5 a day" and there were still ruins from WW II in many cities.)

Won a competition to study German in Salzburg, Austria. Plane fare and tuition,room and board in the program included. My parents said,"Go for it!" and then I was able to scrape up enough for 6 weeks of travel after studying. It was a wonderful program of students from all over the world so German was our only common language. There were some other Americans there but we all tried to maintain German in our conversations. While in Salzburg, took the train to Vienna and did some exploring in the area around Salzburg.

Then I met with a college friend and we set out through Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, and England.

I had been bitten by the travel bug long before I ever thought I could go. A cousin who had been in the 30's and a great aunt who was a nurse in World War I had stories that had me poring over maps. Geography in grade school whetted my appetite, as did a high school English teacher and French teacher who had traveled and shared their experiences with us.

After college I was lucky to land a job teaching in Ireland. After I came home, I saved every penny I could to be able to return--Ireland to revisit friends, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, BosniaHerzogovenia, Serbia. Still lots to see! Some of my trips have been with friends and many on my own. Have taken my nephews and niece on trips to Europe and encouraged them to travel. Hope that they will have chances to go later.

I first went to Europe in 1960, when I was 7 years old (we actually came home on my 8th birthday). Visited Scotland, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Heidelberg, Lucern, Rome & Lisbon. It was a month-long concert tour for a private chorus that one of my brothers and I belonged to.

The only reason I got to go along was because, even at that age, I knew all the words to all the songs (probably near 100), looked cute in the middle of the front row, and my mother went along as a chaperone.

While I realize I don't remember everything, I do remember certain things very clearly...seeing the Cancan dancers in Paris, how green everything was in Heidelberg, the view of the Eiffel Tower from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, all the bicycles in Amsterdam when all the workers got off their jobs for the day, the ladies carrying huge, heavy baskets on their heads containing fruits or laundry in Lisbon, etc.

Maybe that's where my love of travel started. Or maybe I inherited it from my father, who was in the Air Force Reserves for over 30 years and traveled a lot with that. And loved every minute of it. And always brought me back a doll from wherever he went. I also have one from each country we visited on that 1960 trip.

1. 25 years old..2007 with an old friend of mine

2. Rome, Italy

3. I had been very sick and swore if I made it though, that I would quit putting off travel and start seeing the world. Couldn't really afford the trip but didn't really care lol. I made it work and never regretted it!

I am getting married next year and for our honeymoon we are going to Rome for a week (my 2nd trip and his 1st) then we are still deciding where we want to go for our 2nd week on honeymoon..maybe Rothenburg Germany or Mittenwald Germany....who knows...

1. 34

2. Greece, Mediterranean cruise, Italy

3. My Dad had passed away and friends invited my Mom to accompany them on a tour. Then she invited me!

I was 27. Just four years ago, Aug. 2004. I always meant to go before, but life led me to other things.

I went to England, Scotland, and Ireland.
First three days in London, ALONE, my friend was detained in the U.S. by a hurricane! I was nervous at first, but it was great. I finally met up with my friend on day four in Edinburgh, Scotland. We spent two days together there and then did five day contiki tour of Scotland. We saw a lot in a little amount of time. When we finished that we fly to Dublin, Ireland. Relaxed, soaked up the culture, not to mention a few guiness' and saw some of the country side.
For are last day we flew back to London, spent the day there and then flew home the following day=(
It was amazing, and nothing beats that first experience!

However, I am completely in love with Europe. I do want to see the rest of the world, but I just find Europe magical. There is so much history, culture, and diversity.
So I went to France and Spain in May of 05. Then Italy in May of 07. And I just did another tour this past June that took me to The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France. And I'm thinking about a little ski trip in Austria this New Years. But we'll see, everyone cross your fingers for me.
Z

1. 29 (1993)
2. France (Paris)
3. My mother was from Paris, and I wanted to go back with her to meet some of my family and see where my she grew up. I just took my two daughters (14 & 12)to Europe this summer. Unfortunately it was without my mother because she passed away last year. We went to Paris, London and Dublin. We are saving our money so we can go back again and again. We will always go to Paris, but we would like to add a different city/country everytime.

1) 18 years old

2) France, England,Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy.

3) Got a job in the Rhone Valley for 2 francs an hour.
Didn't stay at that for long!
Ended up in Amsterdam with 2 girls from Montreal and bought a VW van for $300. Sold it several months later for $300 back in Amsterdam.
Those were the days!

My first trip was February, 1997 to Paris so I would have been 42. I had/have a childhood friend who lives there (went for a summer after college and never looked back). She had come to visit me on Nantucket and said that if I didn't make the plane reservations - she would!

So I went to Paris and loved it and went twice more within the next 11 months and then voila! Miracle of miracles - I met a man who came to visit my friend, his sister and it was love at first sight and he just happened to live in Switzerland. A year later I was living over here and now we are married and I can go anywhere I want in Europe very easily compared to from Nantucket!

1. 20

2. England, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Italy, Monaco, Switzerland

3. Spent the entire summer after sophomore year of college. Went with my best friend, whose father had been transfered from the States to Dusseldorf to help build a new chemical plant. Used Dusseldorf as an occasional "base" and with a 3 month Eurorail Pass, saw as much as we could.

1. Age 37.

2. Italy, France, Spain.

3. My husband won an end-of-the-year award trip (Mediterranean cruise). We started out with a couple of nights in Rome, went to Florence, Portofino, Cannes, France, Mallorca, Spain, and ended with a couple of nights in Barcelona. This was our first trip to Europe and also our first cruise, so -- IT WAS AMAZING, and we were hooked.

1. 60 years (Left on my birthday)

2. The Netherlands, Cologne Germany,
Brussels & Bruges Belgium

3. To celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary my wife and I spent 16 days touring The Netherlands. Rented a car and went to Groningen for 2 days, Arnhem 2 days, Masstricht( side trips to Cologne & Belgium) 3 days, & Breda 2 days. While in Breda we were able to find my wife's cousins. We returned the car and spent 6 days in an apartment in the Jordaan area of Amsterdam.

I was 24 and engaged to a European.

Milan, Venice, Torino, Cannes, Lugano, Lake Como, San Remo, Monaco, Zurich.

A promise to take me to Paris but didn't happen.

First time in Paris was 2005 and I fell in love - with the city.

1) Actually I was first there in utero, as my parents lived in Barcelona (for a surgical fellowship my father was doing) when my mother was pregnant with me. ;-> However my first real visit to Europe was when I was 20 years old.

2) England, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland

3) My father was in the Air Force, so we were used to moving/traveling and in fact had already lived in Tokyo for a few years. But my father wanted us to be familiar with Europe too, so one summer he took the three oldest of us kids to Europe. He bought a car there and we spent about a month driving all around the countries above. Since we were traveling by car, we got to see not only the big cities, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, etc. but we also got to see small towns and villages and the countryside.

(This was when East and West Germany were still split and driving through East Germany to reach Berlin was an eye-opening experience, as was walking through Checkpoint Charlie to spend a day in East Berlin.)

Our family experiences in Europe continue, as my husband and I are currently living in Amsterdam for a year, and our DD is spending the year in Paris studying.

I was 38 years old and surprised my husband with a trip to Ireland- first trip abroad for both of us! I was for Thanksgiving weekend. This Christmas and New Years we are heading back with our 14 and 15 year old daughters! I'm so excited to see their horizons broaden at an earlier age than our did.

1. 8 years old

2.Italy, Holland...traveled from Rome all the way to Venice and Murano. Only stayed a weekend in Holland and cant remember the towns name.

3. Went with my family and school group. Plan on visiting Europe again next summer to visit family in Spain

17 and I'm now early 50s and have been vacationing there, and all other continents in the world, 1-3 times a year and almost annually since the first overseas trip. I was bitten by the overseas travel bug. Happy Travels!

1. 8 months

2. Ireland

3. My parents are Irish and took me to visit my grandmother. They laugh about putting me unsupervised on a blanket underneath the airplane seat; it's wonder I survived.

At 25, I had never been outside the continental US/Canada except for Ireland. So I went to London solo with two weeks notice. I remember paying for my B&B accomodation in cash. I've been many places since and spent a lot more money but I remember few trips as fondly.

1. 4

2. Greece

3. My dad was born in the Peloponse and moved to the US when he was 22. A few years later he met my mom, they got married and had me. Then around 1985 we all went there for the first time together. We stayed with my grandmother (his mom) and uncle (his brother). We mainly visited family and other tourist spots in surrounding areas, but did a day trip to Athens. All of this is from what I've been told of course, since I was 4 and don't remember.

We went again when I was 11 after my sister was born (she was about 4 at the time). After that, he took us back was when I was 24. This time we brought my husband, my sister, and my dad's new wife Mom stayed home this time Oh well, things change!

Since then my husband and I have a strict "no traveling with our parents" policy, but we've gone on a mediterranean cruise, and then separate trips to Paris, Venice, and the Loire Valley. Next, Provence in April 2009!

1. 17, 1978
2. Scotland and England
3. I was halfway through my senior year in high school, and because of some AP and extra classes had more than enough credits to graduate. My brother was on a fellowship at the University of Edinburgh working on a masters, as was his wife. He invited me to see if I would be allowed to graduate early and come over.

The school officials agreed that it was a good educational opportunity and I was on my way.

My brother and his wife were out usually all day, and there was only one very old-fashioned key to the mews where we lived, and so he would not give me the key, thought I would lose it! So each evening I would plan out my next day's adventures throughout Edinburgh, and leave with them, returning about 5. Sometimes I would just get so cold though (March and April) that I took advantage of the free entries I could find to art galleries and museums and would go hang out and warm up, and gaze at art.

I count that trip as when I really grew up. Such fond memories.

1. At what age did you first go to Europe? I was 26 (in 2003)

2. Where did you visit? Amsterdam, Paris, London

3. What circumstances took you to Europe? I had always wanted to go to Europe. Finally after buying my first home & a new car, I felt that it was time to go to Europe.

I have been hooked ever since and am glad to say that I have gone back four times since then.

1. At what age did you first go to Europe?

26

2. Where did you visit?

London

3. What circumstances took you to Europe?

Love. I fell in love with a boy whom I met while he was visiting the US. I had always wanted to go, and he gave me a good reason to visit. The boy is out of my life, but I still go to Europe about once a year.

1. At what age did you first go to Europe? 23

2. Where did you visit? London

3. What circumstances took you to Europe? It was March 2002...airfare was super cheap due to aftermath of September 11. I have always wanted to go to Europe, and when we found an airfare/hotel sale for $299 from St. Louis we jumped on it!

For what it's worth:

1. At what age did you first go to Europe? 40

2. Where did you visit? Germany

3. What circumstances took you to Europe? Husband took a 1 year job assignment in Stade, Germany.

That was just the beginning of our European adventures, we currently go to Europe at least twice a year, sometimes as much as 4 times a year, Paris for me at least once per year and Germany and elsewhere for us at least once a year.

1. 19

2. The U.K. with trips to Ireland, Canary Islands, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Czech Rep, Switzerland, France and Tunisia.

3. Studying abroad for 1 year

1. 20 years old
2. england, scotland, france, denmark, norway, sweden, denmark, netherlands.
3 a summer break with hard earned money between my junior and senior year of college- and it was 1974
and i highly recommend foreign travel to all

1. 18 mos old in 1972.

2. lived in Athens for 2 yrs

3. my father was finishing his PhD in classical archaeology.

Subsequently I lived in Athens for another year when I was 10, lived in the UK for a year when I was 18/19 and have travelled back to Europe every 2-5 yrs since then. I've also been to the USSR (when it was such) and Egypt. I'm hoping to make it to SE Asia and New Zealand sometime soon.

1. 24
2. Italy, Scotland, and Spain
3. Military business trip that lasted two weeks.

1. At what age did you first go to Europe? I celebrated my 21st birthday two weeks after landing in Paris.

2. Where did you visit? France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium, England, Scotland.

3. What circumstances took you to Europe? I did a Junior Year Abroad as a research fellow in History of Medicine.

1: 21

2&3: Another one who went between jr. and sr. year of college. My best friend and I traveled for 8 weeks. We took a charter flightr from LAX for $300, had travelers checks in $20 denomination, and no reservations. We just knew that we were flying into London and out of Amsterdam. We had travel guides and an adventurous spirit, plus we were young! We spent 2 weeks in the UK with a BritRail pass, then on a Eurail Pass that took us throughout much of Europe. We didn't get to Spain as we read a headline that said "Cholera en Espana". We met people that have become lifelong friends. The experience really changed my life and started my passion for travel.

I was 28 when I went to Europe for the first time. Although my parents are from Italy and my sister had gone home every year for 20 years, I was aprehensive and never had the money until I was a little older. I went with my boyfriend at the time, who is now my husband, and his brother, we went to Italy for 3 weeks covering the norther coast of Sicily, Rome, Florence, Bologna, and Venice. It changed my life and we've gone back once or twice a year for the last decade.

57, but I am trying to make up for lost time.

To Ireland. Saw an ad in the Sunday Paper for 7 days in Ireland including B&B, air fare from NY and rental car for something like $400. Couldn't resist. Added a stay at a castle to the base price.

Now hooked, loved Ireland, have been to Italy, and now looking for a return trip next fall.

1. Age 28 with boyfriend.
2. Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Alps, Belluno, Venice, Como, Geneva.
3. Pleasure trip and also test to see whether this was "the one" and whether we could happily travel together. Fantastic experience (now married 21 yrs). Budapest - had just opened up although we still needed the visa. Few Americans, very exciting to be there and very cheap. Vienna and Salzburg - lovely. Got tired of the heavy food and headed to Italy and the water taxi in to Venice is my best travel memory ever. I just couldn't get over that you could travel so relatively quickly (compared to, like, driving through Pennsylvania or California) and be in such a different environment. Brilliant trip!

1. Age 21

2. Where: Athens, Rome, Florence, Venice, Vienna, Salzburg, Rhine cruise from Basel to Amsterdam, Copenhagen and surrounds, London, in six weeks.

3. Graduation gift from college in 1970.

Didn't return for 21 years, but have made 10 subsequent trips, largely to England and Wales, but also Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, Italy, and this year to Scandinavia. But we've also discovered Australia and NZ, and will be making our 4th trip down under in May. From the Western US, it's almost an easier trip than to Europe (and cheaper than the euro/pound).

1. I was 15 years olds. Not only was it my first trip, but I went SOLO!

2. I went to Germany (NY-Frankfurt-Hamburg).

3. I spent the summer with my Oma and Opa on their farm in BadBramstadt. During that time, I also stayed at my Aunt and Uncle (just departed) and cousin's apartment in Hamburg. It was truly a remarkable summer.

I was 15 years old on my first trip to Europe. It was a family trip -- my stepdad, mom, sister, and me -- and we visited germany, italy, austria, switzerland, and hungary over 3 weeks. Believe it or not, I protested the trip because I was a teenager in the prime of making my parents' life as difficult as possible. I desperately preferred to spend the three weeks living out of my best friend's basement... alas, we had a great time and I'm glad they "forced" me to go

I've since been back 3 times -- once to london by myself for five days; once to visit a friend attending a program at oxford for the summer and we toured southern england for a week; and once as a backpacker where i spent 5 weeks with my sister touring the netherlands, belgium, france, italy, austria, and germany.

each trip was magical in its own way and i'm now planning our honeymoon to visit ireland in 2010. can't wait!

Age:39
To: Paris

I went with my sister and friends in March '00 and scrapbooked my trip - "I Lost My Heart in Paris". The following year we went to London.

I have never did sightseeing trips growing up, we would go to a resort and lay in the sun for a week.

I caught the bug of history on my first trip to France. Since that trip, I have flown to Paris for long weekends (3 trips), did a Mediterranean Cruise and just this past May did Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice and Brussels). I want to go to the Greek Isles next and I have always wanted to go to Tahiti and Austrailia.

One day I will get there!

My first trip overseas was in 1980, between my Junior & Senior year of college. I did a Contiki trip with 2 girlfriends -- and we went just about everywhere: London, France, Barcelona, Italy, Greece, Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Memories include having our camp flooded in Barcelona, singing Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime" every morning after boarding the bus, but especially all of the incredible sights we saw. Whenever we arrived at a new spot, my friends and I would jump on a bus or train and head in to take in the sights of Europe. The Aussies & Kiwis on the trip started calling us "unsocial" because we didn't want to stay in camp & party with them. But we just wanted to see as much as we could of Europe! I can still remember coming around a corner into St. Mark's square in Venice late at night -- the square was nearly deserted, but the lights were still on and to my eyes, it was magical! Or the time some elderly gentlemen convinced us to go into their wine cellar (hmmm...probably not the smartest thing to do, girls! but their intentions were honorable) to sample some of the local vintage. Or the time we helped a French girl herd her goats ("Allez! Allez!"). Or riding a moped around Corfu, stopping every now & then for a dip in the beautiful sea. Or standing in the Sistine Chapel, gaping at the incredible beauty above me. Those memories have stayed with me a life-time and have fueled my insatiable desire to see as much of Europe as I can!

In my 20's, I continued to travel to Europe, spending some of my hard-earned paycheck on an annual trip: England many times, Scotland, Ireland, Paris, and Portugal. Then I got married and had kids...and put traveling on hold for a bit.

Now I'm preparing to take my own children on their first trip overseas. I hope this first trip fires their curiosity about the rest of the world out there!

My first trip to Europe was in 1968 when I was 18 years old and married just 2 months. My husband was in the Army and stationed in Wildflecken, Germany (about 3 hours from Frankfurt, no Autobahn at that time). The 1 1/2 years there we traveled to Venice, thru Austria, part of France and all over Germany.
My next trip after 3 kids and a divorce didn't take place until July 2001. That was Paris, the UK and Wales.
Then 2002 for 3 weeks I traveled to London, Inverness Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Again, 2003 I took my daughter to Rome and London.
Then February 2004 My friend and I traveled to Venice (during Carnivale), London and Prague.
Then August 2004 I had the opportunity to work in Garmisch, Germany for the Dept of Defense in the Edelweiss Lodge & Resort in the gift shop for 5 months. While there I traveled to London and saw alot of Southern Germany. Also, went to Bologna, Verona, and Venice Italy.
Then, in August 2008 I traveled to London, Amsterdam and Bruge, Belgium.
Do you see the pattern here.....London, London, London! Yes, my favorite city as there's so much to do there and I love London Theatre!

I was 17 and I had won a scholarship to school in England. Back then it was called the Isabel Carden Griffin Scholarship of the English-Speaking Union a year at an British secondary school. I was assigned to the Princess Helena College in Hertfordshire, England, and it was a perfect match.

I took A-level classes and exams. I was sent along as a "chaperone" on every field trip the younger girls took. I even learned the proper way to curtsey and address royalty when we concluded the year with a garden party that celebrated the 150th anniversary of the school, and were graced by the presence of HRH the Duchess of Gloucester, who died just a few years ago at the age of 103.

During spring break--I was barely 18--I visited friends in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Paris, France. The Danish friends had been neighbors in Cleveland OH in the early 1960s. The French friends dated back to 1917 when my grandfather was an ambulance driver for the French army in WW1.

During the summer, before returning stateside, I traveled with an American also on the E-SU around Europe: Scandinavia, France, Switzerland, and a dip into Italy.

It is simply impossible in this space to express what the experience was. My best friend from Princess Helena is my son's godfather and I have an extraordinary relationship with her daughter. That week in Paris in 1970 is as fresh in my mind--fresher I suspect--than the activities of the week just gone by.

I emerged from that year with a rich and complex sense of the world that has never left me.

And I have traveled back as often as possible since then.

Oh my. It was perhaps the greatest year of my life.

Ellen

I turned big 3-0 on my inaugural trip to Europe. I had always been interested in the UK and grew up in the 80's with Princess Di, Britpop(Duran Duran) and Eastenders on PBS. My high school never had a study abroad program and in college I was much more concerned about getting my degree and a paying job.(Ah, the foibles of youth)!

A few months before my birthday, my parents announced their gift was a trip to London with my mom. Then however, 9/11 happened and my mother was seconded guessing our trip. But I preserviered and found tickets on UA for $385 RT and a roomy studio for 59£/night.

I planned a heavy itinerary because I though this was my one and only trip to London. My mom was a good sport and though white-knuckled survived the plane trip and had a wonderful time.

After that I was smitten, I've tried to visit Europe every year with at least a couple days in London. I sacrifice things at home-no cable, old car and eclectic furniture but I'm happy.

1493 return trip with Columbus under misleading circumstances

1972-73
I was 22 and went for six months with my wife for $3,000. We waited six months after we married to be sure we were compatible.

We visted Iceland, Luxembourg, Paris, and Spain We only stayed a week in Paris, if we stayed another week we would have to cut off a month from Spain.

We visited most regions in Spain in five months and stayed on the farm where my father-in-law was raised in Galicia. The toilet was a hole in the floor, they shared the first floor with pigs, chicken, and some cows. And although it was dairy farm all the water was hand cranked at the time. We were there in December and there was no heat and in the morning there was a thin layer of ice in ewer and basin.

We have been back numerous times since and they have advanced 400 years in 37. We are now very close to our youngest cousins and hope they will visit us this summer. I also 60 pounds on that trip.

Age 17 -- had just graduated from high school -- went with an honor choir from Southern California -- about 90 kids with 4 chaperones -- 3 young Austrian guides. It was a whirlwind - 6 countries in 4 or 5 weeks -- the crummiest hotels. I do remember how it felt to perform in the most beautiful cathedrals, however -- wonderful.

I didn't return until I was 38 -- to northern England & Scotland.

Since then I've been on several trips to continental Europe.

1 21
2 England and Wales
3 being a Beatle fan wanted to see the
places the Beatles were also into the
Tudors. Fell totally in Love with London was just there for Christmas a dream come true.

been to england 16 times now and Ireland 10 *mom was born there and also been to France Germany Switzerland and Austria thinking of
Spain next

I was 22 the first time I went to Europe in 2002. I went on a Contiki bus tour from London to Amsterdam, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Venice, Florence, Rome, Lyon and Paris. It was a new world for me, as I had never traveled before.

The circumstances that took me to Europe were complicated. I was very shocked, depressed and thrown out of my comfort zone by 9/11 (I know that sounds bland, but I just can't describe how I felt after 9/11, living near NYC... no one I knew well had died, but everything seemed turned upside down.) I always wanted to see Europe, but didn't think I'd have the money for many years ( I borrowed off credit cards... which I don't recommend!!) And I just went, kind of on a mad whim, kind of an escape fantasy. It was great, it was very unplanned, and it made me a lifelong lover of travel and of Europe.

It also made me an advocate of gap-year travel. I didn't do my trip until I was in grad school, but I really believe that all high school grads should do a year abroad before college. I think I would have been so much better prepared for college if i had seen some of the rest of the world before getting there.

I was 16 and I went on a school sponsored chaperoned trip to England. I actually turned 17 on the trip. It was a great way to see the major sites around London in a short time frame. I think the whole trip including travel time lasted only a week. It was my first trip out of the country but it gave me a taste of what was to come.

Mid 50's, England
Our son had spent his junior year in college in Spain and then our second son and his wife went to Europe the year after they were married. We realized there was something wrong with that picture and away we went. That was in 1996 and I think we have only missed one year since (after
9/11).

1. I was 28. My LW was 27.

2. All over northern Italy, by car. Plus a night in Munich.

3. We were young married professionals w/ no kids, and were finally banking enough scratch to do something seriously fun.

Here's a retroactive trip report, with pix:
http://www.onelittleworld.com/northern_italy_1.html

1. At what age did you first go to Europe?
I was 32, went in 2003.

2. Where did you visit?
I spent a week in Paris.

3. What circumstances took you to Europe?

I studied French in college and was in love with all things French but was a graduate student for so long never had the money to go. Graduated, got job, moved, met DH (a German), and went to Quebec for a long Memorial Day weekend trip. The taste of the Old World got me restless so we booked a trip to Paris for that September. I was so excited I could have burst just thinking about it as I planned the trip. Once there, Paris was all I dreamed of, I fell hard and haven’t recuperated since. After that I have visited Germany three times, and also Rome, Florence, Venice and Barcelona.

We are going back to Paris this April with our 10-month old DD, lucky her, her first time in Europe at only 10-months!

1. At what age did you first go to Europe?

I was an innocent 19 when I first went to Europe.

2. Where did you visit?

All over Spain for a month, then traveled the rail with friends for another month--France, Germany, Austria, and England.

3. What circumstances took you to Europe?

It was the summer before my junior year in college, and one of my best childhood friends (and college pal too) told me how to earn 6 college Spanish credits in Spain AND get my father to pay for it! I certainly doubted that my dad would agree for me to go. We just weren't the "Europe type". Somehow, my friend did the talking and if I worked a couple of parttime jobs at the college to help pay for the extras, my dad agreed to pay for the tuition and board while at the college in Madrid. The whole experience completely opened my eyes socially and politically. I even found my first Parisian waiter boyfriend! Tee-hee, seriously! I've been heading back 2-3 times a year ever since. I'm married and now in my mid-30's and we already have our April trip to France and Belgium booked! I have the bug, and luckily married a man who travels globally for his job. With all of his hotel and flight points, most of our trips are practically free.

I was a 10 year-old schoolboy from London. Our class of about 30 children went to Blankenberg in Belgium for a week in 1959. It seems extraordinary now, that two teachers could handle something like that. We had a fantastic time and the whole week revolved around the beach, and the entertainments thereon. We stayed at a nice little hotel near the casino and the owners could not have been more pleasant and kind to us even though we did not speak a word of French. I've had a soft spot for that place ever since.

Roger Bruton

http://www.fermedecandeloup.fr

I was 12 years old. I flew to Vienna by myself to stay with an Austrian friend of my parents for a month. We spent most of the time in Vienna and Innsbruck (including going to some nifty places in the Alps where Americans were unheard of!). We also took a train to Amsterdam for 2 nights and spent a day in Paris. Before going I really did not want to go, but by the end not only did I not want to leave but I was a completely different person!

1. At what age did you first go to Europe?

37

2. Where did you visit?

A 12 day Scandinavian Cruise including St Petersburg (the highlight for DH and I)

3. What circumstances took you to Europe?

I won 2 free tickets on American Airlines to anywhere they fly. So, it was a toss-up between the cruise or Paris. We opted for the cruise thinking it would be more exotic!
That darn first trip began my addiction to Europe!

I was 16 yrs old.
It was the trip of my life.
I went alone. My 9th grade "boyfriend's" family had been transferred to Paris from Michigan for the father's job. We wrote for two years and then he asked me to come for Christmas.
My mother finally relented IF his mother would write a letter to her inviting me and confirming there would be proper supervision.
So I was off to Paris. My mother insisted on sending a hostess gift to the other mother and selected a "lovely" expensive traditional, flowered robe. Little did we know that the other mother was a bohemian, hippy type wife and mother of 8 who believed that children basically raised themselves. I saw her once on the entire trip. They had an amazing 10 bedroom home in the ambbasador area of Paris. What a fun trip this was. While my friend went to school everyday I roamed Paris by myself. I visited all the museums and walked the Seine. There were a few scary moments like when I accepted a ride to the Rodin Museum from French soldiers (in a truck no less) and then realized they were not honest in their intentions. Fortunately one of their buddies or supervisors saw the situation developing and came over and sternly called them off.
Then there was the time I went to visit old friends of my parents. I waited outside their apartment until after dark. I then walked up and down a nearby street. When guys started approaching me I decided to use a "disguise" I wrapped a scarf around my head and limped. Hmm, still did not work. Guys still tried to pick me up.
When my friend got back home after school we went out on the town with his American School of Paris friends. Always on mopeds and always with lots of cigarettes and great music. It was so fun. A real international group of interesting kids.
As if that was not enough, I took an overnight train to Torino, Italy for 5 days to visit my grandfather for Christmas and then back to Paris, again all alone.
Still not over.
New Years in Paris. How fun. First we went with the group of friends to a party in a classy, high rise apartment building. I had my first glass of wine ever. Sadly I had a cold and had taken a decongestant before going out(didn't know not to mix meds and alcohol). I felt myself sinking into the chair and then realized that with only half a glass of wine I was drunk. My friend helped me to the bathroom where I spent an hour on the floor. Then the group headed out in a van to the Champ Elysee for the Midnight celebration. I was so out of it I was on the floor of the van and picked my head up briefly to see the festivities. Then fell asleep.
A few years later we "broke" up but remained friends. We still correspond intermittently. He is married with 6 kids and I am married with three. I am headed to Paris in 3 weeks with my family and I know it will bring flashbacks of that wonderful trip in 1971 and my honeymoon in 1980. Oh the great memories..... But still can't believe my parents wheo were pretty strict let me take the trip!!

(i probably answered this already but...)

40, exactly, Switzerland, for my birthday

I went to Venice, Florence, and Rome as part of a college course when I was 20. Each of us had to pick a paticular artist or building ahead of time to do a presentation about when we were there. I picked Raphael, so whenever we saw one of his paintings, I told them about the history of it.

1. 23

2. Lux, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Germany (West and at that time East), Denmark, Scotland , England. As many places as we could squeeze into 6 weeks on a Eurailpass.

3. Did the grand tour on about $1700 1977 US dollars IIRC after graduating from college with an interest in Art History. I have been back about 15 times over the years. Wish I had gone earlier- my nine year old daughter has been over six times now- twice this year....

Rick

1. Age 15 (summer of 2000)
2. Italy, Austria, Switzerland and France - 21 days
3. I was a People to People student ambassador. I was offered a chance to interview for the program, was accepted and the group of 40 students spent a few months researching the places we would go. I had an amazing time and it started a absolute travel addiction. Europe was followed by Australia, Costa Rica and then the UK and Ireland most recently. I'm now planning a trip to Egypt and London and trying to figure out when I can travel again after that trip. Europe has such a huge mix of cultures, sites, and destinations that it's a wonderful place to start your travels and you can go back for years and never see everything.

age 16- 6 weeks in France. 3 Evian 3 Versailles. AM French classes.
Cried first time I saw the Eiffel Tower.

TravellingDiva - 12 years old along? You were so brave. And so lucky!

BarbaraLouise - Your story is amazing. I have been to Paris, but it was nothing compared to the way that you saw Paris!

frenchwow - I also cried the first time that I saw the Eiffel Tower. And the Grand Canal in Venice. I am sure that I will also cry in two weeks when I am on top of the Swiss Alps!!

I was 4 the first time I went to Europe. I went to Scotland with my Mother. My mother is from Scotland and she married a sailor and was home for the first time in 5 years. And I have taken an overseas trip from the USA ever since. And I will keep on traveling until I take my permanent vacation

1. I was 23...turned 24 in Paris
2. Spent one week in Switzerland; one week in Paris
3. One of my sisters was studying in Besancon, France.

One of my sisters spent her junior year in college in Besancon, France. I decided to visit her and met her in Geneva. We had a Eurailpass and travelled around Switzerland. We spent the first day in Geneva and the first night in Lausanne. After a short visit in Lausanne and boat ride on Lake Geneva, we made our way to Zurich and then onto Zermatt, one of my favorite places I have ever been to. I've been to Zermatt 4 times, now....I can just sit and look at the Matterhorn all day.

After a few more stops in places like Lucerne, and an over night stay in Besancon, we took the high speed TGV to Paris, where we spent one more week. I turned 24 in Paris....had lunch at Le Tour D'Argent that day. Mind you, for the most part, I didn't eat in expensive places like this or stay in fancy hotels on this trip....just wanted to try this place out on my birthday! It was a fine lunch, but we had an even better dinner at some small hole in the wall place near the Georges Pompidou center....for much less than half the price of Le Tour D'Argent!

The travel bug bit me, and I've been back to Europe a total of 16 times on vacation, plus I also have worked in The Netherlands for 4 years. One thing I really regret is not having spent time studying in Europe during college, but the work experience was very satisfying. I'm looking forward to my next trip back!

My first visit to Europe was when I was eight years old. My father brought me to Italy and Venice. I remember how grand the Piazza San Marco was and how lovely the music was as the musicians played merrily, and the crowds of people just strolling along. I learned later it was the Caffe Florian, where Casanova used to romance his paramours , one of my favourite places. I also remember the Parmigiano cheese in powder form. They used to be in rippled glass bottles that you could sprinkle all over your pasta and pizza. I rememeber too, going to Capri and visiting the exquisite Blue Grotto where the ancient Roman Emperors had wild orgies. As the boat went under the narrow and very low opening, I was so worried my head would hit the rocks at the top of the cave.
I love Europe, Paris, Geneve, Venice, Rolle, Roma, Wien....By Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet, a renowned Travel, Food & Wine Writer/Editor.

1. Age 18

2. Greece - Went all over the country including Athens, Olympia, Delphi, Meteora and a few greek islands.

3. It was our last year of High School history trip, there was about 20 of us with 2 teachers. Really the most amazing time. I have been back to Europe 5 times, and once I got to live in Scotland for 6 months on a University exchange. Going back this year, cant wait !!

1. age 33
2. London, Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome
3. My husband and I took an American Express Tour.

I studied French in HS and college and was hoping to spend my junior year in France. I wanted to so much, but my parents were afraid I would party my way across the continent. In 92,I got cancer for the first time and not long after my husband was diagnosed with a somewhat serious heart condition. At that point, we decided to go to Europe at least once a year. Instead of moving to a fancy neighborhood, we spend that money on travel. Since real estate has tanked here, I think we did the right thing.

1. Age 22
2. Greece for three weeks
3. My best friend and I were going to see our agapis

Age 52

Finland, Sweden

I was terrified. For some reason I had never believed I would ever go to Europe. I worried so much that I couldn't even order food and how would we make out.

It was a mind blowing trip and I've never wanted to go back to Finland in case returning would spoil the 'majik' of it all! However after 5 more trips over and visiting, Ireland, Scotland, England, Italy, France, Switzerland I'm actually thinking a return to Finland might be coming up soon.

I was in my 20's when I first went to Europe. My friend and I went to Paris. People were very friendly. At first it was like going to many other trips I had been on until we got off the Subway in the evening by the Arc de Triomphe. We looked up and saw the Arc and Eiffel Tower both lit up and in the same view. It was one of those breath taking moments where you just stand in awe and say I am now in Paris. Since then I have been back to Paris a number of times and have seen much of the rest of Europe.

I was 40. Surprised my wife (kids were in on it) with a trip to Paris at Christmas 2005 for a February 2006 trip. Had to delay it because she didn't have a Passport and getting one ahead of time would have let the cat out of the bag. Went to the Post Office on Monday the 26th and the darned thing didn't arrive until January 30th for a February 3rd flight!

What were the circumstances? As a kid (until college actually) had term passes from TWA as both parents worked for the airline. Even with that, and that TWA flew direct from MCI to CDG at the time, I never went. Didn't take the French class sojourn as I was involved with sports which I used for college scholarship money. Time flew by and I had still never went. Planned it as a second honeymoon, but when it came to booking tickets, the prices were 1/2 what they were during the initial phase($418.00 per person R/T from MCI), so I called the boys and let them in on the deal and told them they had to talk to their professors at school and get permission to miss class because they were going as well. Since then have made plans three times to return and various medical issues arose in the group that ultimately cancelled all three. Currently working on a surprise trip next March for our niece and nephew to Normandy and Paris for eight days. I've definitely been bit by the travel bug, at least for France.

At birth, born here in Ireland. I was 16 the first time I left Ireland though and that was a school trip to UK, Germany & France.

Just to reverse this slightly I was 33 the first time I visited the US.

1. 47
2. Ireland
3. Eldest daughter and I saved up for 4 years and did a Green Blur self-drive tour. We were such babes in the woods, but had a lovely, lovely time.

Now in the process of taking the rest of the children and the grandchildren. Eldest daughter now has a 1½ year old so her turn has to wait awhile.

One of the best days of my life was the day my first passport arrived in the mail.

I was 26, an unmarried female and had just received a $1000.bonus and decided to leave my job and travel to Europe.This was in 1956.
I went to Italy met my deceased fathers family, many uncles,aunts and cousins I never met some of which I never heard of. I spent 3 weeks with them in Calabria a fabulous visit even though my knowledge of Italian was to say the least minimal and they spoke no English
I then traveled solo to Sicily, Capri, Ischia, Naples, Rome, Florence, Venice.
Then on to Majorca,Marseille and finally Paris.
My entire trip was for 5 1/2 months.All with only $1000.
I traveled by ship and was on one of the last voyages that THE ANDRIA DORA took.
This trip started my love affair with Italy and Paris.
Since this trip I have been very fortunate in having a job that took me to both countries, and ASIA several times a year.
Now retired,80 years old.widowed I still go each year and still love discovering new things to see and do.
I am looking forward to a 4 week trip this Spring to Paris and Nice mostly solo.
I have broadened my travels to include England, Amsterdam, Norway, Sweden,Germany,Austria,Spain,Mexico, Some of these trips were made with my husband.
Remembering the first trip and that I could see so much and spend so much time on $1000.still leaves me amazed.

Hi; I was 55 when my sister 'forced' me too visit her in Amsterdam. She was working there for a year. As fate would have it, she was called back to the U.S., but we had use of her car and her apartment on a canal. Now 75 and after 29 more trips to Europe, we celebrate our 50th Aniversary on a Scandinavian Tour in August. Life is good.

tdk, yes, $1000 went a lot further in 1956, but it was also a large chunk of one's salary. It would have been about a third of my father's salary as head of a small town bank. It would have also been half to a third of a teacher's annual salary in our small town.

tdk320n: I hope that I am still traveling to Europe when I am 80! Great story.