Bedar

I was 21 and then stayed there for 17 years.

travelbunny

by myself- 21.. a great age for a first independent trip.

march123

Here's my reply from the thread Rex mentioned above. My sister passed away last year so all I have now are the memories.

Author: Elaine
Date: 11/25/2002, 02:36 pm

Message: I was 17 and my sister was 15. Our parents sent us to Dolomites (northern Italy) to stay with grandparents. On our return flight, we had to change planes in London so we got off and changed our tickets to several days later and got our first taste of independent travel. I went back again in 1972 when I was 19 and spend the summer hitchhiking with a girlfriend. Great education!

cecisard

I was 25 yrs old in my first trip to Europe (10 days in Paris), but that was not my first trip abroad. The first one was in 1966, when I was only 17 (add it up!), and went to the US as an AFS exchange student.

lyb

46 years old and now I can't seem to stop, I'm addicted.

toni

I was 22. My parents had given me a return airfare to Europe for my 21st birthday so I worked a part-time job at night in a bar to pay for the rest of the trip (that job was an education in itself). After doing the obligatory Contiki tour then backpacking around Europe I returned to London to look for work. A quick stop at our Australian Embassy changed my life. I landed a job as P.A. to our Defense Attache and then spent four amazing years working in London, Paris and Dublin. Wonderful years which left me permanently afflicted with the travel bug. After a long gap whilst raising children and having grown up responsibilities we have been back to Europe 3 times in recent years. To see the Eiffel Tower again after 20 years made me cry.

kp

I was 46 and used the executors fee from my Dad's estate.
He and my Mom had traveled quite a bit before she became ill. After she was gone he frequently talked about their favorite trip -- "It-lee" so I thought it was only appropriate that I used the money for a trip to their favorite place. Since then he's paid for trips to Greece, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, Tibet, Bali, Germany, Ecuador, Peru and is treating us to Egypt and Jordan this summer. He sure was a fantastic Dad.

RobynFrance

I was 20 when I left for Montpellier the summer before my Junior Year abroad in Paris. I fell hard--for the French, the country, the language, the men, the food, the culture and on and on--and have never gotten over it 40 years later. We go every year and I can't imagine being without France in my life.

Take care,
Robyn France

lolfn

in high school, the school sponsored a trip over spring break that went to 4 countries in 8 days--crazy! i begged to go and my parents decided that it wasn't worth it for the money. they told me it would be better to spend my junior year abroad in europe.

so at age 19, i left for england for my junior year of college. traveled everywhere! and loved every minute, one of the best years of my life!

Poohgirl

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Powell

Fifty three and I have then gone back in 14 of the last 15 years. Hope to go this year to: Rome, Provence, Paris.

Anthony

GreenDragon

- 9 months.

I was conceived in a town south of London (East Grinstead) (in the upstairs bathroom of a B&B, to be exact)

My mom lived in Edinburgh while I gestated

I was born in Copenhagen

I grew up in Michigan

Went back the first time when I was 26 (in 1996), and I go back whenever I can!

Jewell

I had to have been about 22 years old. I went to Paris and fell in love with it and so have been there many times now. I also like others vowed to go back every year and luckily have been at least making it there every other year. I even had the luxury of having a boyfriend for several years that was from a little town near Siena in Italy. Italy is amazing. I love tuscany and I love the history. I am now headed to Spain for the first time and am so excited.

shortcake05479

I was 19, spent a semester studying in London. This year (5 years later) will be the first time I'm back! It's been way too long.

mile

I was 2.

CarlosSandoval

I was 24 in 1998. Although, I'm originally from Peru. I went to visit some relatives in Germany, and from there my then girlfriend and I backpacked thru France, UK, Spain, Switzerland and Italy. Since then, I've been going almost every year, and I even married a beautiful Polish girl. Right now, we are planning our trip to Portugal and Spain this coming September.

westcanuck

I was 18. Iwent for 90 days and the whole thing, with airfare cost $1200. Made it tyo England, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Morroco. I spent a month sharing a "squat" in London wher I saw the Rolling Stones with a crowd of 400,000 at Knebworth castle.
Now I am three years away from my 50th birthday... and i am taking my wife and 11 year old daughter for a grand tour in three weeks. wow, time flies

SAnParis

30 - I am now 42 & have been over a dozen times...Making up for lost time I guess.

motor_city_girl

I was 17 and it was Paris in the spring. I met a guy from Italy and he was sooooo cool. What did I know, right?

Learned two valuable lessons on my two(big number!) trips to Europe:

1. NEVER take a banana from a guy dressed in a gorilla outfit in a nightclub in Paris (oh the flashbacks).

2. NEVER get pizza from the first place you pass in Rome, especially if it is block away from the Residenza Cellini(great hotel) and looks a lot like any place you could get pizza at in the US.

Enjoy your trip!

euroblohm

There are moments in our lives which we are forever changed...
I had all the hopes and aspirations of a freshly minted college grad at age 21. The following year 2002, dot-coms crashed, layoffs everywhere. I watched as friends and families struggled to survive w/out jobs, desperately looking for months for work, and tirelessly waiting for replies to countless resumes. Then I got my notice, my company was laying off 60 employees.

I spent 6 weeks looking for a job, then filed for unemployment. I sent out 30 resumes, crossed my fingers since I was fresh out of college. I purchased a 30-day ticket to Europe. I decided I would do something productive while I waited, and backpacking around Europe by myself seemed just the ticket. Might as well make the most of a long wait for answers to my applications.

I arrived in Frankfurt on my 23rd Birthday... I spent 26 days traveling western europe, and I was not ready to return yet. After dinner with an ex-pat friend in Zurich on day 27 I called home to tell my parents I was moving to Europe for a while. That afternoon I set up an interview for a teaching position.

I've been here in Germany 2 years. My passport has only 3 blank pages, I've traveled to 18 countries, hosted friends, certified as a ski patroller in the Alps, learned German, accidently met the love of my life at a grocery store one afternoon...and became a strong believer that what may seem like one of the worst moments of our lives, could all be for a reason.

It was the best unexpected decision I've had the pleasure of making...and I learned to appreciate the beauty and differences each culture has to offer. If you haven't yet gone, please do for yourself. If you have, continue to inspire others, it is wonderful to read your posts!