Mahya2

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.

NorCalif

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.

artgirl1998

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.

pokaapokaa

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

Guenmai

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!

ao23

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.

annamikemc

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!

Toucan2

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.

h2babe

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.

trsny

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.

tcreath

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!

Suspaul

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.

Keeper

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

amycyma

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

telechick

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.

Toriliz

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

Robespierre

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.

Andeesue

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.

GiuliaPiraino

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.

rncheryl

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.