cobbie

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!

KL467

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”.

Joseph7820

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.

pittpurple

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!

kygirl59

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.

maryanne1

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.

MORTTVL

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

Lyrael

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

Travelerjulie

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.

gruezi

ky,

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

gruezi

teach2travel

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.

FTP

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!

youngtraveler

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!!

Celiaanne

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.

hypatia

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

Michel_Paris

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

ashagena

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.

ShutRbug

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!!

w351

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.

atp2007

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).