Hi Denise! Don't want to scare you or anything. I had no intention of responding, but couldn't resist being the 100th respondent to your question. I am a 36 year old wife and mother of 2 boys, ages 6 & 8. (almost!) We are American ex-pats living in Edinburgh, Scotland temporarily. (Hi Tony Hughes) I grew up on Long Island, NY, lived in New Jersey for 10 years before moving to Phoenix, Arizona. My husband grew up in Findlay, Ohio and Princeton, NJ and had an ex-pat experience living in Taiwan when he was 7. His Mom dragged 5 kids between the ages of 12 and 2 to Taiwan! I thought living in Scotland was hard! Love it here, but can't wait to get back to warmth and sun. We have been in Edinburgh since March and have loved it. Traveling Europe has been the highlight of this experience and the Fodor's website has been a blast to use. It's addicting and sort of like snooping into other people's business! Way cool! Anyway, all good things come to an end. It looks like we are going home early and my husband and I are about to drag our kids all over the place. Weekend trips to Paris, Dublin etc are in the works. Didn't have as much time to travel as expected since we had the business of living to deal with. School holidays, husband's work schedule and birthday parties all interfered with my travels plans. C'est la vie! We got a great education on how life is across the pond. Now it's time to thaw out! <BR>Great posting, Denise. Isn't the internet great???

Thank you for finishing the century. I have been totally awed by the number of answers when I was initially hesitant. My husband comes home each night and asks how the file is going! I am glad everyone got something out of this, it's been fun and very informative. Thanks everyone. Denise <BR>

Sending this one to the top! A lot of new, GREAT contributors!

Hi from Seattle, WA! Love this site - it has so much information. My husband works for Boeing and has travelled quite a bit. Now we are going to Europe as a family -- with our 17 year old son. Going to Paris and Rome end of June. Will post when we get back

It was about 15 months ago when I also discovered this wonderful forum. My husband, 13 year-old daughter Sofia, and I were headed to Switzerland and Italy in June-July 1998. The information obtained in this forum was and is invaluable. We were especially grateful for the tips we received from Wes Fowler, Bob the Navigator, and Monica@corsair. <P> I was born in Paris of an american mother and french father. My first trip to the US was on the Andrea Doria, a year before it went down off the coast of Nantucket in Massachusetts. My parents and I returned to Paris and lived in the 16th arrondisment from 1959 to 1967. During my college years my parents lived in Rome so I was blessed with the opportunity to live there. My husband and I honeymooned in Switzerland, France, and England in 1978. Last year was our first time back, sharing it all with our daughter. <P> It was a very special visit because I still have relatives in the Geneva area. I buried a bit of my father's ashes (that I had saved for 11 years in a locket)on an Alp near Chamonix.<P> My blessings don't end there though: this year in the last 2 weeks in May my (80 going on 60 year-old) mother and I are returning to France. Two days in Paris then off on a Smithsonian sponsored barge trip to Dijon and back to Paris on the TGV. We hope to have a quick visit en route with people we have not seen in 30 years. While my husband and daughter are envious, they are the ones who urged me to go. They are right - what an opportunity! We live in central Massachusetts which is in the northeast section of the United States. I am a self-employed consultant to a group of Boards of Health; my focus is tobacco prevention/education.<P> I can't believe I found this thread tonight; earlier today I was discussing with my (anti-Internet) mother this forum. She cannot understand _why_ we post anything here. Aside from the GREAT info. I explained that (in our case) when friends/acquaintances ask 'how was your trip?' they really might not be interested, slightly jealous, nor can comprehend the european experience. This forum in my opinion is like a club, and forces some type of cyber kinship among total strangers!!! It's fabulous! Now if only we could help achieve peace in our world........

Ooops! How could I forget? A thousand apologies to Richard Vicek who also was terrific with his helpful advice! If I've forgotten anyone else - PLEASE forgive me!

Dear Denise: Thanks to you for starting this fascinating thread--and to Maira for moving it up to the top again! Having been sidelined by cancer surgery (and follow-up chemo therapy between October 1998 and Feb.,1999) I'd been unable to visit my favorite site for a while--but I'm so glad I found your note tonight. As for me, I'm one of the more senior posters, I guess--I'll be 77 in three weeks--and I was first bitten by the travel bug at a travel show my family and I attended in Detroit when I was still in high school. WWII kept me from fulfilling any dreams until 1957 (by which time I'd collected a doctorate in history and was teaching in a small West Virginia college.) That first trip--six weeks that ranged from London to Paris to Rome to Venice to Vienna to Copenhagen--left me really hooked. Three passports and many stamps later I'm still fascinated but my medical experiences have slowed me down a bit. I still have MANY of the wonderful overseas friends I've made since 1957 and consider myself a very lucky woman. (Living here in South Louisiana during one of the mildest winters we've had in years re-inforces my feeling of good fortune--and the fact that I'm a Louisiana historian means that I can contribute a good bit to that site on the US forum as well.) Thanks finally to Fodor's for giving us the floor here. Joan

Research and Development Machinist; University of Utah. I traded my motorcycle for 4 buddy passes (Delta). Going to France/Italy because: Our 14 year old daughter is in her 3rd year of French, has won "Best Foreign Language Awards" (Junior High) and so it is to 'reward' her for her academics; My Father served in WWll at Utah Beach and always wanted to see a free and beautiful Europe (he passed away without fulfilling that dream and so now I will go and be his eyes); and...I want to go to Rome damn it! We have never been out of the US. This is going to be a BIG financial strain, but, "We Can Do it!" (See "The Waterboy" Movie)

Dave <BR> <BR>Thank you for bringing Denise's question to the top again, becasue I had not seen it. <BR> <BR>I am a solicitor (attorney), born and brought up in Scotland. i love to travel and have recently taken up "Munro-bagging" ( climbing the mountains in Scotland over 3000feet high). <BR> <BR>I have visited France (twice), Germany, Austria, Italy (twice), Greece, Cyprus (3 times) and Spain (twice). <BR>I've once been to the US (California) and twice to the Caribbean (Antigua and Tobago). I hate sailing <BR> <BR>I'm very interested in natural history and have been allover the UK following that inerest, especially to the Scottish Western and Northern Isles. <BR> <BR>I'm also into politics and go back and forth to London quite a bit. <BR> <BR>I'm going to take my time and read all of the 107 messages above this. I hope anyone who hasn't posted here now does so <BR> <BR>This year? who knows... perhaps back to Crete, perhaps Finland. Certainly the Hebrides in May

Great thread, people! <BR>We're in Seattle, 40s/50s (geez) with a moved-out-of-the-house-hurrah 23 yr. old medical researching son in LA. I build and operate housing for poor and homeless people; my wife advises local governments on their finances. Our former residences (alone or together)include California, Oregon, Alaska, various other parts of the US, Edinburgh (Stockbridge, actually), and Israel. We've been over and back (or not) for around 30 years, and try to go whenever there's spare cash, frequent flight miles, a suitable conference, or any other excuse we can drum up. Many countries and cities visited, but the list of "haven't been there, haven't done that" is still unacceptably long. <BR> <BR>We did a longish sabbatical trip in late '98, ending with a magical cruise across the Pacific on a container freighter in December. Try it, you'll love it. <BR> <BR>We enjoy these postings enormously, and want to thank all of you for keeping the travel infection alive in us, even in this unending Seattle winter. With apologies to Tony and Sheila, "Here's tae us..."

BillBarr/TonyHughes: I tried to send you each an e-mail but my computer skills are very limited. Just got on the net about two months ago and hadn't been on a computer before that. I'm Karyn, mom of the Europebound son. I am a hairstylist in southern california. Born in North Carolina, lived her most of my 40+ years. I haven't been to Europe and want to go vicariously through my son. Thanks for the info on Marys King Cross. It's just what we were looking for. We have been able to trace our family history back to an ancestor that fought with William Wallace and my grandfather Norman Vining came with his brothers from Scotland so my son is very interested in starting his "European Education" there. Thank you so much for you help.

So glad to see this post at the top again. I feel like I've met many of you and that we all have common threads. My husband and I live in Cincinnati and have been to Ireland and England several times. For the past several years, we planned a trip to Europe 2 years apart; Italy, then Germany and Belgium/Paris in May. This Forum helped with our trip to Germany in 1997 and has been a blessing this year - particularly Wes Fowler. How does he know so much! and remember it all! and share so generously! Bless him. <BR> <BR>I bet this forum will bulge with Paris information at the end of May when everyone who posted returns from well-planned Parisian trips. I'm still gathering Belgium information and will gladly share when I return. I know how difficult that info is to uncover! <BR> <BR>What happened to Tricia? She posted regularly when I first discovered this forum - I particularly enjoyed her recount about travel from LA to Holland.. Hope everyone has a fun day today - and every day! Life's too short to be gloomy, don't you agree! <BR>

Hi Denise, <BR> I was browsing the forum as I have been almost daily since my friend and I have been planning our trip to Paris in April, and I was excited to see your post asking about the people who check into this site. I, like most who have expressed the same sentiment, have been very interested in who the other readers/fellow travelers are, and I think this is a wonderful idea! My friend, Melissa and I are both going to Europe for the first time. We are thrilled to be able to see Paris, and after finding and posting several questions on this forum, our friends are impressed at how prepared we have become for our vacation. The people here are extremely honest and helpful and we appreciate it so much! Now we are hooked on it - surprize! As for the low down on ourselves: <BR> <BR>I am a single 28 yr. old retail store manager from Dallas,Tx. I have lived in Dallas (and surrounding area) for many years, but alas, no Texas accent as I am originally from Nebraska. I have a degree in Marketing and one in Fashion Merchandising. I wish I could tell you that I have traveled extensively, but instead I will tell you that I aspire to! Melissa is also single, 24, retail store manager, and is from Little Rock, Arkansaw originally. She is a history buff who tells me that as long as she gets to see Versailles- her trip is truly made. I have a feelong that once we get there, many other things will also become the " must sees " ! <BR> Thank you so much for this fascinating link. Cindy

Hi Karyn Linker <BR> <BR>Just read your message and have sent you an email. To get back to me just hit 'reply'.Happy to help with any information you may need. <BR> <BR>Welcome to Sheila - nice to see another contributor from Scotland. <BR> <BR>Bill

POST SCRIPT TO FODORS: <BR> <BR>You can use this forum as an example of the best way your company serves it's customers! Keep up the good work. <BR>

How great to read about each of you! I live in Austin, Texas, (Hi to Annalynn), and traveled the US extensively with my parents growing up. My first trip was to the Grand Canyon when I was 9 months old, and no, I don't remember it though my dad continues to bring it up as if I did (it's a family joke). My family began hosting German choir members visitng Texas in 1971. My first trip to Europe was the summer of 1985. Haven't been back yet except in my dreams (and you ought to see my bookcases) but my husband, 10-yr-old son & I are going to Rome, Florence, Orvieto, and Siena in late May for 2 weeks. Hubby is an 'air-force brat' with European & Pacific experiences but hasn't been to Italy. I can't wait to see their faces! When my first passport expired I began having nightmares about leaving for the airport for a trip and reaching for my passport (last thing, don't ask, it was a dream) only to find it expired. So, having no money to plan a trip with, I still had my passport renewed. Nightmares ended. Go figure. I love reading all your posts. (Yes, Denise, I do hope to make it to Australia one day....Just heard a tale from a friend--about her husband-- that on his last visit to his mother in Australia he crashed her car into a kangaroo. We worry about hitting white-tailed deer here.) BTW, I'm an executive assistant (glorified secretary) at a software company. <BR>

well, what a nice idea! <BR>we live in nw indiana about an hour from chicago. my husband,john, and i love to travel. he can't take time off from work very often though. he's a machinist and i work as a nurse in trauma. every winter we go somewhere to scuba dive. lately it's been the caymans but that is getting too pricey for us. i just went to paris with some friends and hope to go back this fall. i know i got the travel bug from my parents. we took a trip somewhere every august. 5 kids in a ford fairlane on the way to canada! it was worth it though. now we are expecting our first grandchild and we hope to show him/her the world. the best part of travel?...meeting people in the streets by chance and striking up a conversation. we don't have a big, expensive home but hey the memories from our trips are priceless (not to be mistaken for a commercial for mastercard!)i love reading these posts. a bientot.

Hi Guys. I live in Miami,Florida since 1967 and work at the University of Miami. I LOVE TO TRAVEL! My husband thinks I can find something interesting/fun to do anywhere. My family is from Galicia, Spain, but I was born in Havana, Cuba. I go to Europe pretty often, but it seems like I always end up in Spain with the family. Last September we were in France, this September we are going to Austria. Nice to meet you all!!!

Crazy Dave in Utah State: You and your family will have a wonderful time! It will be worth every hard-earned penny and you'll never regret making the trip or the financial sacrifice in other areas. I think most posters here will agree. Go for it!

Originally from Upstate NY,I got the travel bug early. While in college in Ohio, I spent a term living with a Spanish family in Madrid. This was back in the '50s, not at all like Spain today. I spent two years in graduate school in Tucson, AZ and taught for nine years in the Virgin Islands. For the past 27 years, I have lived near Macon, GA.. Until my retirement 5 years ago, I was a high school guidance counselor. As a college girl in Spain, I realized that independent travel was the only way for me; I'm just not a groupie person. After many years with no foreign travel, since '85 I have gone to Europe 10 times- Denmark, Germany Switzerland, Austria and Spain. One of my most memorable trips was with three friends last June. We did an Idyll Untour, staying for two weeks in an apartment in the Swiss alps. With Swiss Passes, we were free to travel around the country at will. Two of my daughters are now married and living in London, so my last several trips have been there - 2 since the beginning of the year. Since the first grandchild is due in London later this month, I suppose the trips there will be even more frequent. <BR>