Hey, peeps! I am reporting live from the most fantastic city on Earth. Lol, just kidding. I am officially back in the US! If you don’t follow me on Instagram or know me personally, you may not know that I spent two weeks in France in February! Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. (Well, when time and money is right.) It challenges and exposes me to the beauty of life; it helps connect me to the Earth, others’ lives, and my most authentic inner self. I started traveling very early with my parents. When I was about elevenish/twelve, I went to Europe for the first time. I explored the big cities with my family–Paris, Barcelona, Florence–and learned what life looked life over that big blue ocean. Later in life, my mom encouraged me to start to travel again. So during my second year of college, my bags were packed to go to Spain and right before my last year of college, I studied writing abroad in Paris. The year I went to Paris was one of the most memorable times in my life. After being broke up with my boyfriend and losing some friends I thought would be in my life forever, I hopped on that plane feeling like I had nothing to lose. But to be honest, that trip to Paris before my final year at university was my womanhood origin story. I fell in love, with the city itself; I started to fall in love with who I was becoming. I am not sure what it is about this city that brings me so much peace, but every time I come home from visiting, I feel more clear-headed, brave, and authentic in how I show up in the world. So when I decided to travel to celebrate my 25th birthday, I could not think of a better place to go. And the best part was that I got to do it with one of my best friends, my brother. So here is a peek at the first part of my birthday trip to France. Enjoy!
Where We Ate
My Top 3: Girafe Resturant; Pink Mamma, Ober Mamma,
What We Did
As I am sure you have guessed, there is so much to do in a city like Paris. To get around, you should take the metro. You can get single tickets at almost every stop or you can request for a Navigo. A Navigo is similar to a metrocard in NYC. You need to have a photo taken to have it on it for security purposes (security often checks your ticket/Navigo on the train) but if you are going for a week or longer, I highly reccomend purchasing a Navigo and using that for your transportation. There really isn’t a need to taxi/uber because the public transportation system can get you almost everywhere.
During our time in Paris, my brother and I did the following activities
Paris Saint Germaine Futbol Game
Museum Hopping at Museum D’Orsay and The Lourve
Montemarte Food Tour
This I wanted to do but ran out of time:
Chocolate Making Class (TripAdvisor)
Le Maris Food Tour (NO DIET CLUB)
Get Your Guide-Paris <– Protip! Use this website to get your tickets in advanced for museums and attractions.
More Photos
A Note to Young Women Who Want to Travel
If you can, go see the world. I know society puts a lot of pressure on us to be a certain size or have the right type of guy that is worthy of a hard launch on Instagram, but as a 25-year old, I have to tell you that in the end, nobody is really watching you as hard as you think. So for you to put so much energy into living a perfect life for everyone else but yourself is a waste to the inner peace and freedom you could have. Traveling has humbled me because I live in a country where everything and everyone seems to be so obsessed with feeling big–getting big degrees, sharing big lives, and being the big man in the room. Traveling makes me feel small. It makes me respect God’s land and water. Traveling helps you figure out who you are at your core, especially if you are a young woman in her 20s and are still trying to figure out what that is in this season. It forces you out of your controlled environment of expectation, and you get an opportunity to show up as your most authentic self. I know that when I am in Paris, I am my most authentic self. I am the best version of myself there because I am reminded of who I am at my core. And that reminder has nothing to do with my degrees, potential, who I could be, etc. So yes, I will be planning my fourth trip there sometime during medical school, but until then, I’ll be daydreaming of my favorite city in the world.
How I Travel Solo but Not Alone: Group Travel
Interested in traveling and want to learn more about group travel made just for women or individuals in their twenties? Check out these programs below.
EF Ultimate Break – I have traveled with EF twice (Spain and Iceland) and I am going to Greece with them June 2022. I love traveling with EF because they handle EVERYTHING–flights, excursions, hotel accommodations, etc. Lately I have been traveling with them using ‘Ultimate Plus’ which is just a more “elevated” experience. This group travel experience is for individuals 18-29. I love EF because it allows me to pay for a trip overtime (even over a year) and I love meeting other travelers my age. If you are interested, you can check them out using the website below and if you decide to book with them, use my code for $100 off your trip.
Code: UATheresaD100
Website: https://www.efultimatebreak.com/?ba=UATheresaD100
In addition to EF Ultimate Break, here are some other group travel opportunities that you can take a look at. I haven’t tried these yet, but I think if I ever decide to have a less “young” experience with EF, I will try traveling with them.
Happy Traveling, girlies! The world is out there. Get off your phones and go experience it. Instagram is not real. Your life is. No need to impress anyone…just try doing something for you!
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