My hot tips for your next vacation (even if it's not that far away)

Are you ready for a trip?

I know I am.

As I dream of my next trip, I want to tell you a story and the lessons I learned about my first trip to Europe:

I have always had the travel bug

But it grew by leaps and bounds in the last two years.

You see, the coach I was working with offered in-person retreats as a part of her coaching program. YES PLEASE. I was definitely on board for that.

My first trip was to Europe. And our coaching session was located in Cannes, France- you know the place with the film festivals? I knew that if I headed to the South Of France that I would also check out some other places in Europe. I called my travel agent and we discussed my options. You can fly into Nice, drive into Cannes for your conference and when that’s done you can fly into Paris and then take the train to London. Planning the trip this way will give you the least amount of jet lag and the most enjoyment in these cities. So I booked it!

As the time drew nearer to the trip, the more excited I became.

I am going to Paris.

No one in my immediate family had ever been to Paris, even though we have a French heritage.

I decided I should probably get some shopping done here, so I look the part for my European adventure.

Did I mention that I was going alone?

I was shocked by the number of people, men, and women, who were just perplexed by the fact that I would travel all that way by myself. (Is this you? I'm curious to hear your thoughts - send me a message on social media and let me know! Links below)

As I boarded the plane, visions of French cafes, historical buildings, and the mediterranean sea danced in my head.

I arrived in Nice and headed over to customs to get my passport stamped. I gotta tell you, there is nothing more exciting or liberating for me than getting a new stamp in my passport.

The unexpected happened

I head over to baggage claim and wait for my suitcases. Yes, I have two large suitcases. I am going to be there for ten days and don’t judge me.

My suitcases never show up.

I then head over to the Delta Airlines desk so that we can find my luggage. They promise the bags are in the way from NYC and I should have them no later than in the morning. So I get into my car that is taking me to the hotel (yes, my travel agent arranged ALL of my ground travel too- this is the way to go!) and take in the sights.

I arrived at the hotel about 4 hours before the kickoff Soiree Event. So I head up to my room and meet my roommate for the extent of the conference. She is amazing. She’s so gorgeous and very generous. I tell her my dilemma and she offers everything she has brought with her to me.

Mind you, this was the first time we met. My mastermind partner was supposed to be my roommate and had to cancel at the last minute. 

I somehow pulled it off

Because I typically travel in something comfortable and stylish, the dress that I wore to travel in was perfect for the event.

It was “So South of France” my coach exclaimed.

I was thinking, you should’ve seen what I purchased for tonight but yeah we are gonna go with that!

I met so many wonderful women that night and all of them were some of the most gracious and personable people I had ever met. Where have people like this been all my life? 

We had an amazing time at the event and I met other ladies whose luggage was lost or delayed for one of these events.

I learned lots of ways to make sure this didn’t happen to me again.

Here is what I learned:

1. Only pack a carry-on for international trips. 
2. If you just can’t make it happen with a carry-on, pack what you will need for the first two days in your carry on luggage and then check the remainder.
3. Pack an extra bag for the things you purchase abroad. (I already had this one down and that extra bag was in my suitcase).
4. Book your travel with a travel agent and a great airline, they may give you a daily allowance for a portion of your trip.
5. And best of all, buy new underwear when you go on a trip. You never know who might need to get some from you. That’s right, someone I just met gave me her brand new underwear.

The outcome

I won’t bore you with all of the details of the remainder of the trip but my clothes never did make it to Europe. As a matter of fact, when I arrived back home in Raleigh, my suitcases were waiting for me in baggage claim.

You might be wondering what I wore while I was in Europe.

In Cannes, all of the clothing stores were closed by the time we finished for the day. So on our last day there, I bought a few items to wear on the next leg of my trip to Paris.

I ended up buying close to 3K in clothes while there. I knew that Delta would cover some and I figured why not, I'm in Paris for goodness sake.

Because I had booked with my travel agent, my trip insurance covered the remainder of my expenses, they gave me a $500 travel voucher and I returned the new items I purchased for the trip. 

Besides the travel tips I mentioned earlier, I learned so much about myself and others on this trip.

I learned to trust the Universe, trust others, and to trust myself.

Of course, I had the most amazing time and I cannot wait until I get to travel again.

My next trip is in November. I’m heading to Mexico to celebrate my birthday with family and friends.

Let me know where you’ll be heading when the world opens up again. Let's connect on social media. Links below.