I Dream in Eurovision

The trouble with saving up for and going on a European trip when you’re still a minor and devoid of adult responsibilities (i.e. rent and student loans) is that you’re left with a lifetime of expectations that involve European excursions. You subconsciously assume that buying a cheap ticket is 90% of the financial burden (I always stayed with friends) and therefore a small impediment to your wants (if it’s the right time of year you can find tickets for under $800).

 When I was 12 I spent a month in Europe with my family when we picked my brother up from his German mission.  We saw Germany, Denmark, England and Scotland. When I was 16 I spent 6 months as an exchange student in Finland and also visited Sweden. At 18 I visited a friend from Spain who had been an exchange student at my high school. I’d say accommodations for 60-70% of the trips (and 100% of the latter two) were friends’ homes. Last spring break I went to Rome, and while it wasn’t as expensive as you might think, it was definitely pricier than staying with friends.*SIGH* And while I know European travel is pricier than when I was a teenager, I still have trouble convincing myself that I can’t afford to go to Europe every year.  For many years I was distracted with college and grad school, and my sense of European entitlement got shelved for a while, but last year my appetite was rewet—correction—soaked, and now I find myself Googling ‘cheap flights’ about as often as some people buy lattes.

Now when I get stressed out I excel in two areas: eating, and daydreaming about Europe. And it probably doesn’t help that I watch a lot of British television. And a fairly healthy dose of European foreign films. Right now I could probably use an intervention. I fantasize about walking trips through Ireland, Scotland and England for that matter—hiking for days through emerald green hills, valleys and highlands. Walking Mediterranean coasts, eating tasty pastries and yummy Western European fare, viewing centuries old art work that I spent years studying in college: if only Rick Steves didn’t have a monopoly on doing Europe cheaply. Dang it, I want to get paid to travel Europe too.