I’ve been on 2 international trips with Ro now and we are getting this down PAT! We travel really well together and I’m so glad, because that is not always the case!

Here are some of her thoughts from our most recent trip to Boston, London, Paris, and Lisbon.

What was your favorite meal?

All of the pastas were amazing, but I think it would have to be breakfast at Tiffany’s. I feel like that’s the meal I keep telling people about.

Not a meal but also the hot chocolate!!!! (From the Trafalgar Square/National Gallery Christmas Market).

What was your favorite experience?

I would say the Harry Potter studio tour. I’m not huge fan like Jordan lol but I’ve always enjoyed HP. I started the books in middle school, I believe, and had seen maybe the first 3 movies and clips from the others. Initially, I was excited to go, but I don’t think I really knew what I was going to experience and didn’t really set any expectations around it other than “it’ll be cool.“

During the tour, we learned a lot about the behind the scenes work that was done for the movies, and it’s incredible that they were able to do all of that and even come up with new techniques to bring the books to life. It made me really appreciate the movies now that I have (finally lol) seen them all, and I think I’m going to start the book series over now, which I know Jordan would love!

I do not like JK as a person, but she was able to create something really special that resonates with people of all ages in many different ways. So it was really cool to see the work that was done to translate that from the books into movies.

Favorite city?

I honestly don’t know if I could pick a favorite between all the cities we visited. Maybe London just because the language barrier wasn’t there, which does make things so much easier. That doesn’t mean that I enjoyed the other cities any less because I don’t mind learning a few words/phrases in the country’s language to communicate with the people, but it was nice not having to do the mental gymnastics and have a million thoughts running through my mind about whether or not I was being judged or feeling bad about myself for not knowing the language.

Least Favorite

Least favorite experience would 100% be losing my wallet lol but the best part about that situation was how incredibly thoughtful and good the people that found it were.

Least favorite meal probably the one from the first night in London.

(JB here: We got a little turned around in Covent Garden and could not find a decent restaurant anywhere we looked - it was also Saturday night so everything was packed! We ended up at this Albanian/English restaurant that was just okay).

Most Surprising

I had a few things surprise me on this trip. The first being how much I enjoyed Paris and Lisbon. Those were cities I didn’t have expectations for, and I honestly thought I would hate Paris. I’ve heard/read plenty of stories about people’s first experience in Paris and how it was not what they thought. I think I liked it so much because I didn’t have this romanticized version of it in my head. I came in with the intention of “I’m not gonna like it. I’m just here to check it off the bucket list” but was pleasantly surprised.

With Lisbon, it was never a city I considered visiting because I didn’t know much about it, and I don’t think I had ever really heard people talk about it. Now that I’ve been, I can’t wait to go back, especially in the summertime.

Best Tips

Packing: honestly LOVED how we decided to pack for this trip. Both of us having a backpack and share a checked bag. Despite the fact that it was overweight lol it made life so much easier I feel like! So that’s definitely something I want to do all the time going forward. Having the backpack was hard on my neck and back, but I still think it was a really good idea.
Long-haul flights: I think everyone knows this already but make sure you have shows, podcasts, etc. downloaded before your flight. I forgot to do it for the flight from Lisbon to London and was so sad lol. Noise cancelling headphones are a must for me. Flights make me anxious so being able to kind of shut out everything helps calm my mind a bit. They also really help if there are small children on your flight. Definitely pay the extra money to choose your seat, no matter what airline. If you’re going to be on a plane for that long, you need to be as comfortable as possible.
Travel with friends: I feel like the biggest thing is making sure you mesh well together and have a similar idea of how you want the trip to go while also being able to compromise, especially if there are just two of you, because it’s easy to start resenting your friend if you don’t. I also think it’s good to have a good balance between the people you go with.
- For instance, Jordan loves to plan, and I definitely do not. I am 100% the friend that just shows up and pays money lol, and that works out well for the two of us. With other people, I’m forced to become the planner when I’m not that kind of person, and going on a trip with Jordan is like a breath of fresh air honestly. It’s great because I know she’ll ask for my thoughts/opinions on the itinerary and want to make sure that I’m going to enjoy the trip too, and she enjoys the planning and research so I love being able to give her that freedom. I’m also the type of person that’s just happy to be there and will have a good time whatever I do while on vacation.
- Also, make sure you’re going with friends that provide a safe space for you to speak up if you’re feeling a way about them and their actions, the trip, or really anything. I feel like Jordan and all of the friends that I regularly travel are so good about that. I know that if I tell them how something they did/said made me feel there isn’t going to be any hostility from them. We can talk through it like adults, and then move on and continue to have a good trip. Being with people who are genuine, empathetic, and not constantly in competition with you, whether intentionally or not, makes all the difference while traveling!
Travel, in general: Give yourself grace. Everything isn’t going to go exactly the way you planned all the time, and that’s okay! That doesn’t mean you can’t and/or won’t enjoy your trip! In Paris, I think we had so many plans of what we were gonna do that we didn’t get to, but we still had such a good time. I had some of the worst stuff happen to me this trip, but I was still able to fully enjoy it because I gave myself grace and tried not to beat myself up about it. Keep an open mind! Don’t let preconceived notions keep you from doing something. Like we could have easily let our thoughts about Paris keep us from going, but we didn’t and ended up really liking it. And if it turns out you do actually hate it, you still learned something!
Money-saving: Pay for hotels and any other big items (in our case, HP tour, train tickets to Paris, museum) ahead of time. That way you’re not out of so much money during the trip and you can spend more on items for you and family/friends. I don’t ever put aside any money for trips even though I probably should lol but paying for more things in advance helps out a lot!

Core Memory from the Trip

Walking around London the first night we got there, trying the hot chocolate for the first time, and meeting the Korean mother and son. Idk everything about that night was so pure lol

Going to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever while in Boston. I was so excited to see it, and it exceeded my expectations. It was such a beautiful movie and tribute to Chadwick Boseman that I wish I could see it for the first time over and over again.

Getting to hear Henry at Sketch talk about wines. You could tell how excited and passionate he was to be a sommelier, and I love getting a chance to see that in people.

The Uber driver going through barricades so we could see Buckingham palace at night. It was so unexpected because we were just asking about it, and he decided to do that on his own, which was sooo nice of him.

Funniest Moment

Overhearing the man talking to his friend at the British museum (this man said he let his girlfriend propose, he declined, and is now waiting for her to propose again…)

The Korean mother and son talking about how you could tell which of them were from North and South Korea. (Neither were from North Korea, but she was poking fun at him for the way he was dressing and his haircut).

The little kid on the shuttle asking his mom why trampolines aren’t called jumpolines

Favorite Thing you Bought

Ron Christmas sweater from HP tour and purse from Paris

Ratings of:

TAP Air Portugal: I would probably give a 6.8/10. Their app is not user friendly AT ALL. If I wanted to add extras to my flight, I would always get an error and have to do it on my computer, and when I did go on my computer to add it, it didn’t even work. So I ended up having to call the customer service which was surprisingly quick and easy. Not sure if that’s always the case though, just my experience. Jordan and I agreed that first time flyers may not have the best time with TAP, but if you do fly with them, pay for all of your extras such as choosing your seat, adding a checked bag, etc. when you purchase your flight to avoid having any of our issues.
Eurostar: 8/10; nothing too special about it. Everyone was nice and the ride was nice. I loved doing the upgrade to premium that morning because we got free food and drinks, which was great since we were up at like 4 in the morning to get to the train station on time.
Westminster Curio: hmm 7.5/10. Location of the hotel was great. We were within walking distance or a short Uber ride to major things we wanted to see/do. The washcloth situation was a mess (We had to ask multiple times for wash cloths). This hotel wasn’t bad by any means. Would it be my first choice when going back to London? Probably not, but if it was my only option, I wouldn’t mind.
Emerald House: 9/10. I loved this hotel! It was so cute, and all of the staff were really nice. Breakfast was just all right for me, but we did get there right before it was over, which could be why. The room itself was nice. Kind of small, but that didn’t bother me too much. I feel like this hotel blew the London one out of the water. The overall vibe and aesthetic at Emerald House was definitely more my speed.

Thoughts on Positioning Flight from Boston

Would definitely do it again! Next time I may not stay as long to save money for the actual trip lol but we were able to stay with and visit friends that moved up there, which was great. Overall, I loved it, especially if it means a cheaper flight to my final destination. The amount for the flight to Boston, flight to London, and flight to New Orleans (went there before driving back home) was probably still much less than what some people pay to go out of the country, so 10/10 would recommend and will likely continue to do in the future.

What did we do you wish we hadn't/what do you wish we did and didn't do?

In hindsight, I wish that we had done more in Paris. I feel like we ending up spending a lot more time shopping/browsing than expected, and it would have been great to see the Eiffel Tower and the shops nearby while we were there. I don’t think there’s anything I wish we didn’t do, but I do wish we would have had more time in each place.

If there was one part of the trip you would change - what would it be?

I think the only thing I would change would be the duration of the trip or the time of year that we went because I think it was a really, really good trip overall!!

Ro’s Thoughts on Europe Trip 2022