I mentioned last week that I first travelled to France as an adult. I’d wanted to visit the country for what seemed like forever and I took the first opportunity – which came in my mid thirties – to get myself (and my husband and son) there.
Friends who had already visited were concerned that France, and especially Paris, wouldn’t live up to my expectations. But they need not have worried. It goes without saying that I loved the place.
People often ask me if I wish I’d visited sooner. And strangely, the answer is no.
There were many advantages in waiting until we were all just a little bit older to visit France for the first time. Here are just a few…
– We were old enough to appreciate the history and the beauty of the place. I’m not sure I’d have had the same level of appreciation when I’d been younger.
– Our son was old enough to travel easily. And remember the trip.
– We`d had (more than enough) time to plan. Which meant we were really clear on what we wanted to do. But at the same time, we left space in the trip to explore, which ended up being the perfect blend for us.
– We were in a better position financially to travel. This meant we didn’t have to worry about stretching our travel dollars and could do things properly. And our experience and memories reflect this.
– We deliberately chose to spend a month only in France. I think we’d have been more tempted to try to squeeze more countries in if we’d been younger.
I smile to myself when I remember that first trip. We spent every moment indulging our senses, trying desperately to fit `every experience` in. We were convinced that it might be our only opportunity.
But I was smitten, and we should have known we’d return (regularly, as it turns out). But that might not have been the case if we’d travelled to France any younger!
Until next time – au revoir.
