When I travel, I often go through the highlights of the trip ahead of time, as a way to prepare myself for the adventure ahead. On my summer trip to London, Paris and Rome, I pictured myself staring up at Big Ben. I imagined myself walking through the gates of Windsor Castle. In Paris, I saw myself looking out over the sprawling city from the top of the Eiffel Tower viewing Europe from above. I pictured the crowd elbow-to-elbow snapping pictures of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, despite the fact that it’s not “officially” allowed. I thought about the sensation of walking into the Colosseum with the baking sun overhead in Rome, and I tried to prepare myself for the absolute overwhelming nature of the Vatican.
While on tour, my real-life experiences at Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Windsor Castle, the Colosseum and the Vatican blew away the expectations and scenarios I had created and left me in awe; but, it was the unexpected experiences that keep coming back to me today.
After dinner on our first night in Rome, I was walking to the bus with a small group of travelers when a sound erupted from all sides; it was a sound that literally vibrated through my entire body. I can only compare it to how I imagine the deafening cheers would have sounded like during the brutal exhibitions in the Colosseum during the height of the Roman Empire.
Before I knew it, the streets were filled with people cheering, high-fiving, crying, laughing…Italy had beaten Ireland in the Euro 2012 football match. The noise I heard was the sound of an entire country cheering with all of its might at the very second the referee blew the whistle to end the game. This was a reality check, a moment that made me truly process the fact that I was abroad and far, far from home. This is just one small example, but these are the moments that you can’t plan ahead. You won’t find them on any itinerary. You can’t pay a little extra money for them. You just have to recognize and embrace them.
I like to think of these experiences, theses spontaneous moments, as the personality of a place, the things that aren’t visible to everyone, but are essential pieces to a complete understanding. It is these small, unexpected experiences that keep me asking, “Where should I go next?”
As you plan your next trip, prepare yourself for the “itinerary,” but do not forget to take a step back and really get to know a place.
Readers, what unexpected moment did you collect while abroad?
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