Since starting this blog, I have tried to be as transparent as possible. You all know I love to plan travel and see everything there is to see in a new city. I thought it would be fun to ask a friend to answer some questions about my travel style and exactly what its like to travel with the Jet-setting Spirit. This friend has been on many adventures with me, and knows all of my quirks and perks. I asked her to be as honest as possible in this unedited response.
To start, give us a little introduction about you. Name, age, when we met.
My name is Patricia, I am 24 years old and I met Jessica in elementary school. We have been friends for 15 years or so! We kind of knew each other in 4th grade, but we started hanging out a little after that. It’s crazy to think we have been friends for so long, even after going to college in different states.
Tell us a little about yourself and your travel experiences.
I am currently a law student, so I don’t have as much time for traveling now unfortunately. However, I still try to get away as much as possible. I started traveling when I was pretty young; my first trip abroad was to visit family in Greece when I was in preschool. I traveled around the UK before middle school with a program call People to People and I would love to go back now that I am an adult.
Most of my traveling happened during college though. I was all over Italy when I studied abroad. After my year abroad ended, I spent some time traveling all around Europe and down to Morocco. I haven’t had the chance to travel into Asia (but it is definitely next on my list!) or South America. I have also traveled to a lot of states here in the USA and am hoping to get to them all by the time I hit 30.
What was the first trip we took together?
The first time I was able to travel with Jessica was to visit our friend Sara in Los Angeles. We went to Disneyland which was the highlight (other than seeing Sara obviously). Even though we only spent a few days there, it was so much fun and it was a new place for me to explore! Jessica knew literally everything that was top on the travel lists and what was the best to see. It was kind of crazy since I had to do absolutely nothing but I got to see most of what there was to see in LA.
What was your favorite trip we took together?
We have done quite a few trips since the first, but I have to say my favorite was our Eurotrip the summer after we graduated from college. We hit a lot of different cities but we had so much fun with all the exploring and unexpected weather conditions that forced us to now own a sad/hilarious amount of London memorabilia clothing. After London, we went to Paris and had a blast, even though it was flooding from all the rain. We missed the Louvre (it was closed), but I guess that just means we have to go back again.
After that, we were off to Brussels, Bruges and Amsterdam. I hadn’t been to any of those places so it was really nice to see something I hadn’t before. Then we got to Greece, always a favorite of mine. After seeing Athens we finally got to relax (no itinerary in sight!). We spent 4 days in Chania, Crete, going to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, the pink beach at Elafonisi. One of the best trips ever!
Most memorable experience we’ve had traveling?
Well, on our trip to Boston there was quite an incident (through no fault of either one of us). Our trip to Boston was quite an exciting one. Ice skating in the park was so much fun! It was so pretty in the middle of the park, but breaking my leg on the rink put a bit of a damper on the whole trip. Of course, we didn’t know that at the time. Then of course you guys tried to carry me out of the park, which went….. interestingly. Thank God there was a very large man who offered to piggy back me out of the park and to the street.
The flight home wasn’t too bad, but the dislocation at the airport didn’t help. But at least we got to immediate care before anything else bad happened. I have to say, the only time I really hurt myself, at least I had my trusty friends with me to help carry me to safety. And thankfully, you suggested ice skating on the last day, not the first like we originally planned!
Best thing about traveling with me?
Honestly, there are so many things about traveling with Jessica that are amazing. One of the things I love is that the I never have to worry about the details. Jessica always knows the best hotels, tours and activities that each place has to offer. I love being able to tell her where I want to go and then knowing that it’ll be a great trip. Plus, you know, the awesome upgrades you get sometimes don’t hurt. And let me tell you, I will never complain about those!!
Biggest pet peeve that I do (either while traveling or on the daily)?
Jessica always make sure to have a perfect itinerary for us, which can be great but the schedules can be very full while traveling. Most moments of the day are fully planned and organized. For someone who is a very go with the flow type of a person, it can be a little stressful. I love not having to plan things, but, oh boy! Sometimes it’s nice to just wing it!
Pop Quiz: Do you remember all the places we traveled together? Name them all!
LA, Boston, New York, Orlando, Mexico, the Eurotrip (London, Paris, Versailles, Brussels, Bruges, Amsterdam, Athens, Crete) and more to come!
