Europe Initiation
Some look to gang initiation for validation. Iβll skip the psychological theories.
I consider myself an βintroverted extrovertβ so Iβm rarely following the crowd.
I didnβt graduate college but I had already made up my mind that a sorority wasnβt my thang!
Whatever it takes for you to feel a sense of belonging or acceptance: DO YOU.
Just like the streets and colleges have their initiation processesβ¦travel Iβve found out is no different!
Some Americans wonβt respect you as a traveler if you havenβt been to Europe.
I donβt think Asia even matters. It has to be wherever Instagram/social media deems currently worthy. (Insert laughter)
Donβt get me wrongβ¦Europe was at the top of my bucket-list but it was only to expand my travel expertise and for exploration purposes.
I didnβt realize it would increase my influence and credibility in the eyes of some.
It didnβt matter the literal thousands of dollars Iβve spent on the long weekend trips to Essence Festival in New Orleans year after year.
The three to seven day cruises throughout the Caribbean were βnothingβ too. I was still on this side of the world.
Visiting the first free (American) Black town in Colombia, enchanted by the world famous Cabaret Tropicana est in 1930βs Cuba didnβt count either.
Travel βCredβ
I needed to get on a minimum eight hour flight to places like France, Italy and Spain. Point. Blank. Period
Being able to write a long haul flight tips blog was also a goal of mine. The longest flight I had been on before May 2022 was a five hour direct to Vegas.
Part of blogging was experiencing something first and then sharing with the masses.
I couldnβt do a Europe blog with zero experience! Yet, I was still ignorant of how it would βupgradeβ me.
Case in point, I saw a recent Facebook article about American tourists wearing beach attire to βwalk aroundβ Europe.
I didnβt read said article but I made a comment about the usually lax attitude Europeans have around nudity.
One woman who read the article explained there was a time and place where its acceptable and another told me I should go to Europe myself and see how things are done.
She assumed my comment meant I hadnβt visited. I called her out and told her it sounded like she was trying to insult me.
She said the comment had no malice and she was merely making a suggestion. Who knows?
Maybe fresh off my βEuropean ordinationβ, I was a bit sensitive. Anyhoo, back to my chronicles.
I decided 2020 would be the year I βcross the pondβ! I considered many avenues to reach my goal.
One was an English teaching opportunity in Spain with room and board. Another was a transatlantic cruise from Tampa, FL to Barcelona, Spain.
The latter would limit my time in the skies.
We all know COVID swooped in that year and changed travel as we know it.
Ironically, my domestic traveling increased drastically during that period.
The closed international borders made my longing even worse.
I could only dream of uncharted territories.
I was so proud that I hadnβt taken the freedom to travel for granted.
The Elephant in the βCabinβ
I waited for the reopening of borders via air and the ability to cruise the seas.
I had a Caribbean cruise in spring 2020 that ended up being canceled. It was supposed to have been a culmination of my Marley Tour.
The disappointment was βrealβ!
I finally decided that I would make my travel debut and first European experience via a transatlantic cruise.
It left Tampa for 14 days with stops in Bermuda, various Spanish cities and ended in Barcelona.
Long story short: a TSA delay caused me to miss my flight to Tampa. I was devastated but recovered quickly.
Determined to be βin the European streetsβ, I booked a βPlan Bβ. Round-trip MIA to Barcelona with a Morocco connection.
I arrived early to spend time in Spain before the 10 day Mediterranean cruise. (I plan on blogging about my experiences soon).
This blog was just a hilarious vent!
People who never liked any social media posts or βblinked an eyeβ when I traveled to UNESCO heritage sites, walked in prophetic foot steps of the GOATS like Jamaicaβs Bob Marley, Dr. King, explored ancient Mayan ruins, up close and personal with one of the only active volcanoes in the Caribbean, or traveled to the 1st free Black nationβ¦ suddenly hit that little thumbs up.
Some bystanders even went as far as loves and comments.
Ignorance is Blissful
Meanwhile, to Europeansβ¦Europe is just homeβ¦.the familiar.
I doubt Europeans look down on those who havenβt traveled extensively to the US.
One of my tour guides in Barcelona said it wasnβt until he became a guide that he began to appreciate Spainβs architectural beauty and history.
It was common for him to wake up to the vast alleyways and GaudΓ masterpieces and take them for granted.
The beauty of travel is that someoneβs ordinary becomes your extraordinary.
Unknown
People, you can revoke the βtravel credβ I gained from visiting Europe. Itβs so silly.
It definitely doesnβt make me better than anyoneβ¦just more experienced.
Let people live. If they never wanna travel out of their βfour wallsβ let them be.
In hindsight, my European experience was only decent because of the history and amazing architecture.
My encounters as a tourist with most of the food and people was a huge FAIL.
Iβm happy to have been able to make lemonade out of the huge Amalfi Coast type lemons I was dealt.
Have you been to Europe and can you relate? Do you agree that itβs superior travel?
~Poofβ¦Bee Gone
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8 Comments
Amber
July 27, 2022 at 10:40 amI can really relate to feeling like you need to travel to particular places or have specific experiences in order to feel like youβre a βrealβ world traveler. I think the truest truth Iβve discovered in life is that everything is made up! We all get to define our existences however we choose. My ethos is to explore where I feel drawn, to maintain a respectful and curious mindset, and to be as kind as I can.
I loved your quote, βThe beauty of travel is that someoneβs ordinary becomes your extraordinary.β For me, thatβs one of the essences of travel: visiting othersβ homes, learning everything that you can, and working to make your world as big as possible. In my experience, thatβs where the magic lives.
poofbeegone
August 2, 2022 at 10:31 amHi Amberβ¦great answerβ¦LOVE IT!
Kevin Foodie
September 12, 2022 at 1:40 pmSandra, I canβt wait to read about your travel adventures. Your social meadia posts alone are captivating and sparks alot on interesting. Hope you can share how you are able to travel so frequently?
poofbeegone
October 2, 2022 at 4:29 pmHi Kevin. Thanks for your support! I donβt think I travel that frequently. But I use weekends, especially long ones, and all of my PTO (I also have the option to purchase extra).
Giangi Townsend
July 27, 2022 at 3:53 pmI have always enjoyed Europe after all the tourists return home, I get to have the place to myself. In the summertime, the few left behinds are not too happy and not as amicable as when they return from their summer vacation.
poofbeegone
August 2, 2022 at 10:32 amHi Giangi, thanks for sharing!
Mina
July 27, 2022 at 5:51 pmI live in Europe (Poland), but I saw few European cities including Barcelona (even twice, I got family in Spain but somehow I was able to visit the one near Barcelona and I never went to more closer family in Madrid), I never went outside Europe so itβs hard to say anything, but Europe can be bit challenging.
poofbeegone
August 2, 2022 at 10:33 amHi Minaβ¦I can definitely relate to challenging!