A Weekend in Paris

One weekend in October, I jetted across the ocean to Paris by myself. I have traveled quite a bit by myself, and wasn’t afraid to travel alone, but I was definitely nervous. I went to Paris for a hands on training for Education First Tours, so I could become a trained tour leader. EF tours are designed to “help prepare students for the future by teaching them more about the world, themselves, and their place in the world.” My husband (and kids!) are traveling to London, Paris, and Madrid for 10 days in June with other area students so they can experience all of the benefits that traveling has to offer.

One of the biggest things I hope students, and my children, take away from traveling, is how to become a global citizen. In this social media age, we are all connected, and our community isn’t limited to our neighborhood block anymore. We need to be exposed to new cultures in order to understand and appreciate our differences. Once we understand cultural differences and accept these differences, I think our world can become a little better.

I also believe that traveling helps build confidence, empathy, humility, and confidence. I learned all of these and more when traveling to Paris. I learned more about myself and reflected on my global views and how I can impact my own children at home to be more welcoming and accepting to people other cultures. I took the metro all by myself in one of the busiest cities in the world, where I couldn’t communicate with anyone, and never felt more accomplished (ok that might be a bit over the top but seriously, it was such an amazing feeling!). If we never leave, never get out of our comfort zones, we might never truly find ourselves and never find what truly inspires us. This is why I love traveling. This is why I love destination weddings: to experience more diversity, grow my appreciate and respect for other cultures, and share it with my own children so they can hopefully grow up inspired to change the world. 

And of course I shot this gorgeous couple, so look out for their blog post to come soon!