Travel Adventures with Christy

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2020...🤬🤬🤬

In March 2020 I had a trip planned through Contiki that was supposed to go to Barcelona, Nice, Florence, Cinque Terre, Sorrento and Rome. Two weeks before I was supposed to leave Contiki cancelled the trip due to COVID and Europe going into lockdown.

I rescheduled my trip for May 2020 thinking things could be better by then. Sike! Things got much worse and the trip was cancelled again.

I rescheduled the trip for October 2020 thinking there is no way this virus will be a huge deal by then. SIKE! I permanently canceled the trip since I had a different Contiki trip scheduled for 2021.

In 2020 Rachel and I decided to book a Contiki trip for 2021 that goes to London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague and Vienna. We booked for April 2021 thinking there is no way COVID will still be impacting the travel industry. We were wrong. Contiki cancelled our trip back in February so we rescheduled it for March 2022.

After our 2021 trip was cancelled I vowed that I was going somewhere this year and that whatever country would allow Americans in before the end of the year I would visit.

In March, Greece announced they would allow vaccinated Americans starting in May. So I got vaccinated and booked a Greece trip through Contiki for this September. Here’s hoping my trip actually happens!

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New York City October 2019

For my 30th birthday I decided I wanted to go to New York City. My mom, her friend and her daughter joined.

After we arrived in NYC we decided to walk around Times Square and see it at night.

The next day we visited the World Trade Center Memorial. Afterwards we took a ferry to the Statue of Liberty and went up to the pedestal of the statue. Then we went to Ellis Island.

On the third day which was my birthday we had tickets to attend a live taping of Kelly and Ryan. After we walked around Central Park. We may have gotten a little turned around but we eventually made our way out. Then we went to the top of the Empire State Building. We also went to see the Brooklyn Bridge. That night we did a night time city bus tour.

The last day we had tickets to see the Late Show with Jimmy Fallon. During our taping we were surprised with an additional guest which was Adam Sandler.

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London and Paris December 2018/January 2019

My friend Rachel and I decided to go to London and Paris and we did it through Contiki.

London

The first day in London we decided to go to the top of the Shard for beautiful views of the city. After, we decided to walk to Tower Bridge but I may have gotten us a little bit lost and took us through a sketchy part of the city but we eventually made it to the bridge.

The second day we went to the Harry Potter studio tour. Rachel and I are both Harry Potter fans and this was her first time visiting the studio. After we got back into London we decided to walk around. We walked through Trafalgar Square, saw Buckingham Palace and walked around Piccadilly Circus to see the Christmas lights. Don't attempt to get on to the Tube at Piccadilly on a Saturday night. Most of the entrances were closed off and everyone was packed like sardines trying to get into the station.

The third day we went to Kensington Palace and later that day met up with our tour group, had dinner and went to a pub afterwards.

The forth day which was New Years Eve we went to St. Paul's Cathedral and climbed to the top of the dome which was 528 steps. By the time we got back to the bottom we felt like we were dying. Afterwards we went to the Tower of London. That night we rung in the New Year by watching the fireworks by the Thames.

On our final day is London we went to Windsor Castle. After we got back into London we got to catch the tail end of the New Years parade before going into Westminster Abbey.

Paris

After we arrived in Paris we went to dinner and then went to see the Eiffel Tower at night.

The next day we went to the Montparnasse Tower to get an amazing view of the city. After we did a walking tour of Monmarte. Then we had a free time to do whatever. Rachel and I told the group we were planning to go to Norte Dame and the entire group decided to follow us. On our way to Norte Dame we passed by the Louvre and had lunch nearby.

On the final day we decided to go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe which is 284 steps. This was a struggle since we were still dying from climbing St. Paul's. Afterwards we visited the Palace of Versailles. That night we had dinner near the Eiffel Tower.

Rachel and I probably could have done this tour on our own instead of with Contiki seeing as we rarely spent time with the group but we liked the convenience of hotels and transportation being handled for us and some other activities.

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London, Paris & Rome May 2017

I had been wanting to return to London for years since my first trip back in 2007. Out of fear of traveling solo I was trying to talk some friends into going with me but my patience was disappearing as I really wanted to travel. So I began researching tour companies especially ones for solo travelers. I came across Contiki during my research and found they had a trip that visited two cities I really wanted to go to, London and Paris. After further research and debate I decided to do their 10 day London, Paris and Rome trip. It was still nerve wracking because I am an extreme introvert so meeting new people is hard for me but I knew this was going to my only option if I wanted to travel. Before the trip began I got to talk to some of the people doing the same trip on Facebook which helped make things a little easier for me.

London

I landed at Heathrow Airport and made my way to the tube station to get to the hotel. I was nervous about the walk from the tube station to the hotel so I made myself memorize from Google maps how to get to the hotel so I wasn't distracted by looking at my phone the whole way. After I checked into the hotel I made plans to meet up with a couple of girls from the trip and we went to King's Cross to visit the platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter. That night we met up with the rest of the tour group and our trip manager.

The next day we spent the day exploring London. We started at Trafalgar Square then made our way to Buckingham Palace for changing of the guards. Then we headed down to Parliament to see Big Ben. We took a ride on the London Eye. Then we took a taxi to Tower of London to meet up with the rest of the tour group. At night we did a Jack the Ripper tour and went to pub afterwards.

The last day in London me and a couple of the girls went to the Harry Potter studio tour. This was one of my main reasons of returning to London so I could visit the studio. It was such an amazing experience getting to see all the props and sets from the movies and my Harry Potter loving heart was happy. That night after returning back to London we attended a musical, Kinky Boots.

Paris

I spent 6.5 years learning French and all about France so finally getting to go to Paris made me so happy. We took the ferry across the English Channel. After we arrived at the hotel in Paris we were served duck for dinner which was very interesting. After dinner we went up the Eiffel Tower. Seeing the sun set from the Eiffel Tower was beautiful.

The next day we went back to the Eiffel Tower to get a group picture in front of it and then we started a bike tour of Paris. The bike tour was the worst experience of my life. One, I am short so trying to find a bike for me was difficult. Two, I hadn't riden a bike since I was a kid. Three, about 20 minutes into the bike tour I thought I had lost my phone so I spent the next few hours internally freaking out. The views we saw on the bike tour were great but I didn't really appreciate them. Long story short I for whatever reason put my phone in a different pocket of my purse and didn't think to check that pocket because I had never put my phone there before. After the bike tour we shopped on the Champs-elysees. We returned to the hotel to clean up and change and then we went to Moulin Rouge for dinner and a show.

The last day we visited the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre. Then we had farewell dinner in Monmarte as some of us were going on to Rome, some to Amsterdam and some ended in Paris.

Rome

Our bus driver dropped us off at the airport in Paris but at the wrong terminal and everything was in French so we had no idea where we were supposed to go. We eventually found our way with only a few minutes to spare before boarding. After landing in Rome and checking into the hotel we decided to go eat. Afterwards we walked around Rome seeing some major landmarks including the Trevi Fountain.

The next day we visited Vatican City. After dinner we went back to the Trevi Fountain to see it at night.

On the last day we did a tour of the Collesium. Afterwards we had lunch and walked around some more. For dinner we decided to eat my the Collesium so we could see it at night.

I really enjoyed my first Contiki trip and loved that I had made new friends.

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Hawaii September 2016 and September 2018

My friend Shannon and her husband were stationed in Hawaii for a couple years so I decided to go and visit twice.

Hawaii is such a beautiful place. Definitely spent a lot of time on the beach during my visits but we also did a few other activities.

During my first visit we went to Pearl Harbor and while we were there we got to meet one of the living Pearl Harbor survivors. Also during my first visit I got to experience a luau.

During my second visit Shannon and Brad try to kill me on a hike, just kidding...but I did give up about half way up and told them to go on without me. I was not use to that kind of activity. We also went to Kualoa Ranch where they have filmed a lot of movies and TV shows like Jurassic World and Lost.

I absolutely loved Hawaii and would love to return someday.

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California September 2014 & September 2015

While my friend Shannon and her husband were stationed in California I went and visited.

California stole my heart with the amazing beaches and weather.

During my visits I got to visit Laguna Beach, spend 2 days at Disneyland and do the Warner Brothers studio tour.

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California May 2013

My friend Shannon and her fiance Brad decided to get married in California since that was were he was stationed at the time. I never had been to California and I didn't want to miss her wedding so I decided to go.

We spent the first few days enjoying the beach and exploring San Diego.

Shannon and Brad had a beautiful wedding on the beach with the ocean in the background. Everyone had an amazing time and danced the night away.

The day after the wedding we decided to explore Hollywood. We did one of those bus tours where they drive you around and show you famous people's houses. After we just walked around Hollywood boulevard. Shannon, Sarah and I love Johnny Depp so when we found his star we of course had to get a picture with it. At the China Theater I found the cement block with the Harry Potter actors hand prints and foot prints and of course had to get a picture with it since I am a huge Harry Potter fan.

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Australia December 2012

My grandma was born and raised in Australia and she came to America and met my grandpa aka Poppy. They use to spend 6 months in Australia every other year. Back in 2012 they decided they would go to Australia in October to spend 6 months. There were talks that this could potentially be their last trip to Australia due to age. I was graduating from college in December 2012 and decided that I would go to Australia after graduation as this could potentially be my only opportunity to go. I decided to spend 3 weeks in Australia. I was there for Christmas and New Years.

The day after graduating from Eastern Kentucky University I broaded my flight to LAX and then Sydney. The time change is so strange when traveling to Australia. I had left the US on Sunday and arrived in Sydney on Tuesday morning. I was so jet lagged that first day that I accidentally slept most of the day and my grandma had to wake me for dinner.

I spent a few days in Sydney exploring Darling Harbor and a couple of beaches. We flew to Brisbane to spend Christmas with some family that live up there.

I absolutely loved Steve Irwin and knew his zoo, the Australia Zoo, was in Brisbane. I told my grandparents that I really wanted to visit the zoo. We ended up going on Christmas Eve. It was absolutely amazing and beautiful seeing all the different animals especially the ones native to Australia. My highlight was getting to hold a koala and get a picture with it.

We ended up flying back to Sydney a couple of days before New Years. I would have loved to have seen the fireworks at Sydney harbor for New Years but none of the family were willing to take me saying that the crowds are just to crazy and that it was overrated. So we watched some fireworks around 9 and went back to the house. I face timed with my mom while Australia rung in the new year.

On New Years Day my cousins took me out on the boat and we all water boarded. I never had done this before so it was a struggle for me but I enjoyed my time.

The next day we did a dinner cruise around Sydney Harbor. It was amazing to get views of the opera house and bridge from the water. Another day my grandpa and I decided to do the walk on top of the Sydney Pointe Tower. It was an amazing experience and something I will always cherish with my grandpa as he has since passed away.

Spending 3 weeks in Australia really opened my eyes. I did not want to return to the US and had spent many hours researching ways to permanently move to Australia. Even though I now have a house here in America, 2 dogs and a good job, I still dream of one day moving to Australia.

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London December 2007

My senior year of high school I was selected by the UCA to cheer in the London 2008 New Years Day parade. My mom said if I was selected that we could go. This was my first international trip and we got to spend about a week in London. We explored major attractions like the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Parliament/Big Ben, the London Eye, St. Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, and Windsor Castle. We also did a day trip where we got to explore Oxford and Stratford-upom-Avon.

For New Years Eve they rented out one of the ballrooms in our hotel and gave us a little dance party. Personally this wasn't really my scene and wish we could have watched the fireworks but since most of the group was under age and some did not have parents with them, we had a curfew and couldn't be out of the hotel past a certain time. I ended up going back to the room to watch the fireworks on TV with my mom. The next day was the New Years Day parade. We all got ready and set out to our starting point for the parade route. I don't remember how long the parade route was but I remember having the best time ever performing in the parade and not caring how long it was.

I fell in love with London during this trip and had no idea that I would return years later and continue to explore the rest of the world.