Phase One, in which Lisa Obtains a Ticket to Europe

I stared at the computer screen, trembling all over, and pressed “Complete Transaction.” My debit card was charged more money than I’ve ever spent on anything at one time, and the website sent me an email— a single, abstract e-mail that embodied the dream that I have been actively pursuing since February of 2011. I had done it.

I had booked my flight to Europe.

My travels in the past year alone have taken me 14,279 miles (that’s a very conservative number, by the way). A little over 2,000 have been in the air; the rest have been bus, car, and tour van. In short, I have traveled a distance equivalent to well over half the circumference of the earth— but I still haven’t been outside the United States.

Now that’s going to change.

On July 31st, barring any of those nasty unforeseen circumstances, I’ll be catching a flight out of Chicago, ending up in Amsterdam on the following day. I still haven’t made any plans after that, but I’ll have almost six solid weeks to explore before returning to Amsterdam and catching a flight back to Chicago. 

"Crazy Lisa Face with Ticket to Europe"
(Maybe I should have applied some makeup or
 even combed my hair before taking this shot…)

A few notes about booking my flight:

• I used Aer Lingus, which had been recommending to me by a friend after I found it on a student travel website. When I actually fly with them, you’ll get a complete review.

• I’m flying in after the London Summer Olympics begin, and returning on September 11th, when the fares are much cheaper (can’t imagine why…).

• Although there are flights to Europe that leave from St. Louis, Chicago has a much bigger airport with cheaper fares, so I thought it was worth the bit of effort it takes to get up there.

Now that’s out of the way, and here comes the fun part: actually planning! This is where you come in. Many of you have been to Europe before. Any recommendations?

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