#Europamore, noun: 1. a word play between “Europa” and “Pa More,” a Filipino expression usually attached to a noun or verb to give further and greater emphasis. 2. by far, the greatest trip of Girl Chasing Sunshine’s life
I can’t absolutely
pinpoint the exact moment when I decided that I will conquer Europe one day. I
remember watching the films Eurotrip and Chasing Liberty in high school
and I thought how thrilling would it be to ride a train around the continent. I
remember stumbling upon travel blogs about France, Italy, Germany, Greece, and
Sweden. I remember watching Letters to Juliet and promising myself that I
would visit Verona someday. I remember seeing social media posts of colleagues
on incentive trips around Prague and Bratislava and how exotic their trips felt
like.
I can’t certainly say why
I wish to visit Europe but I knew what I wanted: I wanted to see the world. I
wanted to experience Europe.
Booking.com
Booking.com
A scene from the 2004 film, Eurotrip. Photo Source. |
Chasing Liberty starring Mandy Moore. Photo Source. |
If a fortune teller told
me a year ago that I would travel to Europe in 2015, I probably would have
laughed while saying “maybe in my dreams.” For the longest time, I never
thought about planning a Eurotrip because I knew that it would be so freaking
expensive and I would probably go broke trying to finance such an aspirational trip.
What I didn’t realize was that yes, Europe is possible. Yes, you can travel
Europe without making a gigantic hole in your pocket. By God’s grace and your
willingness, it can be done.
For me and my #Europamore
travel buddies, it all started with a Php1, 261.38 (25 euros) roundtrip promo
fare from Manila to Dubai.
I remember riding in a
tricycle with a former boss, Ms. R (we live in the same neighborhood), talking how
cheap we snagged that fare to Dubai. Out of the blue, I suddenly blurted, “eh bakit hindi na lang tayo dumiretso ng Europe?!”
(why don’t we just go straight to Europe from Dubai?!)
And suddenly, all the
possibilities became clear to us. Yes, we could definitely do it. We started
planning but the trip almost did not push through. My travel buddies (Ms. R and
Sir B) had a conflict in schedule and we almost decided against going to
Europe. We applied for a Schengen visa through the Czech Republic Embassy in Manila and left our fate to the universe—if we all obtain the visa, we’ll go
but if even just one of us is denied, we would settle for Dubai instead.
Our flight was scheduled
on October 29 and we applied for the visa on the first week of October. We got
the results by October 08 and believe me when I tell you that the happiness and
the adrenaline upon seeing THAT stamp was just pure bliss! I couldn’t believe
we were finally going to Europe! And so our frantic, haste, and last-minute preparations
started and ended soon. Hahaha!
I can’t say we planned
meticulously and up to the slightest details, because we didn’t. I can’t either
say that we, I personally, spent months saving up for this trip, because I
didn’t. I took a leap of faith on this trip and I am so pleased that I did—it
was worth it!
And now, I write and
share this because I want to remember every detail, every moment, every story of
the greatest trip of my life. I want to remember how everything is possible if
only we believe it can be done. Thank you, Lord! And yes—repeat after me—dreams do come true and Europe is possible.
Booking.com
Tell me, what do you consider the most memorable trip of your life? How did it all start? Don't forget to leave a comment below! Follow my Eurotrip adventure on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook by searching for the hashtags #GirlChasingSunshine and #Europamore. Thank you for dropping by! :)
Booking.com
Tell me, what do you consider the most memorable trip of your life? How did it all start? Don't forget to leave a comment below! Follow my Eurotrip adventure on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook by searching for the hashtags #GirlChasingSunshine and #Europamore. Thank you for dropping by! :)
As Tina Fey said, just say yes and you'll figure it out afterwards. :) I'm glad I shared Europe with you and Barry. :)
TumugonBurahinWho would've thought na tayo pala ang magkakasama sa EuroTrip na 'to?! Hahaha! I wouldn't have done it any other way. Best decision I've made in 2015! Ulitin natin! :) Thank you again, Ms. Roche!
BurahinSo cool that you took the risk and jumped right into adventure.
TumugonBurahinYes to taking chances and embracing risks, right? :)
BurahinI love that you took the leap. There is so much to experience in Europe. It should be part of everyone's life and adventure.
TumugonBurahinWell said, Lesley. Even after going around six European countries, I feel that I've barely scratched the surface of this continent. Must be back soon!
BurahinWow, its cool you got to make your Europe dream come true! A lot of travelers love Europe for its unique ambiance.
TumugonBurahinThanks, Karla! Well now, I'm one of those travelers! I love Europe!
BurahinEurope is great! I love living here, so many interesting cultures to discover. Our most remarkable trip was last year's adventure across Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, China, Mongolia and Russia - over 37 000 km travelled by land and mostly hitchhiked :)
TumugonBurahinSounds like an amazing trip. Can't wait to hear more about the details. My most memorable are between studying abroad in Italy, and exploring Puerto Rico a little over a year ago.
TumugonBurahinThat is so awesome! Funny, we always have our ideas of what a country is supposed to be based on a tv movie or something in the media. lol I love Europe, too, it is my favorite place to travel and I am slowly checking off all the countries on my bucket list. For me, my most memorable trip was not the biggest or best, but it enlightened me and opened my eyes to the possibilities. I was working full time, raising 2 daughters and doing most of the child care, taking care of an enormous house, helping my husband with his business, and leading girl scouts, cheerleading, volunteer groups and running the Catholic school bingo. My girlfriend, a valuable attorney, invited me to meet her in California, all expenses paid, for a long weekend. I had never left my husband AND girls at the same time, but he thought it would be great for me so I flew across the country alone to California. I had traveled a great deal but never on my own, ever! Over that weekend, I was bitten by the travel bug and have thrown myself into travel adventures ever since. I knew life would never be the same after only one day of that trip. ;)
TumugonBurahinI started out traveling in Europe and hadn't been to anywhere outside of there for a long time, so it was always my dream to go somewhere else. It's great that you followed through and went and enjoyed every minute. There's always a place we think is unobtainable, but it isn't.
TumugonBurahinJust like me :) close your eyes and jump...and its likely you will land on your feet :)
TumugonBurahinMy most memorable trip is my road trip around Iceland. I spent 2.5 weeks exploring the island in winter.
TumugonBurahinGo you good thing! Love hearing about people achieving the unachievable. :)
TumugonBurahinMy most memorable adventure was to Myanmar, I spent days in pagodas, eating delicious foods and immersed in a culture that I wasn't sure I ever would get to. So grateful the country now allows tourists.
Congratulations!!! Europe trip is also one of my dream travel. I know that one day I will visit that continet like you did. :-)
TumugonBurahinCongrats! I know that feeling once you get that VISA stamp you really, really want. I am from Austria and traveling in Asia for the last couple of months and now in Costa Rica, I understand why lots of people want to see Europe. There's so much to see. And every country is so different. You probably had a blast! Glad you could do it and that you show other people that it is possible to travel there.
TumugonBurahinI've also been dreaming for a Euro trip! Hopefully 2yrs from now I can save up for it so that i'll have an answer to your question. Haha! Congrats to your dream trip!
TumugonBurahinAhhh! <3 Europe has always been a place I dream to visit! I'm scared to actually plan for a trip there because I might not have enough funds to go and I won't be able to enjoy Europe as I want to. :( I'm so happy for you and your travel friends! Hopefully I can have a crew to go with in the future too (ones that aren't as worried about spending as I am, haha!)
TumugonBurahinOh wow Europe.. it has always been on my bucket list but as far as the possibility is concerned, Visiting Europe for me is nothing more but a dream as of this moment.. i think I need to save a lot... as in a lot of money to make this trip possible LOL
TumugonBurahinanyway, good luck on your trip and enjoy!
Congrats!! Good to hear about your VISA. WOW! Europe!! I also want to go there in the near future. Great shots also. Thank you for sharing!!
TumugonBurahinI http://dorothytorretijo.blogspot.com/
Our family dreams of traveling in Europe, maybe even living there in one of its beautiful cities.
TumugonBurahinEurope, Europe, is one of my Travel wishlist, Europe is quite expensive and i think it's hard to get a visa. but will forward to travel one day, :)
TumugonBurahinA traveler like me would defintely qill want to travel anywhere in europe. Well in fact the whole world.
TumugonBurahinMy first trip abroad is actually in Europe - it's in Germany and it waas, is, and will definitely something to cherish. One country can't speak to the whole continent but I stayed for three weeks only in one country of Europe and I guess that's not what everyone looking for a europe trip is. Haha. I love almost everything in every country of Europe as I discover it one by one since October. Hope you will get a chance to see other countries of Europe soon! :)
TumugonBurahinI can feel the exhilaration of this post and it's infused enthusiasm and excitement. Sometimes we have to push ourselves even further to experience the new. I'm glad to you had a great Eurotrip. :)
TumugonBurahinNurse Alpha
That's very lucky of you. Not everyone can go in Europe. I hope I can have a glimpse of any of it's country especially France.
TumugonBurahinIf there's a will, there's a way, haha You gave us a hint on how to plan for a similar trip in the future. Thanks for sharing. - ASKSonnie
TumugonBurahinI am drowning in jealousy. Always wanted to travel on that side of the world. Thanks for sharing this!
TumugonBurahinSo exciting!!! And omg, that manila to dubai is ticket is so cheap! How???
TumugonBurahinHi!That was incredible. Thanks for sharing this. Would you mind sharing how much you spent for this trip?
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