I have been to Europe four times.

Each trip was very different, framed by the places I visited, the people I was with, and the stage I was at in my life.

Bear with me… I’m going to take a trip down memory lane to set the stage, and I promise I will get to the awesome travel contest part.

Eurotrip 1: The High School Trip

My life

I wasn’t even an adult yet. It was the summer before my senior year of high school.  This was my first international trip outside of North America.  I had not even been to the major cities in the US yet.

Destinations

Rome and Florence, Italy; Barcelona and Madrid, Spain; and Nice, France

I was amazed by the history, grand architecture, and beauty. I loved the people and the vibe in the cities.

Travel Companions

This was a group tour of 15-20 people from my high school class.  I knew most of them but wasn’t really friends with any of them.  Oh, and did I mention we had teachers as chaperones?

Eurotrip 2: Freedom, partying, and a glimpse of the world

My life

I had just graduated from The Ohio State University.  I was officially an adult.  I had a professional full-time job.  This was my first “grown-up” trip.  And I was over 21 and had been building up my tolerance for a few years.  You will see why that is important soon.

Destinations

Greek Islands; Istanbul and the ruins of Ephesus, Turkey

This trip opened my eyes to how many places and cultures there are to explore in the world.  Everything was so different: the food, the architecture, the language, the customs.

Travel Companions

I was with two close friends from Ohio State and one of their friends.  This trip was part of a Contiki Tour.  For anyone who has been on one, you know that these tours are geared towards people in their early 20s who want to drink their faces off.  I met some amusing characters, and this was the first time I realized people actually take career breaks and travel long-term all over the world.

Eurotrip 3: Whirlwind party tour

My life

Just a couple years out of college, life was good and still quite simple.

Destinations

Berlin and Munich, Germany; Prague, Czech Republic; and Vienna, Austria

I saw so many famous sites every day.  This is when I started to get interested in good beer and good coffee.  And to this day, experiencing Oktoberfest in Munich is one of my best memories.

 

Travel Companions

This was ANOTHER Contiki Tour, and I was with two of the friends from my previous trip.  Good times!  But I learned that hangovers and lack of sleep really suck when you are out touring all day.  When the tour ended in Vienna, we met up with a friend who was living in Germany, rented a car, and drove from Vienna to Munich.  I was getting more of the independent travel spirit and feeling more brave.

Eurotrip 4: Culture, Photography, and Fun

My life

I was well into my professional career and taking on way too much work and a type of work I didn’t enjoy.  I wanted to reward myself by visiting a major destination and truly take a break.  No phone.  No computer.  This trip was all about learning and figuring out my travel style.

Destinations

London and Paris

What an AMAZING cities!  I still want to try out living in London one day.  Paris taught me that a fresh baguette, good cheese, and quality (but reasonably priced) is a simple, yet perfect meal that I could probably subsist on indefinitely.

Travel Companions

I went with a friend to celebrate her 30^th birthday.  We enjoyed some time with her parents who also came to visit London as well.  They are both artists and world travelers and have been wonderful supporting my photography and travel ambitions the past couple years.

There is so much more I want to see and do in Europe.

And there is a great contest going on right now that could send me (or you) back!

European Travel Contest

The idream itravel project put together a video of people in major tourist cities London, Rome, and  Paris sharing their travel dreams.  The goal is to capture the amazing feeling you get from traveling the world.

I think they met that goal.

Watch it!  It is inspiring.

Up for grabs are hotel vouchers for two nights in each of these five cities:

• Vigo, Spain
• Izmir, Turkey
• Palermo, Italy
• Morel, Switzerland
• Brussels, Belgium

These are all places I’ve never been.

And the best part is €2013 cash to cover other travel expenses!

How to enter

All you have to do is go to idream itravel – sponsored by hotel.de / hotel.info, watch the video, then share the video on Twitter, Facebook, or email.

Entry is open until January 31, 2013 and is open worldwide for participants over the age of 18.

As I said before, I like to look back but do not make New Years resolutions.  But that does not mean I do not have travel dreams.

I have so many travel dreams.

 

I have too many travel dreams to try to narrow down a list to where I want to go in one year.

 

And of course I want to leave things open to win a great trip like this.

 

Have you been to any of these  European cities?  Share any tips because I’m totally winning