A Year in Europe: Scott and Cheryl's Travel Adventures

Quitting Jobs for a European Adventure

• 🚀 Scott and Cheryl quit their jobs and sold their home to embark on a year-long journey through Europe, seeking an experience beyond the daily grind.
• 🌍 They are seven months into their trip, having discovered a genuine enjoyment for travel, which has solidified their commitment to completing the full year.
• 💡 Despite initial planning, their itinerary has evolved, but their core strategy remains to stay in locations for extended periods, aiming to live like temporary locals.

Travel Style and Highlights

• 📍 Their approach avoids a rushed "if this is Tuesday, it must be Belgium" style of travel, focusing instead on renting apartments and experiencing local life.
• 🤩 Top highlights include Edinburgh for its surprising beauty, Paris for its iconic allure, and Venice for its awe-inspiring scenery.
• 💰 London and France were noted as particularly expensive, with the exchange rate impacting their budget, though the Euro offered some relief.

Accommodation and Daily Life

• 🏠 Renting apartments, especially for longer stays and in the off-season, proved to be more economical and practical than hotels, offering better value and amenities like kitchens.
• 📏 They encountered many odd bathroom configurations and compact living spaces, a common characteristic of European accommodations, especially in older buildings.
• 🍎 Navigating supermarkets presented challenges, with different systems for handling produce and varying rules on shopping bags, requiring a period of observation to adapt.

Food, People, and Culture

• 🇪🇸 Spanish food was a delightful surprise, offering incredible variety and affordability through tapas, which they hadn't been as familiar with as French or Italian cuisine.
• 🇫🇷 Contrary to stereotypes, they found French people, particularly in Paris and Avignon, to be very friendly and helpful, engaging in conversations and showing genuine interest.
• 🗣️ While they have limited language skills, they found that communication is possible with broken French and English, enabling meaningful interactions and a deeper understanding of local life.

What They Miss and Learned

• 🚶‍♀️ Public transportation in Europe, with its extensive and efficient bus, tram, and high-speed train systems, is something they will miss upon returning home.
• ⏳ They also appreciate the relaxed pace of life, including longer lunch breaks and the cultural emphasis on spending Sundays with family, a contrast to their previous high-powered careers.
• 🗺️ The biggest lesson learned is that such an extensive trip is manageable and not as daunting as one might imagine, with most interactions being positive and few major challenges encountered.

Future Plans and Reflections

• 📸 Scott has taken thousands of photographs, while Cheryl finds that cathedrals, though magnificent, are starting to blend together after seeing so many.
• ✈️ They are considering future adventures, possibly exploring more of the United States, and aim to find a way to incorporate more frequent travel into their lives with a reduced intensity compared to their Silicon Valley careers.
• 🤔 Both have considered staying in European locations, but currently feel a pull towards returning home for a break before planning their next major travel endeavor, potentially in Asia or other parts of the US.