The Ultimate Travel Goal

I was bitten by the travel bug long ago, and since then I’ve been able to accomplish a number of travel-related goals, but there’s one goal that stands above all others. If possible, I’d like to take my parents on a tour of Western Europe. They love the photos and stories that I’ve brought back from my two trips to Europe, and I think I’d be a fairly good tour guide from my previous experience on the continent. In my mind I refer to this trip as the “Best of the West.” The itinerary I’m thinking of would start with a few days in London. Then we’d take the Chunnel train to Paris for a few more days. From there we’d go south, perhaps stopping in one more place in France as we moved towards Italy. In Italy we’d journey from Venice to Florence to Rome. From Rome we’d fly to Barcelona, stop by San Sebastian for a day, (my mom really loves the photos of that place) and then go to Madrid. We’d then circle south, visiting Seville, Granada, and maybe one more place before returning to Madrid for the flight back to America (or, alternatively, a flight back to London for a day or two there, and then fly back to America).

This trip would be expensive, and I don’t know how much money my parents would be able to contribute to it, but if at all possible I’d like to make it a reality. Ideally it would be done within the next few years, seeing as how they’re getting older and don’t have the strength of their youth anymore. This year is a no-go, and next year looks iffy, but maybe if I work hard and save enough money then maybe the year after that it could happen. Hopefully the EU won’t collapse before I’m able to do this.