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Where I’m Supposed To Be

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The airport shuttle was running very late. It would take 30  minutes to get to Rome’s FCO airport and there was only an hour left before my flight to London. I scheduled to be picked up 2 hours before like I was supposed to.  I asked the hotel receptionist to call the shuttle company for the second time. She must have sensed that I was worried because she started to comfort me by saying, “Don’t worry, everything will be alright.” She was sweet, and talented too. She spoke 3 different languages, Italian, French and English. Somehow, her words of comfort worked a little. Still, I was a bit surprised when I finally made it to the airport to find out that I was not too late. I really thought I was going to miss my flight. When I travel, I choose to stay at a hotel close to the train or bus station, so that I don’t have to pay a lot of money on taxis. In the same way, I choose to stay close to the grocery stores, so that I don’t have to pay a lot of money on...

Start Living Your Dreams

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I had a 7-hour layover in Stockholm for my flight to Barcelona. It was enough time to visit the old city and come back to the airport. I was on my way to purchase a train ticket when I realized my shoulder bag was missing... I have never been so scared in my life. I felt stuck. Without a passport, I cannot go back home to the US and I cannot move forward to my final destination in Spain either. Stockholm, Sweden I froze. I could not breathe. It did not make sense how I could have lost it. Whenever I travel and get on the plane, I usually carry two bags. A big hand bag or a tote, and a small shoulder bag. The small shoulder bag is where I put the important stuff, like my passport, so I could take it with me wherever I go. The only thing I could think of was to go back to the arrival gate. I went back to the sitting area and looked around, but it was nowhere to be found. I saw the lady who sat beside me on the plane and asked her if she has seen it, and unfortunately...

Tour Away

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It has been almost 3 years since I last traveled abroad to Barcelona. I had no intention of going back to Europe anytime soon, but all of a sudden I had to make plans to travel soon. It was a favor to someone dear to me whose brother left their country when they were younger, but never got in touch with the family since then. He was seen on YouTube, working at InGalera in Milan.  When my mother found out I was going to Milan, she wanted to go with me since she has not been to Europe at all. There are no direct flights to Milan from my home airport, only to Paris, Barcelona and Rome. Since I have been to both  Barcelona   and  Rome , I decided to travel to Paris first. Switzerland, which I have not been to either is next to Italy, so I decided to travel there too. I started planning for a 3 country trip: France/Switzerland/Italy. There was this lakeside villa in Italy where I took my mom to. You can’t find it on Viators, it’s not a popular desti...

Forgotten Dream

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Have you ever made a silent wish and deep down you knew it was never going to come true? It was just wishful thinking. You forget all about it. Many years pass by. Then one day, the Universe starts sending you clues to let you know your wish is about to come true, but you remain clueless until it actually happens. At least, that’s what happened to me.  The clues started appearing in July 2013 when I took my kids to  LA . I decided to take them because they were still little the last time we went  to Universal Studios, so they probably did not remember it anymore. I also wanted to try one of the bus tours. We took the tour called, "Los Angeles City, Movie Stars' Home & Beach Tour." One of the stops was  Venice   Beach. I have never been there before and was not familiar with it at all, so it was not what I expected. I felt lonely being there. The kids, being teenagers as they were, they wanted to explore on their own and they left me alone.   A ...