Travel Part 2

I finally pulled the trigger!  My New Years resolution was to go on a proper vacation this year. At the beginning of the year I had picked out Rio. I've never been to South America and nick has a conference down there in December. But as I started shopping around I had second thoughts. 

The flight is super long - I forget the earth is not flat like shown on maps - deceptive distances when traveling longitudinally. And I've gotten soft flying business on my international trips for work. And the flight isn't cheap and I can't find any good deals. 

I was looking into traveling around Rio and realized traveling alone as a woman isn't the same as in Europe. Doable but requires more heightened awareness. I realized that although Rio is on the list it's not near the top, especially under the category of relaxing and recharging. 

So I reevaluated and was wavering back and forth between Paris (my first trip was on my 15th birthday) and seeing the northern lights. 

I took hours and hours hunting and researching and reading reviews and figuring out logistics and going around inindecisive  circles. This morning, I thought I had figured it all out and started booking. I got as far as my flight and then ran into a hiccup and also realized I was late for work. So I'm only part way done but it's locked in since my flight is booked. What's the plan?  which did I decide to go with? Paris or the northern lights?

I'm doing both!  I cheated a little. Although this is my 2014 vacation I booked it for 2015 for my birthday. The cheap flight is through icelandair (only $650) which has an easy stopover structure. I'm spending three nights in Reykjavik with the hopes one night will be clear enough to witness the aurora borealis. The idea is day one to recover from red eye and jet lag, one day to see the city and one day to go hiking on the glaciers and see the amazing landscapes. Plus it breaks up the flight to Europe. 

Then off to Paris with six full days and two half days. I'm thinking of two day trips - one to see a chateau and the other to visit a Normandy town. And of course a day at the louvre. Last visit, which I think was five years ago, I only spent a few hours in the museum which is way too skimpy. 

And I learned from my second London trip last year to focus on the second and third tier museums. Some real gems. I still wish I had stumbled upon the historic house (name?) earlier in the day instead of rushing through in the last twenty minutes before closing. 

Packing will be interesting between being stylish in February for Paris and packing hiking boots and snow gear for Iceland outings. Good news is this flight has two free checked bags so no issue there. 

I love that I booked two trips to Europe for less than the cost of a normal flight. Pretty good bargain hunting. 

Can't wait!  Just need to finish booking hotels and day trips. And then more fun planning what to see and pack.