It’s the kind of thing you don’t realize has happened until it’s all said and done. You’ve just had an amazing adventure and now you're back home. You want to share said adventure with the world – well, your world – and you want to do it while it’s still fresh and new and exciting! Not to mention, everyone is asking you about where you’ve been and sometimes it’s just hard to describe without the visual element. So you set aside some time to go through your SD card and compile your best shots into a “foreign adventure highlight reel” for all to see.

Now some may consider this a bit old-school - these days people take advantage of those instant access applications that none of us can seem to do without. Our friends and family can essentially go on vacation with us as we Instagram and tweet our experiences in real time. Just check yourself in at the summit of la tour Eiffel or #cheerio at the base of Big Ben – vicarious vacations for all!

But I’m a bit of an old-school kind of girl (the kind of girl who tried the e-reader thing and still prefers actual books, but I digress). So a year ago, I grabbed my trusty digital camera, freshly equipped with a brand new 8 gig SD card, and set off on my adventure to Paris and London. I snapped hundreds of photos a day, not wanting to miss any detail, taking duplicates and triplicates to be sure I got the right angle of every slightly interesting thing I experienced. I figured, I could sort out the crap shots later, I just needed to make sure everything was covered.

Back at home I found myself with the urgent desire to share one of the most important experiences of my life and feeling the pressure to satisfy inquisitive minds. I dug in to tackle the mound of digital media before me and managed to narrow it down to 700 or so for a slideshow I was creating, and then down to 500 or so for print photos. From there I managed to select just under 50 for that all-important Facebook share – believe me, it was no easy feat! 

But why take so many photos in the first place? Never mind the work of curbing them down for sharing, don’t you risk actually missing the experience if you’re always behind the camera? 

This awareness was always in the back of my mind. I wanted to be present, but I wanted to create a proper record as well - each travel adventure we experience is truly unique. My aim is to travel the world for the rest of my life – be it once every other year or once every other month. Whatever I do, I’ll always be planning that next trip. Even if I return to Paris again (and I hope to), I will not likely travel those same streets with the same friend and in the same frame of mind that I had on the trip I took last year. It’s a multidimensional experience that I want access to over and over again. I want to always remember those instants from every aspect and the best way I could think of to save them, was to capture them on film. If it turned out I was a bit overzealous, well that's what the delete button is for.

Despite the sheer volume of pictures I acquired, somehow I managed to remain blissfully in each moment, careful not to allow myself to only see Europe from behind the lens of my camera. I did this by making sure I was in the picture as well. This is the key to giving into the urge to take a thousand photos on your 10 day trip. If you ever find yourself behind the camera too often, stop and look up at where you are - hand someone else the camera and let them capture you unapologetically enjoying the moment for yourself.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Please share below.

“Une grande cafe, sil vous plait…. Uh, PLUS grande sil vous plait!” 

This was me trying to order a large coffee in Paris last year (fyi – no such thing). 

I cannot tell you how broken and sparse my use of the beautiful French language was on that trip. If I weren’t so caught up in the surreal experience of actually being back there, I would have been mortified! But it got us by. 

It’s a bit ironic because here at home, I knew French speaking people who I could have sat with over the years and honed my skills, but didn’t because I was afraid my pronunciation was no good and I’d just embarrass myself. Amazing what a desperate situation will embolden you to do – and yes, scoring more than a teacup-sized serving of my morning joe qualified as a desperate situation! 

Besides ordering cafes, croissants, and carafes du l’eau, we didn’t have to use much French. But when we did, we noticed a more helpful vibe emerge before us. A simple “merci” goes a long way in Paris. Even just  knowing a few nouns like “le metro”, “la porte de sortie”, and “la toilette” show an effort that the French will appreciate. You can pose these words as questions with just the tone of your voice (not quite correct, but it works in a pinch). I would suppose it works in a similar way with other languages in other foreign countries, though I only have the French experience under my belt for now.

Visiting a foreign country with some language skills in your repertoire will portray a sign of respect and can make all the difference in the experience you have with the locals. So try dusting off that old high school textbook or buy a translation dictionary (that includes phrases) to brush up before your trip. If you’ve never had any experience with foreign language, there are beginner lessons you can download. I recommend Behind the Wheel for the very basics, but skip the counting lessons and jump in at the simple phrases. You don’t need to know much, but it helps to know something.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Please share below.