The trip that changed my life

Can you pick a favourite vacation?

Many people ask me that exact question and it’s hard to pick a favourite. Many of my trips are incredibly memorable. But one trip was life changing. After my mom passed away, I decided my next trip would be to Ireland. Suddenly my favourite Irish Tenor, Emmet Cahill, posted about a bus tour/cruise he was planning the following year. I put my name in and was lucky to get one of the highly sought-after spots.

Am I really going to Europe alone?

I had never booked a solo trip before this. It was a bit nerve-racking in the planning stages to know that I would be flying alone, traveling alone and not really know anyone on the bus tour. But I told myself I could do it and to just embrace the unknown aspects of solo travel. Ireland seemed a safe choice for a first solo destination.

 While I may have arrived alone and had not personally met anyone on the trip before, I wasn’t alone for long. Emmet had created a Facebook page dedicated to the trip and we were able to communicate with fellow travelers. As soon as I landed in Dublin, I had an invitation to join two women on a self guided walking tour of the city. This was the start of getting to know new people who would later become friends.

Should I extend my stay in Ireland?

The bus tour of Ireland followed by the cruise to France offered plenty of amazing things to see and do, but I knew in my heart I needed to make this more of a bucket list trip. I decided to arrive a few days ahead of the bus tour and fill my days doing the things that had been top of my list for years. I found day trips that met my goals and booked them via Viator. A fellow traveler expressed interest in going to the Cliffs of Moher so her and I booked the same day trip and got to know each other during that day.

Why did this trip change my life?

• I did something out of my comfort zone by traveling alone
• I’m usually shy until I feel comfortable with people in social settings, but I had to come out of my shell quickly, the laughs were plentiful and conversations easy
• I gained the confidence to just be myself, with the right crowd you’re accepted as you are
• I found “my people” – the people with similar interests, who do not consider me weird for loving Celtic music and Celtic culture
• I gained an amazing, large family of travel friends who continued to reconnect over zoom and plan more trips together
• I fell in love with Ireland and left a piece of my heart there
• I got to know Emmet and his piano accompanist, Seamus Brett and their families
• Fell in love with taking a chance and doing something alone
• Had the opportunity to see Normandy and the American Cemetery at Omaha beach
• It ignited a real love of traveling in my heart