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Home  >  Musings  >  Remembering My First Trip To Europe
Musings

Remembering My First Trip To Europe

Matthew Klint Posted onAugust 3, 2018August 3, 2018 18 Comments

Today is my birthday…I’m 32 years old. As I look back over the last 12 years of flying, I cannot help but to be incredibly thankful.

In 2006 the only countries I had ever been to outside of the USA were Mexico (for an hour into Tijuana) and Canada (for an hour onto the Canadian side of Niagra Falls).

But in 2006, I finally left the nest and spent the month of September in Europe…oh what an eye-opening trip that was.

The trip included Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands. That may sound like a lot in a month, but we took it easy, taking in some of Europe’s most historic cities. About half our time was spent in Germany.

As I look back 12 years later, I am grateful for that opportunity. I traveled with a friend from UCLA and the military on the trip, Tim, who recently passed away. He was far too young to die. He grew up in Berlin and we enjoyed a wonderful time exploring new places and trying new food (for me at least).

Our car was broken into in Geneva and all our luggage stolen, another first for me.

 

12 Years Later

This trip helped me to understand, for the first time really, that there was a whole world out there just waiting to be experienced. I may fly for the sake of flying sometimes, but the sights and smells and personal interactions in the 130+ countries I have visited over the last 12 years have been one of the biggest blessings of my life. Travel is far more than a job…it is a conscious lifestyle choice and deliberate engagement with the world.

Now I have a young son at home, who I look forward to taking to Europe when he’s old enough to appreciate it. He’s already been to Europe four times, but I want to show him the Berlin Wall, the canals of Amsterdam, the Acropolis in Athens, and the Eiffel Tower. Oh how I look forward to showing him Europe, just as Tim showed me Europe. 

We went to Europe without a plan. Each day was a spur of the moment trip. And I loved that. While carefully-planned vacations have their own advantages, there is nothing like winging it for a few weeks in Europe. We never went to bed hungry nor found no room at the inn.

I guess what I’m trying to say is how thankful I am for all the blessings in my life. My faith, my wife, my son, my friends, but also just the simple pleasures of life in this beautiful world. There is a duality to this world: hatred, strife, and sin…yet beauty, grace, and forgiveness. It has been a fun ride thus far and taking one day at a time, I look forward to what is to come.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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18 Comments

  1. TheRealCho Reply
    August 3, 2018 at 2:37 pm

    I wonder why car rental companies keep pushing hatchbacks to Americans.
    Anyway, Happy Birthday.
    Sorry your friend left this world too early, but glad you had an awesome trip with him.

  2. MeanMeosh Reply
    August 3, 2018 at 3:16 pm

    Happy birthday Matthew!

  3. Andrew Y Reply
    August 3, 2018 at 3:24 pm

    Happy birthday!

    Great post. Before the age of 24, I hadn’t traveled the world much either, but I sure made up for it in the years that followed. You are so right—the ability to travel is a blessing and we shouldn’t ever take it for granted.

  4. Eric J. Reply
    August 3, 2018 at 3:43 pm

    Happy Birthday Mathew!

    I traveled around Europe for 2.5 months at that age too and indeed, it changed my life as well. I feel very fortunate to have been able to continue my travels, nothing else quite like it.

  5. YYZFlyer Reply
    August 3, 2018 at 4:27 pm

    Happy Birthday!

    Your photos from your first international trip are great! I went to Germany a few times as a kid, but each time we would go to the Dusseldorf area to visit my mother’s family. When I was 14, we went for the first time to Germany, not to visit family but down to Munich. I remember that trip well. We had a wonderful time exploring Bavaria and neighboring Austria. It was this trip that really opened up my eyes to the world, that it needs to be traveled, that there is so much to see and discover in this big and wonderful world.

  6. Sam Reply
    August 3, 2018 at 6:28 pm

    Happy birthday Matthew!

  7. Larry Reply
    August 3, 2018 at 6:57 pm

    Happy Birthday Matthew! Great story.

  8. Christian Reply
    August 3, 2018 at 7:40 pm

    Happy Birthday. Somehow, I had the impression that you grew up in Germany. Obviously, my mistake. Nice to look back, at any rate.

  9. Paolo Reply
    August 3, 2018 at 9:43 pm

    Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
    Geneva, of all places, to be robbed. Hah!

  10. derek Reply
    August 4, 2018 at 12:59 am

    Happy Birthday!

    Years from now, you’ll think “wow, that trip 35 years ago!” I remember trips from 1984 and around there. At that time, they were flying the DC-3. Just kidding.

    Boy, was I lucky to fly aboard planes like the…
    DC-8-71
    DC-9-10
    DC-10-40
    L1011-100
    L1011-500
    727-100
    737-200QC
    747SP
    747-300
    757-300
    767-400
    A330-200
    A340-500
    One Eleven-500
    BAe 146-300
    Fokker 28-4000
    Fokker 70

  11. emercycrite Reply
    August 4, 2018 at 2:41 am

    Happy birthday MK

  12. Justin Reply
    August 4, 2018 at 4:29 am

    Matt,

    Thanks so much for this post about your 2006 trip. It made my day. And happy birthday! I hope it was joy0us for you and Heidi and Augustine.

    Above all, thank you for your attitude of gratitude. I promise you it will serve you well for a lifetime (I am almost 60, and it is central to my beliefs.)

    “Be thankful for what you have and you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – attributed to Oprah Winfrey

  13. J Munene Reply
    August 4, 2018 at 4:38 am

    Happy birthday to you.

  14. Adil Reply
    August 4, 2018 at 12:17 pm

    Happy birthday, Matthew!

    One day, little AK will look back and appreciate how precious were the trips to Europe with his wonderful father.

  15. Phil Duncan Reply
    August 4, 2018 at 1:48 pm

    Happy Birthday Matthew.

    I first traveled when I was 24 too – around Greece mainland and the islands.

    That was in 1984 and I’ve no idea how many miles I’ve traveled since but thanks for a great blog, I might be older but you have a lot to teach!

  16. Michael Reply
    August 5, 2018 at 12:26 pm

    Looks like a great trip…and the stolen luggage makes for a great story. So you were in biz class? Presumably for miles? How did you do that at age 20?

  17. James Reply
    August 5, 2018 at 3:46 pm

    Happy Birthday to you, Matthew. Excellent post today! Keep up the good work, and continue to keep your priorities where they should be.

  18. Donna Reply
    August 7, 2018 at 3:04 am

    Hello Matthew, Happy birthday! This is Donna that knows you and your family from Grace. I just read your blog and am wondering if you have any recommendations for me for Prague…hotel, what to see, maybe besides the basics. I am just beginning my research so any suggestions of books or ideas would be so helpful. I hope to be going next April or May. I will include my e-mail below if you can help me with some information!
    I am so happy for you with this wonderful world of travel that you have been able to enjoy! Also that you have your own sweet family to enjoy!
    Thank you, Donna

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