I have always been something of a free spirit and last year I did something that will always mark me out as such! It is not unusual for me to save up some money in a fairly regular job, only to hand in my notice and head out on the road, and see where that road takes me. Last year was just such an occasion, and I had managed to save up a couple of thousand pounds. I loved the idea of a completely random road trip, so my method was simple: hitchhike, and when I got picked up, just ask to be dropped wherever the people were heading!

This usually saw me ending up in a town in England that I hadn’t seen before, and I would set myself up in a hotel in town for a few weeks exploring the area. This time around, though, something entirely different happened to me. The people who picked me up were heading to the ferry-port to travel over to France, so I thought, why not just go with it?! I ended up getting on the ferry as a foot passenger, and a few hours later I was in France! I eventually worked my way down to Paris, thanks to a few lifts from some pretty perplexed French people! I knew that there were cheap hotels in Paris so I would be able to put myself up for some time.

My time there was wonderful and I really did fall in love with the city. I actually ended up staying there for a couple of months before dragging myself home again, but now, instead of heading off anywhere on my travels, I always make a bee line for Paris.