Hello World!

Hi, everyone!

I’m Sally, a self-proclaimed foodie, and adventurous traveler always on the hunt for the most authentic local experiences and food. I was bitten by the travel bug pretty early on and have been fortunate enough to visit 22 countries in my lifetime.

Although I’ve been blogging for a few years now, I’ve never posted content publicly…until now.  I recently quit my job at a media agency and am setting off on a 40-day journey throughout Europe. I’ll be in Spain for most of the time and making stops in London, Amsterdam, and Lisbon – all of which will be documented here on Passport and Plates!

Although I have visited Europe before, this will be the first time I’m traveling solo (eek!) and the first time I’m not checking a bag (yay?).

I’m simultaneously nervous and excited to travel solo – I’ve been told I’ll either hate it and never want to do it again or I’ll love it and never want to travel with someone again. Not sure which of those would be better…

Since I’ll be alone for half my trip and taking a total of 7 flights, I figured it was time to learn how to live out of a carry-on friendly backpack (I’ve since upgraded to this one). My bag is slightly underweight, so let’s see if I can keep it that way!  No more dragging 50-pound suitcases through cobblestone streets for this girl (been there, done that!).

The official countdown as of this post is T-3 days. First stop will be London (Europe travel tip: London is often the cheapest hub from the US) for a day and a half before heading off to Madrid. I’ll be flying Norwegian Air for the first time, landing at Gatwick Airport rather than Heathrow, the main international hub. I’ll be staying with a friend in Tooting and hopefully experience some off the beaten path sights.

Stay tuned for the next post coming to you from across the pond!

As we say in Arabic:

Yallah bye,

Sally