On my first trip to Paris I spent only 4 and a half hours sleeping each night.
I know, I tracked it.
The reason was because I was planning my own trip for my first time in France and I had no clue what to do. I didn't want to miss a single thing. And so, I didn't sleep.
But here's the problem, when you don't sleep well, you end up not remembering your own trip! Science says, “A study recently found that sleep deprivation slowed down neural cells' ability to absorb visual information and translate that visual data into conscious thought.”
The truth about traveling in Europe? It's not the easiest to travel.
Ancient castles tower over medieval villages, rivers glide past cobblestone streets and half-timbered homes. The scene looks like what you might picture in a fairytale. Europe, to me, is the most beautiful place on earth.
But there's just so much to see and do. It can be hard to figure out what to explore, what sights are the best, where to stay, and plan out all the logistics of getting from place to place.
You might think group travel is a good idea. However, I don't want to have a group tour where I'm shuffled from place to place, like cattle, with mediocre food.
But I do like some aspects of group travel that really make a trip seamless: transfers and peace of mind.
As I illustrated above, traveling independently has it's drawbacks too. So what do you do?
Enter Monograms.
On a recent trip to London and Paris I had the pleasure of traveling with a company called Monograms that made traveling in Europe so much easier.
Monograms is a bit hard to describe. Mostly because I’ve never had a travel experience like this before. It’s the perfect mix of facilitated travel along with independent travel.
Monograms takes out the guesswork, and honestly, the tough parts of travel.
No matter how experienced of a traveler you are, there are so many hassles when it comes to travel: booking hotels, airport transfers, finding local gems… leaving you the time do what you really love at the destination.
I am the first one to say that travel isn’t glamorous. There’s just so much to do when you’re traveling and it can be exhausting. But traveling with Monograms alleviates the headaches that come with travel and allows you to enjoy the places you want to go.
Personalized Travel
Basically, Monograms is facilitated independent travel.
Having peace of mind when you travel is one of the best benefits and is truly priceless. You'll spend less time stressing and more time experiencing all a destination has to offer.
The local host is based at your hotel and they are there to help ensure you have the best trip. They give you tips, hidden gems, and help you find out how to make the most of your trip. It was so nice when I didn’t even have to carry around my Harry Potter tour tickets. My Monograms host had them the whole time and brought me directly to my transfer that morning.
Having suggestions on what to do and see, whether you’re into art, music, history, food, etc, they help you personalize your trip based on your interests.
They’ve done the research and spent the time to make sure your trip goes off without a hitch.
On the Monograms website you can book a trip and pick the places you want to go to, all the while having the peace of mind that you're going to be booking a true vacation.
I took a week-long trip to London and Paris with Monograms recently. I have to admit I was a bit worried. There's so much to see and do in these two powerhouse cities in a short period of time! Yet, despite this being a fast trip I got to immerse myself in everything because I had the freedom, flexibility, and a guide to help me figure out what to do.
What I Learned on My 14th Trip to London
This trip was my 14th to London. That's a LOT of times to go to one place. I actually used to spend 6 weeks every year in London starting at age 14 when my parents taught a study abroad program.
On my trip previous to this one, I thought I knew it all. I was with a few friends and strolled up to the underground station to buy our tube passes and head to Piccadilly Circus.
As we pulled out of the station I watched pretty brownstone houses zoom by and then it went dark as we went under the city. After a few stops passed I started to worry… wait, is this the right way?
Turns out I was wrong.
Despite traveling there plenty of times I still got confused. So having a personal airport transfer that took me from the airport to the hotel was one of the best things about traveling with Monograms!
I was also brought directly to the airport on the way out of Paris in a private car. I know that whenever I head to the airport I get a bit nervous. But traveling with Monograms I knew I was in good hands. I didn't have to fuss with lugging my stuff in the underground.
Let's be honest, not everything is perfect when you travel. You might miss a travel connection, the weather dampens your plans, or something unexpected happens. Take, for example, when I was in Paris. There were some environmental protests. If I didn't have a local host to help facilitate the trip I wouldn't have known.
I think the operative word when it comes to Monograms is “vacation.” If you want to take a true vacation where you can relax and enjoy it without having to put in all the work that comes with travel you need to check out Monograms.
Here's why I think you should check out Monograms:
- Transportation provided to and from the airport and hotels, as well as to various outings (such as plays, dinner, and tours)
- A local host who will help ensure your travel goes smoothly as well as make expert recommendations
- A few activities set up for you, but plenty of time for independent exploration
- Peace of mind when it comes to creating your dream trip
I take reviews very seriously and want to always make sure I give you the best advice possible. This is my second time working with Monograms and I can tell you it's one of the best concepts out there.
This post and trip was sponsored by Monograms in cooperation with iAmbassador. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
