travelling with strangers (and DISNEY)

​I was reading someone else’s blog posts about solo travelling and came across and app called TravelMate. It’s specifically geared toward people who are travelling alone and want to meet locals or fellow travelers to explore with. Sounds sketchy, right? But desperate times called for desperate measures. I wanted someone to explore with because no matter how great travelling solo is, social interaction is necessary at some point. So I signed up. You can put your itinerary on there and a little bit about yourself and it comes up with people who are going to your destination at the same time and locals. So, this guy messaged me and he was coming to Paris from London for a few days and asked if I wanted to go to the catacombs with him. I hesitantly and enthusiastically (that doesn’t sound possible, but trust me. It is.) responded with a yes and we set a time. For all of you parents out there who are worried: don’t worry. I set up a place to meet him in public and didn’t give him any information about where I lived or anything. I can be smart sometimes lol. So we met and were extremely comfortable right off the bat. It’s fun to meet people from different countries because you always have something to talk about no matter what: differences between countries. So we chatted and waited in the freakin long line to get into the catacombs. It was cheap though… so worth it. The catacombs are so strangely beautiful. It’s literally heaps of dead skulls and bones… but when you think about it… these were actual people. It isn’t some haunted house with plastic bones. It’s an eerie place because these were REAL people who are now just skulls. Tip: talk about ghosts while you’re in there. Perfect topic right there. Disneyland Paris was randomly brought up in conversation in between ghost stories, so we made last minute plans for me to take the day off and planned to go the next day! That was crazy. One, someone actually went along with my last minute plan ideas. Two, it was a complete (but cool) stranger. Three, when we got there, we got in for FREE. TO BOTH PARKS. A woman was standing in line to talk to the front desk workers and she gave us two free park hoppers because they couldn’t use them for some reason. We went with it without asking questions. So, if that doesn’t say “great day” I don’t know what does. We rode almost everything (except Indiana Jones was closed L) and got starbucks!!! PLUS Tower of Terror is still there, so I got to ride that again… probably my favorite part of my day. We ate yummy baguettes and cookies and had a magical Disney day lol.
For those of you wondering… Disneyland vs. Disneyland Paris: I like Disneyland better. I know, that’s very controversial, but it’s just my personal opinion. Disneyland just has a more magical vibe about it. BUT Disneyland Paris has a Ratatouille land which serves alcohol and crepes and everything French you can imagine, plus a really fun ride. It also has Toy Story land and a Pirate land with boats and caves to explore. SO there are really great things about Disneyland Paris, but Disneyland will always have a special place in my heart… I might be biased though…  
It’s a strange thing experiencing new places with new people, but it’s also great. For one, you actually have someone to take pictures of you lol. Two, you have someone new and interesting to talk to. Three, they don’t have some weird preconceived notion of who you are, and it’s fun to talk about what they think of you. And sometimes you might get lucky and find a friend, like I did! We’re keeping in touch, and I’m hoping to see him when I go to London. So I would really suggest trying something like this if you’re travelling and want someone to tag along! Especially if it’s a fun touristy place! But still… be careful J
Next blog… Belgium!