In November, I quit a toxic workplace and almost immediately booked the European Quest Contiki trip for January.

If the trip was ever going to happen, it’s going to happen now.

I’m visiting all of my bucket list cities, and then some. I’m spending some solo time in London before joining the tour group, which I’m actually so excited about. It’s going to be terrifying to be away from home for a whole month with strangers, but terrifying in a good way.

I cannot wait to see more of the world, meet new friends, and maybe find myself somewhere along the road.

The first stop on Eurotrip 2020 was a few solo days in London!

I had an overnight flight from Toronto to London, hopped on the tube quite easily once I arrived, and went directly to the Contiki Basement to check in to my trip and drop my luggage for the day.

A quick coffee stop to refuel, and I was ready for day one.

Thankfully, day one wouldn’t be spent alone – I have a friend who lives in the UK, so I had a bit of a tour guide as she and I had the chance to catch up and wander the city.

*Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station*

We ended up walking to King’s Cross Station so I could be the Harry Potter nerd I am, then headed toward Camden Market to wander the shops and take a look inside the Vagina Museum.

After that, we hopped on the tube and made our way to the London Eye and tried to catch a glimpse of Big Ben (which is currently under construction, so we didn’t get a great look).

One plate of fish and chips later, I realized I hadn’t slept in over 24 hours, so I made my way back to the hotel and passed out in bed – in a room I shared with two girls who had already returned from their own Contiki adventures. But I was too tired to care. So I slept for 15 hours.

The second day in London was a lot more relaxed, which was necessary after an entire day of being on my feet. I got ready and walked over to the British Museum for a bit of a wander before heading to the main attraction for the day.

As soon as I booked this trip, I went over to the theatre’s website and ordered my tickets to both parts of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. So day two in London was Harry Potter day – I was so excited to sit in a theatre for hours and have my mind blown by what I’d heard was a fantastic production. I figured seeing this show in London would be an experience. Like even if it wasn’t great, at least I Did the Thing and saw the Harry Potter play on my vacation in London. But it was actually so spectacular.

On my first day in London, when I’d landed myself in the Contiki Basement, I ended up checking in at the same time as a woman from the United States who would be travelling with my group.

So the third day in London we decided to meet up and wander around the city before our Contiki orientation. Westminster Abbey and more fish and chips were of course on the itinerary.

That night, the whirlwind began. Everyone who had signed up for our European Quest vacation met at the hotel to go over some administrative info, then we all went on a walking tour of the city.

It was honestly really overwhelming for me, a typically shy person, to be surrounded by 25+ new people and try to make some new friends. It was nice to already have met one new friend before being thrown into the group, but I also didn’t want to be the person with only one friend.

The chatting ended up flowing pretty naturally, and by the end of the night, I was stoked to be getting on the bus in the morning with these not-so-strangers.