Melissa Jamison

My Dream:

Ever since I took French class in high school, I’ve always wanted to travel to France. This language class really helped me with understanding their culture and how they live. I would love to visit there and see what France has to offer. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. If  it’s going to the coast (a few hours away) or flying to Mexico, I’d go any day. I think everyone needs a little get away sometimes. I always dreamed that after I was married, I would go to the Eiffel tower with my husband. There is so many other places to explore in France too. I know a lot of people go there but I have never been and I hope to someday.

I don’t think I’ll be able to go to France until after I graduate, get a good job, and get married. Sometimes, not everything works out like it’s suppose to but I know I’ll make time to travel. I have a long list of places to go but France will be the first one. This dream can definitely be accomplished in the future. After I graduate, I will start saving up for the big journey.

I have friends and family who have travel to Europe and love it. They have told me how different Europe is than our country. My friends and family said it’s such an exciting experience and they would go again. A few went to the Eiffel tower and said it was even better than they imagined. The view was amazing and incredible. Each city in Europe is different and has something wonderful to see.

Other Examples:

A lot of the people who have accomplished my dream were older, had good jobs, saved money for the trip, and had it well-planned out. These people planned in advance, even a year sometimes. They knew french or had a talking translator to take around. Many people get lost or need to find directions but not everyone there knows English. It’s very important to bring this or know some of the language, where ever a person is going.

I found a website called, France Travel Tips, this has a lot of useful information on traveling in France. There is a couple airports, train stations, cruise ships, and even boating somewhere. This will be helpful when I can plan out where I’m going in France and how to get to the Eiffel tower.

I also discovered a really helpful site called, France Guide. This website has tons of information on Planes, Trains, Hotels, Houses/Villas, Restaurants, Events, Tickets, Brochures, and lots more. They had a news article part, good deals, what to do in France, and other detailed information. This site can be very beneficial in my planning for my Paris trip. These are examples of what people have used to travel to France and what works best. There are many places to go in France so it can be overwhelming. This site can be a perfectly good guide to the right spots in France.

Barriers:

A possible barrier for my dream would be not having enough money. As a college student, the money I make at my job now, goes to my bills. I am not able to save enough right now for this trip. That is why I planned on this trip being after I graduate and get a good job. Another barrier could be that no one is able to go.

Current College Finances Report:

Current Finances.

Most of my income is from my parents and my part-time job. I am a full-time student so I only work up to 20 hours a week. This is not a lot of money but it really helps with my bills. I am very fortunate that my parents help out with expenses and some school. I don’t have any debt yet and that is amazing. This will be really nice when I graduate school, get a job and can start saving. Soon after, I will be able to go on my trip to Paris, France.

Budget Variations:

Budget Finances.

In this report, I have a week of expenses and how much money I will need. There is two scenarios, ranging from the cheapest I could find and the most expensive. If I use this financial plan for my trip, I will definitely use the cheap route. I don’t need anything expensive, I just want to go to Paris and see the Eiffel tower.

For example, the cheapest hotel is $53 dollars a night and it’s for a week. For the most expensive hotels I found on Expedia, it was around $1,000 dollars a night. There are a lot of websites that can calculate flights alone or with hotels, cars, and dining expenses. I would expect to get a reasonable hotel, but more towards the cheap end.

My plane ticket would be round trip and cost less if I changed a few flights. Round trip with non-stop flights are usually more expensive.

The food prices for the cheapest scenario, involve inexpensive meals and maybe one nice place a week. I figured around $50 dollars a day or so. This will definitely depend on where though.

I would love to get my friends and family souvenirs to. Hopefully I would have some extra money, even on a tight budget. Something small or sending a postcard would work too.

I definitely want to sight see when I get to France. My number one thing is the Eiffel tower. They have a total fee, not per individual fee. They usually prefer it in groups of 4 but will accommodate. The private guide for 4 people is about $50 (35 euros). All of the prices are different, depending on how far up a person wants to go. This is one of Paris’ must-see attractions and I don’t know why anyone would pass it up.

I wouldn’t  buy too many clothes before going to Paris. I have a good variety of warm and cold clothes, depending on when I go. When I am there, I bet I would go shopping though. This would be a little spending money for that purpose and my luggage of course.

I would need to have a visa for just my trip. This way I can put all my money on it and not worry about my personal bank account. This would cover all of my expenses while traveling Europe. I can pay for my hotel, souvenirs, food, and other expenses.