Stand by Paris

In 2013 we visited our first European city, the beautiful city of Paris. Fast forward to November 2015 and we were shocked to learn the beautiful city we planned to revisit in 7 days experienced devastating terror attacks where 130 people were killed and more than 350 injured.

Travel is often uplifting and inspirational rather than a cultural experience or a knockout experience. We were due to arrive in Paris in exactly one week and the terror attacks have given certain oddness to our travel plans. Nobody knows the when and why things happen and that in itself is comforting. Our heart goes out to the people of Paris, their families, and those not in Paris who have families there. We will keep everyone in our thoughts and can only hope one day our world will become a more peaceful place.

But in the meantime we will keep travelling. We will keep being uplifted, we will keep being inspired. We will fly direct to Paris, as scheduled and keep seeing the places we choose to see. Our plan is to continue travelling without living our lives in fear. Whilst being stunned by the horror on French streets, we will not let our travel plans be impacted. We will stand with Paris, we will continue to visit, continue to travel and not be afraid of the unknown. That does not mean we will be complacent. What we hadn’t been aware of was how our determination to continue our plans could affect our family. There is a difference to being independent and being naïve of the impact on those around us. We will make sure our families are aware of our itinerary and ensure we carry copies of vital documents and emergency numbers we could need in a disaster. We will, for the first time, have phone coverage whilst away, and will make regular Skype contact with our family.

We will stand by Paris and cherish our past and future memories of Paris. You never think it will happen to you and life can change so quickly. Life can be taken from us suddenly. So don’t take life for granted, enjoy every moment of it. It is better to live a happy and fulfilled life, than a life lived in fear.

If this was an attack on humanity, it has only strengthened it. “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

Would you have continued your plans to travel to Paris? Do you support our decision not to change our plans?

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