My mom had never been to Europe before, so for her 60th birthday I finally took her on the trip she’d been talking about for years. We had 10 days and did Paris, Barcelona, and Rome. A little rushed, yes, but she wanted to see everything 😂

She only speaks English and I know maybe ten useful words of French/Spanish/Italian combined, so I knew I’d be doing most of the planning and problem solving. Traveling with a parent definitely makes you think about things differently too. I was way more concerned about keeping things smooth and safe than I am when traveling alone.

Day 1 - Paris

We started around the Seine, walked past Notre-Dame, then spent most of the afternoon at the Louvre. Mom lasted about three hours before announcing that she had “seen enough important art for one lifetime.” We grabbed pastries, sat outside near the river, and did absolutely nothing for a while. Honestly probably the best part of the day.

Day 2 - Montmartre and the Eiffel Tower

Took it slower because her feet were already complaining. Montmartre was her favorite neighborhood, mostly because she loved watching people paint in the square. We went up the Eiffel Tower around sunset and she got weirdly emotional when the lights came on. I pretended not to notice because then I would’ve started too.

Day 3 - Barcelona

Somewhere around the metro my mom realized her wallet was gone, so we ended up at a police station to report it. We only had Google Translate and the whole conversation was painfully slow, everyone kept misunderstanding each other and I could tell my mom was getting more stressed.

Day 4 - Sagrada Família and the Gothic Quarter

Much better day lol. Mom was completely obsessed with the Sagrada Família and kept taking photos of the ceiling. We wandered through the Gothic Quarter afterward, stopped for tapas, and bought a cheap little crossbody bag because she was absolutely not putting anything in a coat pocket again.

Day 5 - Rome

Rome immediately became her favorite. We did the Colosseum in the morning, took a long lunch because neither of us could handle another five hours of walking, then went to the Trevi Fountain at night. She threw in a coin and told me that apparently I’m obligated to bring her back now.

Day 6 - Vatican City

We booked the earliest slot we could. Definitely worth it. Mom spent forever inside St. Peter’s Basilica and called my aunt from outside afterward just to show her where she was. Watching a 60-year-old woman excitedly video call her sister like a teenager might be my favorite memory from the whole trip.

We spent the rest of the days eating too much, getting slightly lost, sitting in cafés whenever her knees needed a break, and changing plans constantly.

Traveling with my mom was slower than the trips I normally take, and definitely required more planning, but I’m really glad we did it now instead of saying “maybe next year” again.

The older I get, the more I think trips like this are less about how many places you see and more about getting to have these memories together while you still can.

Took my mom to Europe for her 60th birthday