I had a lot of fun in France, but after three weeks of non-stop travelling I couldn’t wait to get home. Here is a list of the Top Five Things I Missed Most About Home:

5) North American restaurants. This might sound crazy, considering French food is amazing. But I missed free re-fills on soda. I missed restaurants that are open between 2pm until 7pm (if you are busy and you don’t find a restaurant before 2pm in small-town France, you’re screwed). And most of all, I missed not having to ask for the bill when I’m finished my meal.

4) English. I am a fairly articulate person, so being perceived as an incompetent moron is a little hard to take. It was very difficult, not being able to get my point across as well as I would have liked. I’m delighted that I’ve picked up some more French on my trip. Nevertheless, I nearly cried from relief when I boarded the Delta flight to realize all the flight attendants spoke perfect English.

3) My bed. It doesn’t matter if you’re staying in the nicest of hostels or a five-star hotel, nothing compares to one’s own bed. It was so nice to finally stretch out on a double bed and get some undisturbed sleep!

2) Reliable Internet. I had a horrible time finding internet in many parts of France. This was particularly problematic, considering my job was to blog/vlog about my trip. Additionally, I didn’t bring a cell phone with me – I used my computer to stay in contact with friends and family, and so without an internet connection I was completely isolated from my entire support system.

1) My friends and family. Travelling alone is … well, lonely. Especially if you’re in a country where English is rare (or rarer than you’re used to). Travelling in January  meant there were very few people at my hostels, and I was lucky if I could communicate with my fellow travellers, let alone make new friends!

Don’t get me wrong – I’m glad I went to France. I visited amazing new places, ate delicious new foods, and had a lot of fun. But as my Mom always says, “It’s nice to go away, but it’s always nicer to go home again.”

Thank you for following and commenting on this blog. This will be my last entry here, but you can follow my future adventures at http://www.jessicasheff.com