By Sandra Freire | CEO & Founder of City Travel Global

 I have spent more than twenty years traveling around the world. I have seen the sunrise in the Sahara, walked through the markets of Istanbul, and felt moved while seeing the pyramids of Giza. But a recent trip shook my soul in a way I did not expect. It wasn’t the destination that surprised me —because Paris is always pure magic— but the company: my 22-year-old niece.

There is a deeply rooted idea that great trips are exclusive to couples. And I, who have traveled alone, accompanied, and in groups, can tell you with all the conviction in my soul: that is not true!

We stayed in a petit boutique hôtel in Le Marais — a small and exclusive hotel with a soul of its own — in the heart of Le Marais, the most elegant and bohemian neighborhood in Paris. And from the very first day we allowed ourselves to get lost in the streets. Place des Vosges left us speechless. At the Musée d’Orsay, standing in front of a painting almost in passing, my niece began to talk to me about her dreams and her fears. Things we had never had the space to talk about in our everyday lives.

On the third day, without planning anything, we walked up to Montmartre before sunrise with a coffee in hand. Paris slept beneath us. The sun began painting the horizon pink. We sat on the steps of Sacré-Cœur and simply were. Present. Whole. My niece took my hand. She said nothing. Neither did I. And in that silence I understood that these are the memories that stay with you for a lifetime.

I came back with a bigger soul. Not because I had seen more monuments, but because I had the opportunity to watch someone I love discover the world with me. And I would love for you to experience that too: the best trips don’t change your passport, they change your perspective.

You don’t need to wait for your ideal partner. There is that friend you always wanted to escape with. Your mom, who deserves to see the world. Your niece, your aunt, your cousin. There is someone in your life waiting for you to invite her. Don’t think twice. Write to her today.

✈ Are you ready to travel with someone special? At City Travel Global we design unique, exclusive, and completely personalized experiences.

Tell us your dream. We make it come true.
Sandra Freire, CEO & Founder · City Travel Global