For the Salo family, this past summer’s vacation was one for the record books. Terry, her husband, Jerry, and their two daughters, Sam and Sabrina, embarked on a two-week European adventure spanning four countries, marking their most extensive trip to date.

The journey began with a flight to London, a city that quickly became the highlight of the trip for Sam and Sabrina. They fell in love with its cleanliness and charm and the British accents. Huge Harry Potter fans, they were thrilled to immerse themselves in British culture. “They enjoyed that everyone spoke English,” Terry chuckles, “and they loved high tea at our quaint hotel in Kensington.”

After two delightful days in London, the family traveled by train under the English Channel to Paris, arriving just a week before the Olympic crowds. While Jerry and Terry soaked up the city’s historic sites, Sam and Sabrina showed their teenage spirit. “They weren't big fans of our formal walking tours,” Terry reveals, smiling. “About 30 minutes in, they were asking to explore independently.” So, they struck a balance—mornings filled with guided tours and afternoons free for shopping and exploring. The teens even insisted on trying a trendy pho restaurant on their first day, much to Terry’s amusement: “I told them, ‘I’m not eating pho my first day in Paris!’”

From Paris, they traveled to Heidelberg, Germany, where Terry and Jerry’s military backgrounds came full circle. Both had lived in Germany as children, and this leg of the trip felt like a homecoming. They rented a Mercedes and embraced the thrill of driving on the Autobahn. The trip concluded in Austria, where the family spent a day exploring Salzburg and another day touring the Alps with a private driver. The girls were intrigued to be in the place where The Sound of Music took place.

Throughout their journey, the family visited thrift shops and marveled at European fashion trends, noticing long, pleated silk skirts in nearly every city they visited. "I bet we’ll start seeing them in the States soon," Terry speculates.

Reflecting on the trip, Terry shares that while this vacation was their first family visit to Europe, she hopes it won’t be the last. The experience was a meaningful connection to her and Jerry’s roots and a cherished adventure with their girls.

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