I don't really count trips to the US (I'm Canadian) as a foreign country, so I'd say my first trip abroad was to Russia (St Petersburg in '92), London and Paris. My dad took me along on a business trip when I was in my early 20s and it was incredible. First of all, I got my first taste of business class travel. Next, I got to spend about 3 weeks in Russia at an interesting moment in its history. I spent about half of it sightseeing and half of it accompanying my dad to meetings and mill visits. I'd worked for my dad in the past so I knew something about the business.

I spent about 2 weeks in an extraordinarily luxurious hotel with my dad and about a week (while my dad was travelling in the boonies) living in a Russian apartment with one our translators. So I got a taste of luxury and a taste of what it was like to live in Russia. On the way back from Russia, my dad dropped me off in London - with a BA miles ticket to get home, so I hung around in London and then went to visit an ex-boyfriend in Paris. The whole trip (about 6 weeks) cost me about $500. I was hooked ...