A big thanks to Lindsey of Vacations by Lindsey for contributing the following post as the March 15th Travel Instigator. Stay tuned for a feature post and Q and A from a new adventurous female traveler the 15th and 30th of every month.

(Cannes Film Festival - Opening night for "Taking Woodstock")

I realized just how much I wanted to work in the travel industry during a study abroad trip after my sophomore year of college. I packed my bags for a month on the French Riviera at the Cannes Film Festival, hoping to be discovered for my lack of acting talent.

If you’re not familiar with the Cannes Film Festival, you should know that there are certain levels of badges. There’s the I’m-So-Famous-You-Don’t-Need-To-See-My-Badge. There’s the Market Badge, which gets semi-important people into most of the screenings. Then there’s the Cinephile Badge, which I was given.  While most people think the word “cinephile” means movie lover, in French it actually translates to, “You cannot get into this screening, stupide. It is not possible.”

The badge also means you have to take any means necessary to find your own tickets. So, I joined my group of 25 peers on the Croisette with hand-written signs that begged, “Une billet, s’il vous plaît?”. Translated, that means: “One ticket, please.” However, many French men misunderstood this for, “Of course I would love receive payment as your personal escort this evening!”

The first ticket I obtained was by accident: as I leaned down to pick up the sign that I’d dropped, the wind blew my dress up. By the time I composed myself and turned around, an eager guy was holding out une billet to the world premiere of Disney’s Up. The irony that I received a ticket to a children’s movie by flashing someone is not beyond me.

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