Sometimes, you’re presented with an opportunity you just can’t refuse, and in March, my husband was presented with just such an opportunity.

He was asked to write a paper and present at the very first SecOnt conference, which was a part of ARES2012 in August.

This presentation? Was to be in Prague. The capital of the Czech Republic. A city that, at one time, was the capital of the entire Holy Roman Empire.

While not nearly as well known to Americans as cities like London and Paris, I was surprised to find that this city has just as much history. As a history and travel geek, I was excited for the travel opportunity.

However, travel isn’t as easy once you have 2 young kids. It took several weeks of near begging to convince our parents to watch the girls while my husband and I went to Prague for 8 days. Yes, folks, you read that right. Eight days on an entirely different continent without my children.

While some will disagree, I was NOT going to drag my girls (at the time, 3.5 years and 10 months) through 3 airports and 12 hours of flight each way. The thought was akin to torture – and so was our return flight. The logistics were the subject of nightmares – and so was the thought of what might go wrong while I was away from my babies.

But we all persevered, overcame our various obstacles and took a fantastic week long trip to a country we’d never thought twice about. We stayed in city center, near the University of Economics where the conference was held, and I had no problem walking the streets by myself. The metro was much like Washington DC’s and made it even easier to get around town. They have a fantastic bus/tram system, but my husband and I (AND a friend!) usually chose to take the metro to the day’s farthest stop and walk back to really appreciate the city.

There will be more on the city of Prague and our experiences getting there and back, but for now, please, capitalize on the opportunities life throws at you. You never know when you’ll get an experience of a lifetime.