An adorable wild squirrel left such an impression on 12-year-old Sammie Clark that it was the first thing she told her friends when she returned from six months of travelling around Europe.

“I held a hazelnut out and the squirrel bit my finger,” she laughed, before a physical re-enactment of how the rodent hung on as she tried to shake it off in London’s Hyde Park.

“I yanked my hand up and it was still attached! It let go mid-air. I had a little panic attack and had to sit down.”

Sammie Clark feeds squirrels in London’s Hyde Park.

“I think Sammie got such a fright because she was bleeding,” added her dad, Leon.

Snow, windsurfing, snails

The Otūmoetai Intermediate Year 7 student’s epic adventure with her parents from May to November last year has given the Bethlehem family a multitude of memories from that unexpectedly painful close encounter with a cute animal, to the Paris Olympics, walking in snow on the French Alps wearing only crocs, and windsurfing off the coast of Portugal.

“I ate a snail in Portugal, too,” said Sammie. “It was alright. I wouldn’t do it again but now I can say that I’ve eaten a snail.”

Sammie Clark ate snail and windsurfed in Portugal. Photo: supplied

The idea was sparked around six years ago by family friends who’d done something similar.

“Five months of our trip was spent in non-English speaking countries – mostly in and out of France,” said Sammie’s mum, Miranda Clark, who’s been learning French off and on since 2006 with local teacher Shelley Dean.

“All up, we did 11 countries, but three of those were during a cruise so we were in Croatia, Greece and Montenegro for a day each.”

“It was a little overwhelming at first not being able to understand anything and moving around every few days, but I got used to it,” said Sammie. “I was surprised how many people there were.”

“Tauranga is so quiet compared to the volume of people in European cities,” said Leon. “There are so many people moving to trains, planes and buses so we were constantly getting out of people’s way, and we’re just not used to that.”

Careful research and planning

Miranda kept a spreadsheet to track spending. With careful research and planning, they saved money by booking their flights early, hiring a long lease car, staying with friends and family for 92 of the 182 nights they were away, and cooking their own meals as much as possible. The strategy enabled the roller-coaster enthusiasts to splurge on bucket list experiences like the famous Europa-Park in Germany.

Hilarious anecdotes

Apart from the theft of a wallet in Rome and a daypack in London, the family returned with hundreds of photographs, souvenirs of art, a 2kg beer stein and dozens of hilarious anecdotes.

The Clark family during their travel. Photo: supplied

“What it’s done for Sammie in terms of knowledge about history and skills in communication is amazing,” said Miranda. “The buildings there were so big and old – one was a palace in Venice that dated back to the 1800s.”

“She even had a go at asking for tube tickets. Her confidence has really grown,” agreed Leon.

And Sammie has caught the travel bug. “I want to go back to Europe and do more!”