In the last 24 hours I have planned and changed and formatted and reformatted and outlined and thrown away the outline, of my entire trip. There are so many details to be worked out, and everyone thinks they have the right way to do it.
How to get there
"I'm a woman, Mary, I can be as contrary as I like." --Duchess of Downton, Downton Abbey
What about your parents?
This is the question that everyone over thirty years old eventually asks me when they learn I'm going backpacking in Europe solo. They are then astonished to find out my parents are supportive. As if I would be so apt to jet-set around the world if my parents adamantly opposed it!
Though honestly, I too was surprised at how well they took the news that their oldest child was planning on quitting her very good job and flying to the other side of the world for as yet to be determined length of time.
Here are the factors that I think kept them from going off the deep end.
How (not) to quit your job
Oh how I wish this was a simple "step one" kind of deal. Instead I am learning on my own and realizing I'm making mistakes, even as I'm making them. Here is a great list of what you probably shouldn't do:
Electronics: to bring or not to bring
I misplaced my camera somewhere between moving into my new apartment this past fall and the holiday season. I have little hope of finding it at the point (as I’ve searched every crevice I can think of, and no luck) so now it has become a question of “do I need it?” I, like every red-blooded American, have a smart phone equipped with a fairly good camera and I realized during my trip to Australia that often it was easier to whip out my phone than dig for my carefully secured and protected digital camera.
There is also the argument that we all live life looking through a viewfinder anymore and thus do not really enjoy life. This leads me to whether I should take my computer. I shelled out quite a pretty penny for my MacBook just over a month ago.
All things considered, it appears that taking my phone alone is the more savvy choice.
- It will help me avoid those time sucks like Farmville 2 (something I could do in an American prison, so why do it while spending my life savings to be in Europe?)
- I can pull pictures right from my phone to the Internet instead of messing with cords and such to get them from my camera to my computer to the world wide web.
- The money saved from purchasing a new camera can help pay for my roaming fees.
- The number one priority for all free travelers: SPACE!!! My phone takes up less than half as much space as my camera, let alone my laptop.
Romania Dates
Sarah and I nailed down some trip dates today for Romania!!!! We used skyscanner.com which I have found to have some of the best rates for international travel. (Actually I even used it the other day to find tickets for my mom and I to fly to Dallas next month for Hot Chocolate 5K/15K!)
I’ve been using LiveMocha to learn a couple languages for my trip. (Because nothing says “arrogant American” than not knowing how to introduce yourself to the native citizens where you are a guest.)
My goal is that by the time we leave in June I will be at a conversational level in Italian, have brushed up on my Spanish and Arabic, and know all the necessary basic phrases (hello, my name is..., where is the bathroom? etc) in Romanian, German, French, and Dutch. Between those languages and English I hope to be able to escape offending anyone.
Backpack testing day 1!
WARNING: If you suffer at all from wanderlust, REI could possibly be hazardous to your wallet. Weigh that against it complete AWESOMENESS and you'll probably still find yourself inside it's beautiful walls. At least I warned you.
This was my first trip to the sporting goods/outdoor adventure store and I spent almost two hours just walking around looking at stuff. I've never seen so many options for sleeping bag pads alone! And then of course there's a different coat for every single activity man has invented, base layers that feel like they're made of air, Permethrin spray to guard against parasites while on the road, and the backpacks....
I thought I would slip into the store unnoticed and try on a few packs, then slip back out again for more research and price shopping at other stores. Hahahahahaha. Luckily the staff at REI were extremely helpful. It was only a few moments before Kimberly was at my side asking me questions, getting me measured, and guiding me away from what I hadn't known were the men's backpacks.
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Gregory Sage 35
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She strapped this beauty on me and packed it full of weighted beanbags before sending me trekking across the store to try it out. It was the first one we tried and nothing else came close. I thought there couldn't be a big difference between the different brands, at least not one that an absolute newbie like me would be able to discern. Boy was I wrong. One pack I tried wouldn't even come tight enough around my waist to balance the weight on my hips (despite being advertised as my size), another one continued to pull my shoulders back no matter how we adjusted it. The Gregory Sage 35 balanced perfectly on my hips once I realized the key is to STAND UP STRAIGHT (as my parents are sick of telling me).
Here is what I really love about the Gregory Sage 35
- It's top loading, but objects in the bottom are still easily accessible through a zippered side pocket (the zipper gets even bigger with the 45 and 55 models).
- The rain cover is included and easy to pull out and pack up. It even has a little clip on it (like you see in regular backpacks and fanny packs to secure your keys) to help you keep from losing it.
- A sleeping bag and/or pad is easily strapped to the bottom of the pack, so no fishing around for them when you stop for the night.
The unfortunate thing is that I want to get as close to that magical 50L mark as possible (the maximum for most airlines to consider it still a carry on) and this is only 35L. REI assured me they will be getting a new shipment of backpacks in relatively soon and that it will most likely include the Sage 45 so hopefully that is just as comfortable as the 35. Another nice thing about REI is that anything you buy from them online can be returned to store, no so return shipping fees! (aka. the bane of my existence)
*For anyone contemplating making a large purchase from REI (the above backpack is a cool $250), consider joining their membership program well in advance: not only does the $20 membership fee then save you 10% on full priced items for life (How? I have no earthly idea) but they often send out coupons for 25% off. You'll easily make up the difference.
photo credits in this post belong to REI.com
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