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Trinity College |
The new man in my life |
My Goodness, My Guinness! |
Made my day...how did he not know? |
Top o' the brewery tower |
Dublin Castle |
Irish Wall of Fame |
In less than 8 hours, I’ll be on
a plane flying back home to the States. It has been a fantastic, life changing 2 months, but
I’m ready to see my family & friends. I’m also excited to do the following
(but not limited to): eat chocolate chip waffles & grits at Waffle House,
have a Cool Beans date with Stephanie, watch movies at the drive-in with Mom
& Dad, eat boiled peanuts & drink a Dr. Pepper, sleep naked, & DRIVE...it's the little things. Europe, it’s been fun. Although it’s a bittersweet departure, I’ll be
back very soon (& better prepared). Life is good.
THE OFFICIAL UNOFFICIAL
BACKPACKER’S GUIDE (for my next trip)
Clothes
*Lots of dresses-They’re lightweight, don’t take up
too much room, & can be worn multiple times before being washed
*Shoes (optional)-I used my
shoes 3 times my entire trip. Sandals FTW!
*Socks (see shoes)
*Everything else
*Everything else
Toiletries
*Shampoo…Lots
& lots of shampoo (don't even think about doing laundry in the sink)
*Bar soap (lasts
longer)
*Shower sandals-To
prevent the funk on your feet
*Conditioner (bring it!)-Happy
hair=happy you
*Everything else
*Everything else
Misc
*Electrical converter (a must)
*Book-Most hostels have a book exchange so you can keep refreshing on your way.
*Daypack-I was surprised to see many websites against this, but I carried almost my entire life in mine (not the safest way, but I'd rather have it with me).
*Book-Most hostels have a book exchange so you can keep refreshing on your way.
*Daypack-I was surprised to see many websites against this, but I carried almost my entire life in mine (not the safest way, but I'd rather have it with me).
*Sleeping bag-I would have been fine without mine since most hostels provide the linen.
LEAVE YOUR PHONE AT HOME!! Or on a chair in Ireland before you get ready to leave on a ferry for France only to never see it again. RIP.
LEAVE YOUR PHONE AT HOME!! Or on a chair in Ireland before you get ready to leave on a ferry for France only to never see it again. RIP.
My 2 cents
1. Hostels can make
or break a place.
I
absolutely hated my visit to Berlin because my hostel was more of a hotel. Part of the time
I was staying with an older man who smelled like cigarette smoke. Hostels are
one of the main gateways to meeting people & enjoying the city (also my own responsibility to create my own happiness, but this helps). Check the
reviews & ratings, & weed out the hostels based on what you’re looking
for.
2. A travel day is
usually a lost day.
Very rarely
have I been able to travel to another city & still have plenty of time to
sightsee. Once you pack up, check out of your hostel, board the train, get off
the train, find your hostel, check in, & unpack, it’s already time to go to
sleep. It’s relaxing, but tiring at the same time.
3. In the end, every
city is just like the other. It’s what you make it out to be that makes it
stick out.
Even though
hostels played a huge role in my enjoyment of the city (example, bedbugs vs no
bedbugs), you have to make the best of the situation that you’re in. Take
advantage of the opportunities you have, the places the city has to offer,
& meet the locals.
4. Say yes.
Ok, there
are plenty of times when this is not the best thing to do, but if someone
invites you to go out & you feel comfortable with it but want to stay in,
SAY YES. Every single time I did, I never regretted it because I met new people
& had great experiences. For example, when Mathias & James asked me to
go out as soon as I walked in the door in Marseille, I made an excuse that I
was smelly & needed a shower which was true. They said they needed one too,
so I figured what the hell, might as well go out smelly together. One of the
best nights I’ve had. I probably wouldn’t have spent the next day with them if
I said no.
5. If you travel with
people, you’re going to spend more money than you think.
EVERY
single time I traveled with someone whether it was for the day or for 2 weeks,
I spent way more than my budget allowed thus making my last month a frugal one.
If you have your trip planned out to the cent, add another grand just in case.
I had many unexpected things come up too that caused me to spend such as taking
taxis, booking a hotel instead of a hostel, going out to eat for a fancy meal,
& reserving & paying for train tickets even though I already had a
Eurail pass. It happens.
6. Walk everywhere.
Don’t take the metro or taxis if you can help it.
I realized
traveling with Will that there really is no need to take the metro, even in the
larger cities unless you don’t feel safe. Personally, I love riding the trains
because people watching is extremely amusing & trains are cool. But when
you’re sightseeing, that’s exactly what you should do. See the city, explore,
get lost. Some of the places I found were by accident because I put up my map
& took to the streets not knowing where I was headed. The adventure is the
best part. Plus you save TONS of money.
7. Starbucks &
McDonalds are a "safe" place.
They both
have free wifi & are familiar, or atleast they were to me. In every single
country I went to, these were my go to places if I was lost, needed a reminder
of home, or wanted free wifi (many places require you to pay for it). The only problem I ever had was in Italy because McDonalds requires a non US phone number to register to
use their free wifi. Also, there are no Starbucks in Italy which makes sense.
That’s why I booked hostels with free wifi.
8. Scam
artists & pickpockets...
Luckily, I
wasn’t a victim to either of these or that I know of at least (they are
professionals at this, right?). The lady with the gold ring in Paris was a dead
giveaway, but I heard stories from other travelers when I was in Barcelona
about them feeling the person behind them explore their baggage. ZIP UP YOUR
PURSES LADIES!! I had a drawstring bag & always held it on one shoulder
resting on my right boob. This way I knew that my bag was always closed &
could keep an easy death grip on it, especially because my life was in there
(passport, laptop, camera, money <--not smart, don't do that). There was another instance in Barcelona when
Hugo & I were gallivanting around at 5 am. I bought him a 2 euro bottle of
water with a 10 euro bill, but the man gave me 4 euro back in change &
walked off (the 1 & 2 euro coins look exactly alike). We caught up to the old man, & he tried to say "have mercy!" because he was old.
He actually pointed to his balding white hair & then put his hands
together in prayer form. Nope. I also saw a lady get pickpocketed on the metro in Barcelona, but the train doors had already closed before she could go after him.
9. Hostels let you
check in your luggage.
The entire first week of my trip, I
was so stupid. I carried my huge backpack everywhere I went, not realizing I
could keep my luggage in the room if I was staying more than one night or in
their checkin/checkout closet (when you checkout by a certain time, say 10 am,
but want to explore, they let you keep your luggage there until you can check
in to your next hostel which is usually 2 pm or later). Unless you want to look
like a bodybuilder, enjoy not sweating all day & your back thanking you.
10. If you think
you’ve made a huge mistake because you’re trip sucks at first, it will get
better.
The first 2
weeks of my trip sucked. I wasn’t really enjoying myself because I was still
learning all of these things & what being a backpacker meant. The
loneliness wasn’t fun either. I would have been ok to go home & save the
money. Once I got the hang of it, it was phenomenal. I met more people, I
became ok with being alone (actually enjoyed & needed it sometimes), &
had great experiences.
11. If you get bedbugs, tell the hostel immediately & wash your
stuff a tribillion times!
It’s one of the
risks of backpacking, but trust me. Unless you want a polka dotted scarred body
like mine, take care of it ASAP. I wouldn’t wish these little demons on my
worst enemy.
12. Eurail
Pass…there’s more to it than you think.
I bought
the $1,200 2-month unlimited train pass that covers 24-ish countries all across
Europe thinking I wouldn’t have to shell out a dime (or euro) on travel
expenses. Plus the convenience to hop on, hop off trains whenever I pleased was
comforting. Italy, Spain, & France usually requite a reservation or
supplement fee on top of your Eurail pass because many of the trains are
privately owned. The fees were never that much, but that was money I
didn’t plan for. For example, to go from Barcelona to Paris in a day was
30 euros with the pass. The good thing about the private trains is that they’re MUCH faster
& more comfortable. Take a look at these 2 websites below…they helped me
out tremendously while I was getting the hang of the train life.
Individual Country’s National Train System (halfway down)
All Train Schedules
Lessons Learned Along
the Way
Lesson #1: Make plans
before you arrive in a city.
The first day I arrived in Ireland, I was high on the idea
that I would be backpacking to places on a whim! As much fun as this sounded,
it ended up being stressful trying to look for a place to stay last minute, and
I spent way too much money unexpectedly from cabs & hotels the next 2 days.
Lesson #2: If you’re
going on an overnight ferry, spend the money for a cabin!
You get what you pay for. I purchased a ticket for a
reclining chair to sleep in because it was the cheapest & cabins were all
full (lesson #1). My reclining chair was in a small room with a bunch of other
scary men included in a loud part of the ship on my 18-hour journey.
EDIT: Suck it up & save the money. =)
EDIT: Suck it up & save the money. =)
Lesson #3: If you’re
traveling to different cities frequently, you probably won’t take a shower but
every 2 days.
It happens. Unless you’re staying in hostels in the city for
a while, showers become hard to find when you’re on the train or ferry.
Lesson #4: Wear
sunscreen.
Or you will get burned (this includes cloudy days!).
Lesson #5: Even if
you have the Eurail Pass, plan to pay for traveling (cabs, local metro, &
trains included).
The Eurail Pass allows you to hop on an unlimited amount of
trains within a certain time period in 24 European countries (England not
included). Depending on the country, many trains have required reservation and
cabin fees if you’re traveling over country lines which can range from 10-100
euros per trip. This website saved my life à http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm#quick%20guide%20to%20railpasses.
The man in seat 61 is THE man.
Lesson #6: Plan your
trip in that country’s currency, not yours.
The US dollar is roughly $1.35 per 1 euro. Planning
according to the US currency gave me the luxurious life of a backpacker…until I
came to Europe & realized things are much more expensive. My bank account
started to drain pretty fast.
Lesson #7: Look at the train stop name before you get
off.
This isn’t the first
time this has happened to me. In my excitement to explore the new city, I heard
the German announcer say "Munchen" & got off, only for Will to
realize we were not even remotely close to our destination. Some
cities have more than one train station, so it’s VERY IMPORTANT to look at the
actual station name plus the city.
Lesson #8: Do not book the cheapest hostel available.
You get what you pay
for. In my case, it was bedbugs, no toilet paper, & kneeling when taking a
shower. No me gusta.
Lesson #9: Have backup money.
Thankfully I never
lost my bank card, but I had 2 scares when my account was frozen (on a weekend
too) & it wouldn’t work in an ATM even though my bank was told 3 times the
dates I would be gone & places I was going. If you do go with just one way
to pay, have enough cash to cover shelter & food until you are able to
access more. That night in Dublin when it didn't work at the ATM, I actually thought I
was going to be outside for the night.
If you've wanted to travel but can't make up your mind or have reasons why you shouldn't, go to this website here, www.priceline.com, make bad decisions, book a ticket quickly, & only possibly regret it later. Then you'll have to go.
THE END.
Wait, & a shout out to Manny!
Ok, now THE END.
If you've wanted to travel but can't make up your mind or have reasons why you shouldn't, go to this website here, www.priceline.com, make bad decisions, book a ticket quickly, & only possibly regret it later. Then you'll have to go.
THE END.
Wait, & a shout out to Manny!
Ok, now THE END.