And I'm Off!

Me and my ticket and a sassy kiosk. 

After enduring months of “Taken” and “Hostel” jokes, I’m finally off to Europe for my 10 week backpacking trek. A continent I have never been to before, and one that I plan to tackle alone. I know many people think I’m crazy to be doing this, and now that that day has come for me to finally leave, I’m starting to think I may be as well.  But I did just turn 25 back in September, so the quarter-life crisis moment was bound to happen. Naturally my concerns are my plane is going to crash, or I will continuously be lost and crying for the next 2.5 months. Mama Pamela did give me some muscle relaxers, so hopefully those will help keep me calm. Despite the worries and fears, I’ve also received much encouragement from friends and family, reassuring me this will be an experience of a lifetime so they better be right. 

I’m currently at the Logan Airport in Boston, where I will be leaving shortly to head to my first stop, Dublin. I have put together out a loose itinerary of all the places I would like to hit:
 
Dublin, Ireland
Wales, UK
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Berlin, Germany
Prague, Czech Republic
Budapest, Hungary
Szentendre, Hungary
Vienna, Austria
Salzburg, Austria
Kehlsteinhaus, Germany
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
Munich, Germany
Venice, Italy
Rome, Italy
Florence, Italy
Barcelona, Spain
Madrid, Spain
Paris, France
Normandy, France
UK
Ireland

That’s the general plan for now, keeping it up in the air how long I’ll stay in each location, and I’m sure I’ll be adding some stops along the way!

I’m taking with me a my Deuter 45+10L backpack and a Jansport (keepin’ it classic) forcing me to pack as lightly as possible. I impressed myself with my packing skills, leaving enough room to acquire pleanty if useless knickknacks along the way! I’ll be staying in youth hostels to keep within my budget and also using them as an opportunity to meet other backpackers along the way. Another fear is that no one will want to be my friend or talk to me, so I’m banking on that sharing a bedroom with 10 strangers will force someone into being my friend.

As my dad dropped me off at the Richmond airport this morning, he left me with these words of wisdom, “Just, come back.” Hopefully I’ll be able to honor the wishes of my parents and will make it through this journey alive and unscathed. I know they will get zero sleep for the next 2.5 months, but maybe this blog will keep them and others at ease, proving I’m still in one piece. If I don’t post for a while, call Liam Neeson…