Made it to Dublin!
A beautiful, diverse city, buzzing with activity and a pub on every corner. Also saw a guy with dreads all the way down to his knees. I applauded his perseverance: that must have taken years! Overall, great first impressions of the city. Friendly people and plenty to see and do.
I was too excited to really sleep on the plane, so when I arrived in Dublin at 8:30AM today, my energy tank was on empty. Nevertheless, I hopped on a bus and went straight from the airport to a 3-hour walking tour of Dublin. Definitely running on just fumes at this point. After the tour, went to a local pub and grabbed a quick meal of true comfort food: Irish beef and Guinness Stew with cabbage and potatoes. Mmm. Now all I want to do is go take a long nap in one of the many beautiful parks in the city. And that's just what I'm going to do.
Cheers!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Preparation: The Plan
All packed up and ready to go! Before now, I've only ever had to pack for a 3 week trip. Packing for 2 months and for 2 different seasons was a new challenge, but mission accomplished! I definitely over-packed, per usual, but due to my superior packing skills, it all fit in one pack, 30 pounds, and one small carry-on, 5 pounds. Not bad considering I had to pack for 90-degree days on the Mediterranean and 40-degree days in the Alps, all in one bag.
Boarding passes printed, passport in pocket, camera charged, phone charged, money exchanged, shoes on, annnnd we're off. Now the hurry-up-and-wait begins. Driving to Chicago from Grand Rapids, then a non-stop overnight flight to Dublin. Thankfully I sleep like a baby on planes.
So here is the rough itinerary/list of places I will be traveling to in Europe:
Ireland: Dublin and the West Coast
Belgium: Brussels
Netherlands: Amsterdam
Spain: Madrid and Barcelona
Italy: Pisa, Rome, Florence, Venice
Austria: Vienna
Czech Republic: Prague
Poland: Krakow, Wroclaw
Finland: Helsinki
Sweden: Stockholm, Gothenburg
Denmark: Copenhagen
Germany: (cities TBD)
Luxembourg (possibly)
Switzerland (cities TBD)
In most of these cities, I'll have the luxury of staying with people that I know, mostly international students that I met at North Park and friends that are studying abroad or working abroad. I specifically planned my itinerary around cities where I knew I could stay with someone I know. This has major financial benefits, but I'll also have a local to show me around, which is an even bigger benefit. In the cities where I don't know anyone, I will either be CouchSurfing (www.couchsurfing.org) or finding a cheap hostel. I won't be living in luxury by any means, but I'm on a tight budget and have no complaints. In my opinion, it will be more of an adventure to travel this way anyway, and that is my goal after all, isn't it?
I can't wait for the adventures to come. Even as I write this, knowing that in less than 24 hours I will be in Europe, it still doesn't feel real. Someone pinch me. Off I go!
Boarding passes printed, passport in pocket, camera charged, phone charged, money exchanged, shoes on, annnnd we're off. Now the hurry-up-and-wait begins. Driving to Chicago from Grand Rapids, then a non-stop overnight flight to Dublin. Thankfully I sleep like a baby on planes.
So here is the rough itinerary/list of places I will be traveling to in Europe:
Ireland: Dublin and the West Coast
Belgium: Brussels
Netherlands: Amsterdam
Spain: Madrid and Barcelona
Italy: Pisa, Rome, Florence, Venice
Austria: Vienna
Czech Republic: Prague
Poland: Krakow, Wroclaw
Finland: Helsinki
Sweden: Stockholm, Gothenburg
Denmark: Copenhagen
Germany: (cities TBD)
Luxembourg (possibly)
Switzerland (cities TBD)
In most of these cities, I'll have the luxury of staying with people that I know, mostly international students that I met at North Park and friends that are studying abroad or working abroad. I specifically planned my itinerary around cities where I knew I could stay with someone I know. This has major financial benefits, but I'll also have a local to show me around, which is an even bigger benefit. In the cities where I don't know anyone, I will either be CouchSurfing (www.couchsurfing.org) or finding a cheap hostel. I won't be living in luxury by any means, but I'm on a tight budget and have no complaints. In my opinion, it will be more of an adventure to travel this way anyway, and that is my goal after all, isn't it?
I can't wait for the adventures to come. Even as I write this, knowing that in less than 24 hours I will be in Europe, it still doesn't feel real. Someone pinch me. Off I go!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Preparation: Philosophizing
My first blog post!
Thanks for reading.
The purpose of this blog is for my family and friends to follow along with me as I trot across the globe.
Tomorrow, I will embark on my first adventure to Europe. Spanning 2 months and about 13 countries, my trip will be primarily for selfish, tourist reasons, although I hope to be anything other than a typical "tourist." While I do intend to see the sights, have some adventures, and discover hidden beauty, I also hope to make new friends, experience new cultures, and gain a new perspective on life along the way.
When I tell people that I'm going to travel, many people ask, "Why?" This is mostly out of curiosity, as in, what is my purpose for traveling, but a few people also ask in the "Why on earth would you want to do that?!?" kind of way. My response is usually, "Why not?" A cop-out answer, I know. But I've begun to think more deeply about why I want to spend so much of my time (and my money) traveling internationally. The one answer that continues to come to mind is: adventure. I desire adventure in life, and I do not feel satisfied without it. I cannot be content knowing that I have only seen such a small part of this world and knowing there is so much more out there to experience. I know that I will not be able to see every inch of the world before I die, but I can't help but try. I hope that my goal of travel is never in the form of a checklist: going places and seeing things simply to check them off my list. Travel, much like life, is about the journey, not the destination. That, in a nutshell, is my "philosophy of travel."
This philosophy of mine also includes my ideas about what I want to gain from travel. For me, the relationships I make and the people I meet are more important to me than the number of places I visit or the number of crazy things I do. Similarly, experiencing a new culture as deeply as possible is more important to me than experiencing a lot of cultures only a little bit (quality over quantity is the theme here). So then, it would seem contradictory for me to plan my first trip in this way: 13 countries in 2 months, staying in some countries for no more than a day.
When I had originally started dreaming about my travels, I always thought I would pick one place and stay there for an extended period of time, rather than hopping around, living like a tourist/nomad. If, after all, the relationships I make are more important to me than the sights I see, and if fully immersing myself in a culture is more desirable to me than living like a tourist, then it would make sense for me to live in one place for an extended period of time. But as I researched study abroad trips, the peace corps, teaching abroad, and international internships, nothing really seemed to fall into place. But the idea of traveling just for tourism still seemed like a selfish, expensive, and non-meaningful way to travel that was in direct opposition of my philosophy. But I think I'm okay with the idea of it now. There's nothing wrong with living like a tourist, always with open eyes and an open mind to something new every day. After all, I do love a change of scenery and hate being stuck anywhere. I've had to tell myself that this is not selfish, that I have worked hard for the money and the time off to travel, and that I can still live abroad long-term later in life if I want to. And I think I can still maintain my philosophies about travel along the way, as long as I prioritize the people and the culture over the material things and the touristy places.
While there remain a few skeptics who think I'm crazy for traveling (especially solo, at times), most people are supportive and excited for me. Many people say, " Good for you! I wish I had done that when I was your age," or, "Traveling was one of the best things I ever did. You won't regret it!" or, "I wish I had the time/money/lack of commitments to do that." So I am going to take advantage of the face that I have no commitments holding me down and no time constraints. I know that if I keep putting it off, something or someone else will always come up that will make it more difficult to leave home. So, I'm just going to jump and go for it. Even if I end up broke in the end (which is highly likely), it will all be worth it. I know I'll look back with no regrets. And hey, traveling abroad solo looks good on a resume, right? :)
Thanks for reading.
The purpose of this blog is for my family and friends to follow along with me as I trot across the globe.
Tomorrow, I will embark on my first adventure to Europe. Spanning 2 months and about 13 countries, my trip will be primarily for selfish, tourist reasons, although I hope to be anything other than a typical "tourist." While I do intend to see the sights, have some adventures, and discover hidden beauty, I also hope to make new friends, experience new cultures, and gain a new perspective on life along the way.
When I tell people that I'm going to travel, many people ask, "Why?" This is mostly out of curiosity, as in, what is my purpose for traveling, but a few people also ask in the "Why on earth would you want to do that?!?" kind of way. My response is usually, "Why not?" A cop-out answer, I know. But I've begun to think more deeply about why I want to spend so much of my time (and my money) traveling internationally. The one answer that continues to come to mind is: adventure. I desire adventure in life, and I do not feel satisfied without it. I cannot be content knowing that I have only seen such a small part of this world and knowing there is so much more out there to experience. I know that I will not be able to see every inch of the world before I die, but I can't help but try. I hope that my goal of travel is never in the form of a checklist: going places and seeing things simply to check them off my list. Travel, much like life, is about the journey, not the destination. That, in a nutshell, is my "philosophy of travel."
This philosophy of mine also includes my ideas about what I want to gain from travel. For me, the relationships I make and the people I meet are more important to me than the number of places I visit or the number of crazy things I do. Similarly, experiencing a new culture as deeply as possible is more important to me than experiencing a lot of cultures only a little bit (quality over quantity is the theme here). So then, it would seem contradictory for me to plan my first trip in this way: 13 countries in 2 months, staying in some countries for no more than a day.
When I had originally started dreaming about my travels, I always thought I would pick one place and stay there for an extended period of time, rather than hopping around, living like a tourist/nomad. If, after all, the relationships I make are more important to me than the sights I see, and if fully immersing myself in a culture is more desirable to me than living like a tourist, then it would make sense for me to live in one place for an extended period of time. But as I researched study abroad trips, the peace corps, teaching abroad, and international internships, nothing really seemed to fall into place. But the idea of traveling just for tourism still seemed like a selfish, expensive, and non-meaningful way to travel that was in direct opposition of my philosophy. But I think I'm okay with the idea of it now. There's nothing wrong with living like a tourist, always with open eyes and an open mind to something new every day. After all, I do love a change of scenery and hate being stuck anywhere. I've had to tell myself that this is not selfish, that I have worked hard for the money and the time off to travel, and that I can still live abroad long-term later in life if I want to. And I think I can still maintain my philosophies about travel along the way, as long as I prioritize the people and the culture over the material things and the touristy places.
While there remain a few skeptics who think I'm crazy for traveling (especially solo, at times), most people are supportive and excited for me. Many people say, " Good for you! I wish I had done that when I was your age," or, "Traveling was one of the best things I ever did. You won't regret it!" or, "I wish I had the time/money/lack of commitments to do that." So I am going to take advantage of the face that I have no commitments holding me down and no time constraints. I know that if I keep putting it off, something or someone else will always come up that will make it more difficult to leave home. So, I'm just going to jump and go for it. Even if I end up broke in the end (which is highly likely), it will all be worth it. I know I'll look back with no regrets. And hey, traveling abroad solo looks good on a resume, right? :)
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