5. Hangout With Locals

Yes, hostels are super fun to stay in. There are always new people down to party, staff is usually awesome and everyone is looking to make friends. Definitely don’t miss out on the experience of getting woken up at 5am by six loud British guys in your room. That is definitely a must have backpacker experience. 

Really though, if you are going to visit a city, try spending some time with people who live in the city. They are the key to discovering that city. Some of the very best experiences on my trip came from CouchSurfing. Don’t be scared to try it because if you find a good host, it will be ALL worth it. Couchsurfing experiences can change your life. They help you see what humanity is truly capable of. Despite being from a completely different countries, real couchsurfers all have a tie to each other that is honest and beautiful. 

Our best Couchsurfing experience happened by chance. We weren't suppose to end up in Italy but due to cheaper routes we ended up in Rome for 5 days. I messaged a guy a couple days before we arrived on the off chance he would be able to host us. He agreed to let us stay with him and his roommate. Ernesto and Michel ended up being amazing hosts that cooked us homemade Italian meals every night! I never thought I would enjoy sitting at a small kitchen table drinking delicious red wine, learning Italian and being silly so much in my life. I laughed harder in those 3 days than I do weeks combined in the states. There is something so beautiful about laughing your way through another culture.

Now it's your turn. Go out and experience that perfect feeling of being alive with a complete stranger. Nothing can be more real. 

4. More Time in One Country

I know when you start planning a trip, it's natural to plan to see as many countries as possible. I implore you to rethink what you want to get out of your experience. Do you want to really immerse yourself somewhere and begin to peel away the layers of tourism and discover a beautiful country? You need more than 5 days and looking at some monuments to discover that. You won't find the heart of a country drunk at nightclubs and hostel socializing. Yes these things assist in having fun while introducing yourself to a new place but a whole country isn't made up of a pub crawl every night. 

Along with spending more time in a country, I suggest referring to number 3 and consider spending more time in other cities. If you are wanting to get to know a place, consider volunteering or working there for a couple of weeks (or even months). If you are a long-term traveler, the possibilities are endless. Some countries you were jive with more than others. Find one that you love at the beginning and explore it.

I’ll let you know a secret, the countries I stayed in the longest were my favorite ones. Spain (4 weeks), Turkey (3 weeks), Kenya (4 weeks), Tanzania (6 weeks). 

3. Discover Smaller Cities

When putting together an itinerary, we usually gravitate towards seeing as many big cities in as many countries as possible. Big cities are wonderful for a reason, but I think smaller cities are sometimes are even better. When I originally was creating my itinerary I wanted to hit as many big European cities as possible. It wasn't until I started traveling that I realized that mixing in smaller cities makes your adventure worthwhile. 

Most of the best experiences I had did not occur in big cities. Places I would have never planned to go but ended up in by chance. Some places were Montpellier, France, Figueres, Spain, Fethiye, Turkey, and Busia. Kenya. Each city has a special story to it and an adventure I loved. In Figueres, we went for the Dali Museum but ended up having our first couchsurfing experience because we didn't want to pay for a hotel. In Fethiye, we spent the day by ourselves hiking along the Mediterranean coast. Small cities still have much to offer even if they are off the beaten path. 

2. Do it YOUR way

Everybody wants to see/feel/taste/experience a city differently, so don’t feel pressured into doing everything in the Lonely Planet guide. Lonely Planet serves a good purpose and it can be rather useful at times with maps or finding places to eat. To be honest though, I think quite a bit of their activity suggestions are boring. 

Instead if you are wondering what to do for the day ask:

1. The receptionist at your hostel

2. Someone staying in your hostel 

3. A local 

4, (Or the best one) Just wander. 

At the beginning of traveling, we get caught up in the tourist syndrome. We have this overwhelming need to see every statue/monument/museum in the city. If we don't accomplish a couple of the excursions on our list we start to feel like we are failures at traveling. We aren't seeing enough or doing enough. It took me four cities to realize that I actually don't like museums and I much rather spend my day in a park. I was forcing myself to go to museums because it was the "thing to do." 

After a beautiful heart to heart in a brewery in Amsterdam, Lynn and I decided we were going to do it our way. From that point we stopped worrying about seeing every monument and plaza in a city. Instead we ended up focusing on the things we love such as food and nature. We discovered a park in every city we went to and began a journal rating each one with pros and cons.

One afternoon we sat in a small plaza for two hours in Barcelona with some British guys making up a story about all the people walking their dogs that day. Looking back, it was one of the highlights of my trip. The adventure is not always about crossing sites off the list but doing it your way. 

1. Do not OVERthink packing

(I put together a small list of long-term travel advice and will post one a week on Tuesdays.)

I was overwhelmed by the idea of what to pack for 4 months of travel? Simply, you need one of everything. Well, maybe two of a few things. You will have cold and hot weather, rainy and sunny. So, yes bring a good coat and some boots, but don’t forget a dress and flip flops. Don’t bring 10 shirts, but do bring layers.  

Yes, inevitably you will run out of your favorite shampoo and have to buy some kind of knock off that is written in Arabic. Get over it.

The best part of traveling is that you leave behind old things and pick up new ones as you go. Make sure you don’t bring anything you can’t see yourself parting with. Yet make sure you like it, because you will be wearing is EVERY DAY.

Simply put, you can still find anything you need elsewhere in the world. So, stop freaking out about packing and breath. 

My packing list ended up with

4 Long sleeve shirts/pull over shirts

2 Undershirts

2 Regular shirts

1 Pair of jeans

1 Pair of shorts

1 Heavy coat

1 Jumper/Hoodie

1 Dress

7 Undies

4 Pairs of socks

1 Tennis shoes

1 Flip flops

1 Pair of boots

1 Scarf

And it all fit into a 46 liter pack. With even 2 bottles of wine at one point!

Hijacking This Blog

Hi Everyone,

This blog was originally meant to be written while Lynn and I were traveling. If you ever travel, you will discover just how difficult it is to keep up on writing about your travel experiences while you are in the middle of them. Also, when you have a choice to hang out with people in your hostel at night or write a blog post, you almost always pick socializing.

Now that my 6 month journey is over, I figured I would hijack this blog to write about my experiences. I’m going to attempt to use this platform to share experiences, advice and overall stories from my adventures. I might even write a few posts about general 20-something life laughs, successes, failures and adventures that I’m currently having. Since life doesn’t have a compass, neither should this blog!

Drip Coffee, Glee and a Special Friend in Montpellier

Getting off the train in Montpellier, I knew we had made the right decision to visit Meme. It was a bit more costly, but completely worth it when we were greeted with Twisty Bill screams and excitement. It wouldn't be visiting Meme without being greeted with a 3 euro plastic bottle of wine and an immediate party in the park with 5 other Americans. Although abrupt, it was the perfect introduction to the next week in Montpellier.

When Meme told us her room was the size of Harry Potter's cupboard she wasn't kidding. We made it work though with one of us on the bed cuddling with Meme and the other on the floor. I know a lot of people know Meme but after traveling intensely for a month, there is nothing like being treated by Meme with all of her wonderful love. It was the first time we got to sleep in late and not feel guilty about it. She even let us eat her food for breakfast and we compensated her by buying LOTS of cookies.

One day we looked for a coffee shop that had wifi and drip coffee. We ended up  finding both and a bagel shop next door. Another day we went to a farmers market and discovered a small local bakery. Wandering through the streets on Montpellier was relaxing because we didn't have to find monument or museum. It was the first time we could take in a city for exactly what it was. At night we would grab a couple of bottles of wine, bread, rice, veggies and Meme would make a delicious dinner. The best part was cuddling on Meme's bed a night watching Glee (that took forever to load with its crappy internet) and talking about everything. It was 5 days of heart to hearts, delicious smells, too much wine and so much love.