Homeward Bound

Packing your bag to go somewhere new you make a mental check list: passport, phone, EuroRail pass, computer, everything else less important that I hope I didn’t leave behind. And as I pack my bag for the final time before heading stateside I’ll leave my heart behind in Europe like always. 

There comes a time on every trip when you say it’s time to pack it up and go home. Bank accounts get too low, you realize you haven’t had Chick-Fil-A in five months, the EU politely asks you to leave, or you just get tired. Backpacking isn’t exactly a walk in the park (pun intended). 

My dad and grandpa left me standing in the lobby of Liberty Central Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam crying wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into. 

I decided to do this trip two years ago when I left Italy after six months of studying abroad. I booked my plane ticket and stashed money away for the next few years just waiting to get on the plane. The day comes to leave my dad and grandpa and suddenly I can’t remember why I decided to do this at all. 

I think it was sitting on the head of an elephant while James Bond, our Thai elephant driver snapped a thousand pictures that I realized I had made the right choice. 

It wasn’t all elephant riding and sun bathing on the front of a sailboat. We got on the wrong train and missed the only train out of Bulgaria that day because we didn’t speak Bulgarian. Bugaras is a very nice city but I much prefer Bucharest. We ran 3.2 miles, in the snow, up-hill to the train station in Norway to make it onto the train 4 minutes before it left with our backpacks on. That was also the only train out that day. We encountered bed bugs twice. And we had to buy a plane ticket 15 minutes before the plane left. And we loved every minute. 

We chartered a sailboat and coasted through the Greek Isles, tanning every day and diving off the boat into frigid water just for some incredible underwater photos. We rented a car and braved the left side of the road through the UK and we met people who will be our friends for life and future travel buddies (cough cough Running Wild with Isabella). 

I started this blog to let my parents know that I was alive and safe and it has rapidly turned into an actual travel blog filled with everything you need to know about a city we can find. Putting our heads together we came up with the pocket guides and made one. One thing leads to another and you guys liked it! So thank you!

Throughout the process we have found every trip is a learning curve. You can’t buy alcohol in Scandinavia in a grocery store. You can’t beat a free walking tour and sometimes its OK to have McDonalds. Don’t trust the ticket machines in Greece, they’ll eat your quarter if you aren’t careful. You should always pay for public transportation because the fines aren’t worth it and you should probably download Maps.Me if you get lost a lot. 

Just cause I’m leaving now doesn’t mean you have heard the last of me. I stood by my guns and never leave without a return ticket. I will come back on September 2nd to hike the Troltunga pass. I’m full of stories of the endless mistakes and good times over the years of travel so I’ll see you all in Wanderland.