The last time I swept through Europe, the summer after senior year, we did the whole backpacking and hostel thing. Let loose on the continent for a month, we flew out of New York without making many reservations or plans. We figured we'd wing it, thinking that finding lodgings would be as simple as showing up in a city, getting off the dusty road, and strolling into a nearby hotel. No such thing.Even though we were arriving a few weeks before the peak of backpacking season, many of the popular hostels were already filled up. Seeing how difficult it might be to acquire lodging, our first two days in Paris included time spent planning out the rest of our trip in requisite detail. With a sense of urgency, we called ahead for accommodations, locked down which countries we wanted to visit, mapped out train schedules, and decided that the carefree adventure we'd envisioned wouldn't be possible.
While we had originally planned on going southwest and then back up, I convinced my companions to go northeast and then back around. The reason? I wanted to surprise my girlfriend in Vienna. She was also traveling with her friends through Europe at the exact same time, but we were originally headed in opposite circles. How romantic would it be for me to show up in Austria, call her from her hostel and say, "Come downstairs." Swayed by my grand gesture, we agreed to do it this way: from France, to Germany, to Austria, down to Italy and Spain, and then back to Paris.
I think back to how we even managed to secure everything. Internet wasn't a big part of travel yet, nobody had an international cellular, and our only resource was a few travel guides. I recall flipping through lots of foreign phone books and using up a lot of money for phone calls. Everything was settled in due time however and outside of some adventures with sub-par hostels (ie. dirty and smelly) and one night spent at the Barcelona airport, things worked out beautifully.
This time around, our trip won't be nearly as long. Just ten or so days, with only three cities on the itinerary: London, Amsterdam, and Barcelona. I was told by friends that Morocco would be an exciting destination but since this trip is being sponsored by higher powers, I didn't make much of a fuss about where we were going. Our pre-planning consisted of researching online, meeting twice for Skype conferences, and keeping a running Google Spreadsheet. Everything was quick, mostly effortless, and drop dead simple.
What else has changed in ten years? Instead of hostels we'll be staying at hotels. Instead of lugging giant backpacks, we'll be carting around suitcases. Instead of jumping from city to city every few days, we'll be planted firmly in Amsterdam and Barcelona for a decent amount of time each. I am traveling in a group of four again, and none of us have traveled together -- discounting George and I -- and we all have our idiosyncrasies and potential problem areas. But the trip is so short and we are all close friends so everything should work out fine.
What amazes me about this trip is how fast it came together. With George headed out to London for a few weeks to do work, she wanted to take a vacation and travel afterward. She tapped me because clearly I have nothing to do -- and I'm the *cough* ideal travel partner. She also sent out invites to anyone else who might be free and remotely interested. In the space of a week or so, vacation time was asked for, plans were solidified, and we were ready to go. This, after always talking about traveling together but going no further than San Francisco or Vegas (we haven't been able to lock down plans to visit New York together for years), it was a minor miracle how things came to fruition so fast. "Can you do it? I think so? Okay, let's go!"
I purchased a netbook for the occasion because I've been wanting a netbook for awhile and this was a fine excuse to get one. During my last tromp through Europe, the sole electronic device I brought was a CD player. This time around we'll have smart phones, digital cameras, iPods, computers, and a Flip. Our power strips will be our best friends. As essential as those items are, the one thing I'm most excited about bringing is a flexoline travel clothesline. I read about it on this great travel blog, Forks and Jets, and have been wanting to use one ever since. I haven't bought it yet though because Amazon shipping is too slow, but I have to get one before we board that plane on Tuesday. I have to. It would crush me to not have a clothesline with suction cups on the ends. I want to test its versatility and durability.
Another goal on this trip will be to prove that my "bitch traveler" reputation is wrongly earned. Why do I have this reputation? Well, one of my travel mates from that initial Europe trip details it out in this podcast episode. I call bullsh!t on it all and am excited to show the world what I'm made of. Although if I do step in dog crap again, the shoes are definitely still getting tossed. You gotta have standards, even when you're in another country and a foreign space.
Fly high.
