get lost, eat ice cream

nine months. two continents. eight countries. twenty-nine cities (or let's just say, places).

FRANCE
Lyon. Paris. Beaujolais. Grenoble. Annecy. Dijon. Beaune. Toulouse. Bordeaux. Nice. Cannes. Monaco.
GERMANY
Passau.
SWITZERLAND
Geneva. Basal. Lucerne.
ITALY
Rome. Milan. Lake Como.
SPAIN
Barcelona. Madrid.
MOROCCO
Marrakech. Casablanca. Todra Gorge. Sahara Desert.
IRELAND
Dublin. Cork.
SCOTLAND
Edinburgh. Glasgow.

and would you believe there are still more places i just didn't have the time to make it to that i had hoped i would see? i guess i'll have to come back!

but i did learn a few things along the way to make traveling as unstressful as possible.. not that i didn't make mistakes along the way! but i figured i might impart some of my newfound wisdom here. after nine months, i think i've pretty much figured it out... not that i do it right every time of course.

i remember the first trip being so stressful. how to buy tickets? how to get a student discount? where to sleep? what to pack? how long does it take to get to the train station? how can i go broke in my first month? do i plan what i want to see before i get there? or just figure it out as i go?

well here's what i have figured out:
as far as packing goes. i made a list at the very beginning of everything would be wanting to bring with me on trips.. and then i just added to it or left things off since of course every trip is different.. but at least then i always knew what i had thought i needed in the past. considering i have a habit of packing at the very last minute possible, it was really nice to just have to check things off a list and then feel pretty comfortable that i had everything i would need.
it sucks to be cold all the time though and it sucks to be too hot. check the weather before you travel. and if people tell you its going to be freezing somewhere and they would definitely know.. believe them.
dress in layers.. then you can basically be prepared for anything.
and if you dont pack the right stuff. make the best of it and try not to think about it too much.
also, pack light. especially if you know you are going to be walking around a lot before you get to dump your stuff. its really not fun lugging a super heavy backpack around and feeling like you have to stop every ten minutes to rest your poor overworked back. plus, if theres any chance you want to get souvenirs, its probably better if your bag isnt already almost impossible to close.. not that that can be helped sometimes.
and wear shoes you can walk in comfortably. nothing ruins a perfectly lovely day like being stuck in shoes for hours that kill your feet.

buy your tickets as far in advance as possible.. because especially if your flying on cheap airlines, the prices will probably go up. and it may be a pain, but compare all of your options.. flying might be cheaper than a train, or the other way around. and dont forget do factor in buses and navettes getting you to and from airports. and how long airport security and waiting time can take.
print your tickets a couple days in advance. that way if you have trouble finding a printer, you still have some time to figure it out. seriously. it can be stressful if its the day before you are leaving and you realize you still dont have the tickets you need in your hand.
then if its a train ticket, dont forget to compost your billet. you can get fined for that.. though if youre lucky and have no money on you and dont speak the language, you can maybe get out of paying most of it :)

always give yourself extra time to get to your buses/trains/planes/whatever. its amazing the number of times i cut it closer than i meant to. i missed a train twice.. and once that had expensive consequences. once i made it with less than a minute to spare.. other times i have given myself plenty of time to get places, and then still manage to be running late. and pay attention to make sure you get off at the right stop.. yknow.. minor details.

where to sleep? couchsurf if you can! its free and you get to meet some really cool people :) otherwise, just try to find the cheapest hostel/hotel. who cares what it looks like.. how much time were you really planning on spending there anyways?

what to eat? always try some of the local food. but theres no reason to go out for every meal, because that will get super expensive super fast. just go to a grocery store and by sandwich stuff or whatever for most lunches and something simple for breakfast. and cook your own food if you are at a place where you can. and i mean, of course, go out at least once in every place. food is an important part of the traveling experience :)

try to find a map as soon as you get to a new city so that when you need to figure out where you are/where you are trying to go you can. but wander aimlessly as well. its amazing some of the cool stuff you can stumble upon when you aren't on a mission to find something specific. see some tourist attractions, but look into seeing some stuff that isnt specifically tourist oriented too. watch out for tourist traps.. they will find you and try to take your money.

make sure you get some sleep. and make sure you make time to eat. you will be a much nicer person to be around.

if things dont go as planned, accept it as just being part of the fun.

space out your trips a bit if you can.. you don't want to get burnt out. you'd be surprised, it can start to happen even if you still have a million places you want to see. traveling all the time can wear you out.

alright. i think that's all i've got for now.
so go get lost and be sure to eat some ice cream! :)