On Dying Abroad

When I first started planning this trip last April or so, I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do. All I knew was that I wanted to go on a big backpacking trip through Europe and check some things off my bucket list. I was aiming for a trip about two months long. Leah and I didn't connect until later, around September, and soon after we committed to undergoing our trips together. Since then we've been talking and planning, and our itinerary quickly grew to "3 months and beyond". We've had a rough itinerary since late October, if I recall correctly.

Temporarily it goes as follows:
UK -> France -> Estonia -> Ukraine -> Romania -> Austria -> Italy -> Switzerland -> Germany -> Czech Republic -> Poland -> Norway -> Iceland.

We're still discussing things; I'd really like to visit Hungary, and Austria has been pushed down slightly on my list, so things might shift or change. But the gist of it is, overall, we want to visit a variety of countries. Some are more expensive (and some are VERY expensive), and some are dirt cheap, so we're hoping it evens out.

If I said I was not concerned about my budgeting abilities I would be lying. I am - honestly - very concerned about the trip, and have modified my plan to "3 months or less". Leah might stay a bit longer;  she's keen on doing perhaps another worktrade, but again, nothing's been totally sorted out yet.

Our budget is incredibly stringent, less than "backpacking cheap", even less than "on a shoestring", bordering on "homeless and eating from trashcans" (which I am not planning on doing, although I wouldn't mind eating some expired or dumpster-dived food - yes, my standards are low).

I honestly have no idea how our trip will pan out because
a) I have never done anything like this before,
b) I haven't found a lot of information out there about working with such a small budget, and
c) I only have broken & receptive German and Russian skills; I can't speak any other languages.

2010: Wingin' it... as always.

 

But I am so looking forward to the experience because it will be one of huge growth for me. Growth is crucial to the human experience... and besides. It can't go that badly, can it? I can't possibly die abroad, could I?

No, I can't. To be cliched: if there is a will, there's a way. And I am determined to find that way. My whole life has basically been me looking for that alternate path, and boy, it's led to some interesting surprises at times. But I wouldn't change it for the world!

Am I Really Bringing All These Clothes?!?

Deciding what to pack has been a giant ordeal, starting since last... hmm... September? Maybe earlier. I've been making lists, modifying said lists, scrapping said lists, buying things, changing my mind about things, and trying to figure it all out.

I also did an excel document for a while, trying to figure out how much my pack would eventually weigh. Everything I bought was a give-and-take of price and weight. When I had bought about half of what I planned to for my trip, I did a run-through of what my pack would weigh if I filled in the rest of my needs with items I already owned which were ordinary in weight. My pack would weigh about 35 lbs. That was when I really got serious about paring down my items.

But... I still go back and forth between wanting to be ultra-minimalist and being attached to the items I own. Making a few six-hour-long journeys to visit my friend in Rochester, carrying a heavy (granted, not ergonomic) backpack has given me a healthy fear of overpacking. I know that if I bring too much I will be wary of leaving things behind or scrapping things from my pack. Because what I spent good money on (or which items have monetary value) are the things I may or may not need all the time.


I am a thrifting goddess and have tried to spend as little as possible on quality gear. Most of what I purchased should certainly outlive my trip and take me into the future, so I consider them to be an investment. (Also, I'm in love with smartwool, hence the wooly things. I like that wool doesn't smell bad after one wear, and that was the main selling point, as opposed to buying cheaper polyester things.)

I could have easily saved money by purchasing a fleece jacket instead of a wool one, polyester/capilene baselayer tops and bottoms, regular socks, and a cotton skirt instead of a wool one.) So there is a lot of wiggle room depending on your budget and personal preferences.

I stretched out my purchases over the course of almost a year which was how I was able to afford what I did. I would normally NEVER spend $40 on a jacket, $30 on Mary Janes, $30 on a skirt, or $60 on boots! But because I knew these items would keep me comfortable in Europe, last the entire trip, and would work for me in the future I could justify these costs. Keep in mind, also, that all of these items I consider 'expensive' retailed for 2-3x the cost I paid for them (the jacket, I believe was a whopping $200, the mary janes - $90, the skirt - $70, and the boots $150).

I am just an extremely cheap shopper (and not afraid of used items), and had time to wait for the right deal to come along.

Here's the current status of my clothing I have set aside to pack. There are still a couple of things I need -- a hat, buff (scarf), swimsuit top, t-shirt, and perhaps another pair of underwear -- but this is mostly complete!

Alrihght... Shall we get started?

 

Yes. Let's be honest:

Holy SHIT that is a lot of stuff.  And it frightens me just looking at it.

 

Here are the bottoms I am bringing.

2 Skirts:

• Cotton skirt with ties at waist, so it can double as a dress, even. (Patagonia) 
• Fineweight wool skirt (Icebreaker)

Leggings - to wear under skirts or under the pants. These help keep me warm when it is colder, and I can wear them as pajamas as well!

• Purple leggings from Lands End
• Midweight Wool leggings from Smartwool

Two dresses. Both can be layered for more possibilities. The silk one is so lighweight that the bodice can be folded down inside and worn as a skirt.

• Blue Eastern Mountain Sports Poly-Wool blend tank dress with pockets
• Jedzebel (maker of the "magic skirt") patterned silk-nylon blend dress.

1 pair of pants, REI hiking 50+ sun protected. Not the zip-off kind, I find those a little tacky for me! These are great medium-weight pants for everyday wear, but also will be great for cold to very cold occasions when I can layer a pair of leggings underneath.

1 pair of Columbia packable shorts, which look exceedingly wrinkled because I've stored them rolled up for the last 6 months. They aren't as bad as they look, I swear!

3 Long-sleeved tops

• 1 Gray Old Navy Cotton-Poly blend
• 1 Purple Smartwool Midweight baselayer top
• 1 featherweight Silk Top (see-through, but would work great layered with either dress, or as a baselayer)

Two tank-tops, both from old navy. I will probably wear them to death during my trip, and may not bring them back with me.

See-through patterned mesh top, very lightweight. Just another option for wearing around with a tank top underneath, or under my blue dress... and really the only non-plain top I have chosen to bring!

• Purple Addidas bike shorts - for when my legs get all red and chafed wearing skirts or dresses around all the time... possibly!
• Red boxers - for pajamas and running around the hostel at night.

Very un-sexy underwear I've got here, I know. The goal is utility.. not looks!

• 2 bras - purchased at walmart for something like $4 a piece! These are a stretchy nylon-spandex blend -- just like the more expensive travel brand bras -- easy to hand-wash and dry. But at a much cheaper price!
• 3 pairs of underwear - all easy to wash and dry.
• 5 pairs of smartwool socks - 1 thick hiking pair, 2 medium weight pair, 1 lightweight pair, and 1 anklet pair. I will probably give one of the medium weight pairs to my travel partner - I do not need five pairs of socks!

1 Knit sweater - Columbia. Gradient colors to match with different things and a little funky. When there's a breeze I can throw this on.

This is a pretty substantial wool zip-up jacket from Smartwool. This is a really nice jacket and I like it a lot. It's very warm and keeps the wind out, but also doesn't cause me to overheat... gotta love wool! It has big pockets for putting things in. When it gets reaaallly cold I can layer my sweater underneath it. I will probably carry or wear this while traveling so that makes up for the slight bulk of it.

And I'm not to be left without a packable raincoat! And if I'm in a really, really dire situation and it's freakishly cold outside, it can be used to guard against the wind when layered with my smartwool jacket, sweater, smartwool baselayer, silk baselayer....... Yes, I've really thought this through.

All my clothing looking extremely bulky and impossible to pack. I'm going to order some packing cubes in hopes of making it all go smoothly!

Are you fucking crazy?

I've been getting kinder variants of this question from every single person I have talked to about my trip when they learn of it, and especially when they learn how much I plan to budget for myself. ($5,000 minus the cost of my return flight - which could run me $500-$1,000.)

Anyway, to answer the question "Are you fucking crazy?!"

My answer is always:

"Oh, yes. Yes, I most certainly am."

But this is a vision quest. It's not supposed to be sane. And it's certainly not supposed to be easy. But I've accepted the challenge.

The other thing? I don't have to do this alone. My travel partner, Leah, is undertaking the journey with me. We're both doing something really, really big and taking a leap of faith. Our budget is the same as the 2-week guided school trip to London & Paris they tried to sell me on in ninth grade, or the typical 4-week roundabout trip of a student backpacker.

Us, however? We just don't roll that way. We want to go everywhere, and we want to do it now (not a few places now, a few places next year, and so on). Finally, we are totally and utterly determined to make it happen with our chosen budget because it is all we can possibly muster.

This blog was created to discuss how this trip happens for us and how it will work, is working, and has worked out.

I won't just be writing about what I eat (as humorous as it may be), but also the adventures I go on, the people I encounter, the places I sleep, and the locations I visit. Our skimpy budget means we'll probably be staying in questionable hostels, riding sketchy trains, and eating possibly outdated food. We're considering it all "part of the experience".

Care to join me on the ride?

A bit about me:

• 19 years old
• Unschooled during my teen years
• Ready to take on the world!