About My Website:
25. Why did you make this website?
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26. Are you particularly skilled in web design?
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27. I am having trouble reading some of the pages of your site. Can this be fixed?
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28. Can I hire you to make a site for me?
Q: Tell me, if you don't mind, what do you do for a living that lets you be able to travel this much?
A: It's not about what you do to make money, it's how you manage the money you acquire. There's a depressing trend growing in America where people think that living is all about making money and not about living life to the fullest with the money you make. I used to work with a man who held two simple jobs: as a security guard and as a mailman. He recently left with his wife for a cruise around Antarctica - checking his fifth continent and 80+ country off of his personal list of travel destinations. He feeds his dreams with the money he makes.
Q: Have you ever done the backpacking/hostel thing in Europe before?
A: Nope. My Fall 2001 trip was my first trip longer than a week by myself ... anywhere!
Q: You have a lot of pictures of yourself on your site. I found it near impossible to get pictures of me while I was traveling alone. Did you just hand your camera to strangers? Did you have friends with you? Or did you just use a tripod?
A: I can't deny it, I took a lot of pictures of myself, this is true. A relative of mine, who has traveled the globe, said he had one regret on his early travels: not enough photographs with himself in the picture. He said that the monuments have been there forever and will continue to be there, but there are only a few chances in a lifetime to be in the same frame of a photograph with them. "You might as well buy a postcard if you aren't in the shot."
Of the 50+ photos I took of myself, roughly 50% of them were taken by me. I would set up the camera (without a tripod), press the timer button, and run like hell to get into place before the *click*. (If you picture me doing this in photos like this one and this one, you'll see why I find them humorous.) In fact, I had a lot of fun setting up the shots. Sometimes I'd take "test-runs" where I'd practice getting into place within five seconds, the length of the timer on my camera, to see if the shot would be possible. I was proud that all of my timer shots except one worked like I planned them.
If I didn't take the photo, I would ask a friend, a passerby, a fellow backpacker, or even a stranger to take the shot if I thought that they had even just half a clue on how to use a simple camera.
Q: I've seen some pics of you with two packs on. It seems like that was a bit too much. Do most backpackers
that you saw have one pack on their back and another on the front?
A: You know, the first time I saw it (within minutes of arriving in Europe), I thought it looked a little wierd too. But surprisingly, most backpackers who are traveling for a while and have a lot of stuff do this. My front pack wasn't huge - it was just a school backpack - but by wearing it in front, it centered my added weight and made it easier to move around.
Q: How much money did you spend on your trip?
A: I spent US$ 3,500 total for my 77-day, 14-country journey. That included a 60-day Eurail pass and a round-trip flight from Los Angeles to Paris. My average budget was about $19 per day. (Higher in Paris, Berlin, Rome; considerably lower in the Balkans and Romania.) It is possible to travel for a long time even when considering the reality of work and money.
Q: Average or not, $19 a day is unbelievably low, isn't it??
A: Yes, it is. I don't reccommend only bringing that much with you. For one thing, the dollar was stronger in 2001 than it is now. Secondly, I wasn't living relatively comfortably when I was there. I was eating less (see this page for proof) and didn't go to many places that required an enterance fee. For food, I would rarely eat at a resturaunt. Instead, I would buy groceries at the supermarket (usually enough to last me for a day). Granola, fruit, yogurt, cookies, crackers&cheese and Fanta soda were my favorite snacks to have during the day. I rarely drank beer, because it would effect my budget. Unintentionally, I ate a large meal only once a day around 9pm. Sometimes I didn't feel hungry at all until 9pm. To save transportation costs, I walked as much as possible. Unless I was in a hurry, I wouldn't use the public transportation unless I knew I could use it without a ticket (read: without getting caught without a ticket). And when I started running out of money, I went to Eastern Europe. Surviving in Romania on less than $10 was easy, especially since I was staying with friends who fed me.
Q: What kind of camera did you use throughout that Europe trip? Digital, or standard 35 mm?
A: I used the Minolta Freedom Escort QD 35mm for most of the trip. I also took pics with a Kodak disposable camera or two. About 90% of the shots in Romania were taken with my Romanian friend's digital camera. If you are curious what other things I brought with me on my 77-day European Pilgrimage, check out this page for what I packed.
Q: How did you pay for things in Europe? Are ATM's prevalent? Will I be charged exhorbatant fees, or get lousy exhange rates? Should cautious should I be with carrying my money?
A: I carried a day's worth of money in a velcro pocket in my pants, enough money for a meal in a hip pocket, another $5 bucks worth in a small hidden pocket by my ankle, and cashiers checks, credit cards, passport and other important papers in my money-belt-necklace-thing, which I kept most of the time in a velcro pocket on my leg. (I had a lot of pant pockets!) The ONE TIME I forgot to seperate my money, I was almost pickpocketed. I'm not saying you should be paranoid day-in and day-out while in Europe. Just be able to identify a possible mugging or pickpocketing situation. You can also be cautious by doing what I did.
In most Western European countries, ATM machines are everywhere. You can find them in supermarkets, in shopping centers, and obviously, outside of banks. But unlike America, Europe has exchange stops just as frequently as ATMs. Depending on your bank, most ATMs will not charge you very much to use their machine as long as there is a certain symbol on the back of your card. (See your bank for details) Never get money from an ATM or exchange booth in a trainstation. Usually a five minute walk into the city will save you a small fortune in fees. When I arrived into a new city in a new country, I'd find an ATM in town and take out all the cash I think I would need in that country (if I was staying for 1-3 days).
I wouldn't reccommend carrying much cash on you in one spot on your body. Everytime I had money out in the open, I was worried that some pickpocket was watching, ready to swoop in after I returned the money back into my pocket. The reason I did this, quite frankly, was that I was paranoid. I
read so many horror stories about stolen wallets and such. In fact, a fellow traveler I met online recently returned a month early because her wallet was stolen. A small error detroyed the rest of her trip.
Q: I'm not as worried as much about my safety as I am about getting sick, from not getting enough of a good night sleep in hostels, not eating the proper foods, and/or general travel stress. Can you recommend anything to take before and during the trip (either vitamins, and supplements) in order to maintain my health?
A: I too was worried about getting sick while overseas. I bought a bottle or two of Centrum, a "multivitamin/multimineral dietary supplement," and took one every other day or so for about three months before I left for Europe. Although I took a small (30 tablet) bottle with me to Europe, I don't remember taking many of them while I was there. Nonetheless, I didn't get sick - so I guess they did their job.
Speaking of staying healthy, I suggest drinking a lot of water when in Europe and eating a piece of fruit every day or so. It helped me stay healthy and alert.
Q: Seeing as though I have 5 or 6 months tops to plan my trip, should I hold off and do some more research or just "go for it!" How much planning should I do?
A: It really depends on what type of person you are - and sometimes you won't know what type of person you are until you go on a major trip.
For me, I planned and planned and planned... but didn't use half the knowledge I acquired because I ended up never going to the locations I studied about. And it was the locations I didn't know ANYTHING about where I had the most fun. It was an adrenaline rush for me to get off a train in a city I didn't know anything about. Sometimes I didn't even know what currency was being used or the exchange rate!
But that's just me living to the extreme and sometimes it's not healthy to do this - especially in Eastern European countries. When you live by the seat of your pants, sometimes your pants rip. I was quickly reminded of this when I was just a few hours away from boarding a train from Yugoslavia to go into Macedonia. If it wasn't for a friendly traveler telling me that Macedonia was in the middle of a CIVIL WAR, I might have had a lot of problems...
Moral of the story - study about your locations, and then try to forget it all. I believe people love travel because they want to see The Unknown.
Q: What is the better way to go through Europe: hostelling, camping or both?
A: I'd say both. I backpacked for 77 days in Europe and during that time I camped about 30% of the time and stayed in hostels another 40%.
I found camping to be a very peaceful moment on my trip. I found that during the few minutes before I fell asleep, I'd concentrate on the sounds of the area. In Paris, I would count how many cars the local Metro had as it passed somewhere in the distance. The movement of trees and bushes with the wind in Dubrovnik. The howling of distant dogs near the ruins of Pompeii. Or even just the different languages of people huddled around a nearby fire (read: candle).
I've also found that the people at campsites were one step beyond the adventurous hostelers I ran into. The campers seemed to see travel as being sacred. More nature lovers than partiers. The difference between campers and hostelers are like the differences between hostelers and hotelers.
But hostels are great for resting the creaking, aching bones on a relatively soft bed. In fact, unless you've gone camping before, it might not be your thing PHYSICALLY. It can literally be a pain in the butt sometimes.
Q: I'm still looking for a good backpack. Can you recommend anything?
A: I suggest you read this: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 These are scans I made of the little booklet that came with my backpack. Print these out and bring them with you when you shop for your backpack. Never purchase a backpack online unless you have tried it on in person first! You need to physically try on backpacks before you purchase one. Some people shop for them and buy them off the web without going to a store, which makes no sense to me.
Q: I would like to camp in some of the cities you went to. What are the names of the campsites you stayed at? Can you tell me a little about them?
A: I stayed at the following campsites when I was in Europe:
- Paris, France - The Bois de Boulogne Camp Site - just West of Paris. Take the Porte Maillot Metro exit and catch bus 244 to get there. It's a very nice place to camp! Right on the Seine River!
- Ghent, Belgium - Camp Blaarmeersen The campsite is located on a huge campus of Olympic-sized sports facilities, including a bike track, tennis courts, gymnasuim and swimming pool. The campsite is a seperate cost from all of the other activities and, in fact, I do not even know if the recreational stuff if available to the public. The site is located a mile or two from the city center, but is easily reached by public transportation. (From transtation, take Bus 9 & transfer to Bus 39)
- Berlin, Germany - Campingplatz Dreilinden Located in the Wannsee area South-West of Berlin, this remote campsite is perfect for those who love the nature of Germany. A nice walk down the road next to the Wannsee River is how you will start and end every day while you are here. The manager/owner, Wolfgang, is very pleasant - but knows absolutely no English. If this one is full, try the Camping Kohlhasenbruck closer to Wannsee. Take the S-Bahn S7 to get there.
- Sorrento, Italy - International Camping Nube d'Argento Although it is a really nice place with close proximity to the beach, $12 a night was just too expensive for me. I had a hard time keeping to my $19-a-day budget when I was in Sorrento. I suggest staying closer to Naples, like in...
- Pompeii, Italy - Camp Pompei Talk about a great location for a campsite! Camp Pompei is just a stone's throw away from the ruins of Pompeii. I suggest you use a comfortable matress when camping here. The compacted ash from Mount Vesuvius isn't the best type of ground to sleep on.
Q: Well, while you're at it, can you tell me the names of the hostels you stayed at and tell me about them as well?
A: I stayed at the following hostels when I was in Europe (in order of visit):
- Luxembourg City, Luxembourg - HI hostel - Located below the city in the valley. This was my first hostel experience after sleeping in a tent for 2 weeks, so it is hard to rate. At the time, it was heaven on earth for my sore back. Since this is the only hostel in Lux City, it was crowded. It has dorm rooms as well as single and double rooms. Despite its unoriginal name, HI hostel has a magnificent view of the ancient bridge high from right out it's front doors!
- Gent, Belgium - De Draecke - A clean location really close to everything. Two, four or six bunks per room, all equipped with private showers and sinks. You could luck out like I did and have an entire room of six bunks to yourself! Try to hint to the receptionist that you would appreciate a room with privacy... without paying the extra costs. *wink* *wink* The hostel is close to everything in town.
- Amsterdam, The Netherlands - The Shelter City - This hostel prides itself as being the only Christian hostel in The Red Light District of Amsterdam. I chose it because of this. I wanted to have an excape route from the chaos and sinful atmosphere of the large Red Light District. When you check in, they give you a small guide to Christianity and prayer. Other than that, they don't gossip to you. They have a cerfew at 12pm and do not allow smoking or drinking inside. Their segregated dorm rooms (male/female) fit well over 100 people. It can get a bit stinky in there on warm days.
- Berlin, Germany - Jugendgastehaus am Zoo - An independent youth hostel
located at Hardenbergstrassa 9a in Berlin. The staff weren't very friendly but the guests were. Nothing else jumps to mind about the place.
- Prague, Czech Republic - Hostel Sokol - Has the barest of necessities, but still comfortable. The view out the windows from the dorms is pretty cool. Fairly cheap place compared to hostels in the city. I remember hearing that some were twice the price as Sokol's. It's on the west side of the Vltava about a mile south of Prague's Castle. Lonely Planet's directions are wrong in the On a Shoestring's 2nd Edition.
- Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic - The travelers' Hostel - One of a million hostels in C.Krumlov. I stayed only one night because I couldn't stand the 'no curfew' rule. Drunk travelers wandered in as late/early as 4:30 in the morning. Dorm rooms hold about 10. Private/singles available. Downstairs/lobby is a fully staffed, fully stocked bar.
- Budapest, Hungary - Backpacker's Guesthouse - The Bohemian codes are still alive and well in this hostel. The staff as well as the highly-decorated rooms are warm and friendly. The 10-bed room I stayed in, called the "Bob Marley Room," is decked out in green, red and yellow and completed with a large mural of Bob Marley. I'm not joking when I say that they have the best bathroom I used in Europe. The "Toilette Delux" has a clean American-style toilette, a sink, mirror, magazines, and a "Toilette Guestbook" where travelers from around the world have left their infinite wisdom (while leaving something else - lol). The quality and comfort of the Backpack Guest House makes up for the long distance from the center of town. (it's located in Buda).
- Zagreb, Croatia - Omladinski Hotel - Although they easily call it a "hotel," I have a really hard time labelling it a hostel. It's more like a refugee camp. The walls have holes and peeling paint, the lights seem to glow with cancer-causing radiation, and not even a handful of kunas could get me to enter their bathrooms. But when it really comes down to it, my room was comfortable. And with only 2 bunks per room, the space was relatively private.
- Brasov, Romania - Hotel Aro Sport - I stayed at a quaint one-star hotel near the center of Brasov. Although it's not a hostel, it cost 272,000 Lei (about US$8 at the time) for a room with a sink (shower/bathroom down the hall) - which was actually cheaper than the farther-out-of-town hostel (Elvis's Villa Hostel - they have a website).
- Paris, France - The Young & Happy Hostel - This was my favorite hostel in Europe. It is quaint, yet has a party atmosphere at night. I had a total of three different rooms in the 5 days I stayed here, so I can tell you with confidence that this place has their act together. The rooms are simple - 2-4 bunks with a small bathroom - and every other floor has a clean shower. Singles/doubles are available as well. Curfew is set at 2am, even though Lonely Planet says otherwise. Close to metro.
Q: Where did you camp if there weren't any offical campsites around and/or the hostels were full?
A: This is an interesting question that many vagabonds have to deal with when they are in Europe. I call it "Non-Designated Camping," or NDC. I have some knowledge in this because I had to do it a few times. Click here to read an article I wrote for some tips in finding NDC spots in Europe.
Q: I noticed that a walkman wasn't on the list of things you brought on your Europe trip. Did you bring one? I love music and I don't think I would survive a trip without listening to tunes from home...
A: I too love music and thought I couldn't live without it on my trip. But I didn't bring a walkman with me. In fact, it was one of the last things I threw out of my bag before I left for Europe. After thinking about it for a long time, I came to the realization that listening to a walkman on a trip degrades your adventure in two ways:
1) it creates a barrier from others who might want to talk to you, (headphones could mean to some "go away - I'm listening to music") and
2) you won't hear the sounds around you. Believe me, on the trip of a lifetime, you don't want to take away any of your senses. Would you walk blindfolded in Europe? How about wear noseplugs? So why wear headphones? Even when you might be extremely bored on a train in the middle of the night, you can concentrate on the sounds - sounds you will certainly reminisce about someday if you concentrate on them...
Q: What did you consider when deciding whether or not to travel alone? Seems you'd get lonely out there on your own, no?
A: I didn't really consider traveling with someone else. I assumed (correctly) that I would never be lonely. After all, you are never really alone in Europe. If you begin feeling lonely, all you need to do is walk up and say "hi" to anyone wearing a backpack. Chances are, they are an interesting person who is happy for some company. (it's a great way to meet chicks too!)
Q: How difficult is it to move between countries? Say from Austria to Italy, or Romania to Hungary? I assume you can't just waltz from country to country, like I would go from here in Oregon to California or Washington.
A: When it comes to the countries in the EU (most Western European countries) it is as easy to go through them as it is to go through Oregon, California or Washington! In fact, since you're an American citizen, it's EASIER than that. You have to STOP at the border when traveling through the Northwest and tell the border control if you have any fruit or whatnot. In Western Europe, they just come by on the train and ask to see (read: glimpse at) your passport. Hassle free! In Eastern Europe, it can be a little more beaurocratic and take just a little more time - but if you greet the big, hairy, armed border control with a smile, they are usually polite and curtious. They WANT you in their country. After all, when you enter their country, they know you'll be spending your valuable money there. The father east you go in Europe, the more they ask you questions (like: "where are you going in my country?" "how long will you be staying" "do you have a VISA card or bank card?"). If you're honest but say "yes" to the last question no matter what, you're in!
Q: If you could go back in time and do it again, what would you do differently?
A: I would change absolutely nothing. I had memorable experiences on my journey, both good and bad, happy and sad, safe and dangerous. There is no such thing as a journey without the unexpected, so why not try to enjoy the unexpected? Find the good in what seems like the worst situation?
I cherish each and every one of my memories from my pilgrimage. I have a catalogue of them that I can mentally sift through, pull out and re-experience, as if it is a scene from a movie.
Q: If you had to choose, what are the top 5-7 places you went that were your favorite? You know, the places where you look back and think "golly, that was exciting/gorgeous/wonderful etc". I know that our ideas of a great destination may not mesh exactly, but in perusing your site, I think we have similar interests.
A: Your question is excellent and deserves a spot on my F.A.Q. I'm surprised that noone has asked this before! In my best David
Letterman impersonation... Ok, tonight's Top Five Favorite European Destinations are...
5. BUCHAREST, ROMANIA - The next big city for the modern Backpacker. When I was in Bucharest, I was surprised by three things. 1) the impressive display of fine architecture, 2) the lack of backpackers and 3) the amount of beautiful women! There's a lot of hotties in Romania!
4. SARAJEVO, BOSNIA-HERZ - If you want to learn what a society is like after their city is bombed, their citizens killed and their monuments ruined, go to Sarajevo. You will discover that they are very modivated, helpful and kind people. Although there is a large population of Muslims in Sarajevo, the city is relatively safe. A friend of the family has been living comfortably there for a few years.
3. THE DALMATIAN COAST - Running from Slovenia down to the Croatian border with Montenegro, the Dalmatians have what only Hawaii can only dream of: countless islands, beautiful old towns, clean beaches and bright aqua-blue waters. Dubrovnik might be the epitome of this beautiful land, but there are dozens and dozens of towns with similair red-tiled, white-walled, sun-bathed buildings. I'm already planning a trip back in September.
2. SMALL TOWN, ITALY - It doesn't really matter which small town, they should all have about the same atmosphere. Sperlonga is my recommendation. Walking the streets along the sparkling Tyrrhenian Sea with the warm sun gently heating your skin easily made me feel at home. The people were friendly and helpful. And Roman-era ruins can be found everywhere.
1. PARIS, FRANCE - The City of Lights can mesmerize even the most hardened of travelers. It was designed to be explored. There's nothing else on this planet like wandering through the streets of Paris.
If I was to add two more cities, they would be Budapest and Prague.
Q: Although your site has answered a lot of my questions, where should I go on the Net to get more of my backpacking-related questions answered?
A: You will not find a better place for answers to your backpacking questions than the EuroTrip.com Messageboards. There you will find hundreds of well-traveled, friendly individuals willing to answer your questions. (Tip: Ask detailed questions, not general questions, only after you have taken advantage of the search feature on the site.) You should also check out Backpackers Forum
Before I left, I used mainly the rec.travel.europe and rec.travel.budget.backpack newsgroups. They were filled with info for me, but kind of stuffy and not as laid back as the EuroTrip.com or Backpackers messageboards are.
About My Site:
Q: Why did you make this website?
A: It started out as a very simple site to show distant friends and family my photos I took on my "European Pilgrimage" last fall. I started tweaking it and adding to it to make it look more enjoyable to the eyes... and maybe I got out of hand with everything.
Q: Are you particularly skilled in web design? I like the setup of your site.
A: Thanks! I've dabbled in web design for a few years now - but I'm no expert. I didn't use a webpage program to make this site, just a notepad. As far as the graphics on this site, I used Photoshop 5.5.
Q: I am having trouble reading some of the pages of your site. Can this be fixed?
A: Well, it depends what you mean by "having trouble reading" my site? I think it could be two things:
- The Colors: If you are having trouble reading parts of the site due to the color scheme, it is most likely because links are coming up this color rather than this color in the middle collumn of the page. If this is indeed the case, or you find any other problem for that matter, please e-mail me and let me know which page the problem is on and I'll fix it.
- The Font Size: If you are having trouble reading the site due to the size of the font, there is an easy way for you to fix this. Press and hold down the CONTROL key and roll the scroll wheel (located on top of most mouses). The font size of your browser should become larger when rolled towards you and smaller when moved away.
If you do not have a scroll wheel on your mouse, you can change the size of font on webpages you visit in most web browsers by going to View in the menu bar, go down to TEXT SIZE and select a larger size. If you are using AOL, go to Settings> Preferences> Font, Text & Graphics where you can select text on AOL to be small, medium or large.
Q: Can I hire you to make a site for me?
A: Yes, if the offer is right and I have the time. Go ahead and e-mail me and make me an offer.
