My trip began...well it almost didn't, I missed my local bus to the bus station, I was fortunate enough to catch a ride, caught my bus barely... two hours later, I arrive in Nottingham, Home to Robinhood, and I proceed to fail to flag down the local bus (every 30 minutes to the airport) and almost miss my flight, but fortunately there were a whopping FOUR gates in the entire airport. This would mark the beginning of 'walking on the tarmac' being the norm to board planes at small European airports.
That day, Saturday, March 17th, 2007 I began the journey that truly taught me the joys of backpacking. I posted a note on Facebook on March 16th, 2007 simply describing my excitement, it was hard to put it into words. I cannot wait to write this exact blurb of excitement later tonight or tomorrow about New Zealand. Anyway, 32 days later, I had trekked to 20 cities in Western Europe spanning 7 new countries. I had several friend's Spring Break itineraries and met up with various people in each city, met fellow travelers to hang out and travel with. I did most of the physical traveling alone and journalled every thought that came to my mind. All in all, despite travelling alone, I spent only 2 days entirely alone, 30 of the days I met up with friends or had made friends in the current or previous city. This is one of the best parts of backpacking. Backpackers have a certain connection, across the world, and are all driven to see, enjoy, and understand more about the world and other cultures. During this trip I fell in love with not only Europe, but I learned that one of the most rewarding things of traveling is the people who you meet, how you meet them, and the stories that fabricate from your time together.
That being said, I Love Hostels.
I shit you not, that is a hostel I stayed at, it was 13 euros per night. They make every trip that much better. Almost every one I have been to has been clean, secure, and they are an intricate part of each backpackers experience, not just because of the low price, but to meet fellow backpackers. I wish Americans didn't have such a skewed view of them, they are one of the best experiences while traveling.
Digressing back to my Western Europe Adventure.....Countless stories later, I arrived back at 20:52 at the Leeds Train Station on April 16, 2007 - yes, seriously, I remember the time. This trip was life changing and I knew it.
A month later, I met up with my parents in Scotland after they spent a week in Germany & Austria. We had "a brilliant time" together and enjoyed many memories. Finals came and went, and I enjoyed every last minute with my British mates for the few short weeks that I had left before it was time for me to return 'across the pond' to 'the states.' I cried my eyes out when I left, because I knew I would miss my friends, but I realized how incredible of an experience I had for the past 5 months. I never wanted it to end, however it was time to go.
I couldn't wait for my next adventure to begin! I had caught the infamous "travel bug" and as I let the trip soak in over the following weeks, I knew that I wanted to see as much of the world as I could during my life time.
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