Views of Edinburgh from Arthur's Seat
I've finally arrived back at Warwick after my
first European backpacking adventure! After backpacking for three weeks, there
are definitely things that I have learnt along the way. I know that three weeks isn't a particularly long time but 11 cities in 22 days is
no easy feat for a backpacking beginner. I've come back with the desire to travel more, to see more of
the world, to experience more cultures and to meet more people. I can't even
put into words the experiences that I have had during these short
three weeks. This experience has given me a newfound confidence in myself and
in what I can achieve and endure.
I've tried compiling a list of things that I
have learnt based off my experiences during this trip. This post is a little long but I promise, it's worth the read.
1. PACK LIGHT, EXCEPT FOR YOUR WALLET
I can't stress this enough! I know this practically
backpacking folklore but it’s true, you won't use half the stuff you pack. Don't
pack 5 extra shirts "just in case". Trust me, your back will thank
you for it. Don’t skimp on underwear though. NEVER skimp on underwear.
Do, however, have more cash (even on a card) than you think
you’ll spend. You never know when you’ll be caught in a situation where you’ll
be spending unexpected amounts of money. Who knows, you could accidentally screw up your
Turkey visa application and have to pay for a new one at the border.
2. HOSTELS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE NICE
If you want to backpack with a budget, you can't
expect to be staying in 5 star hotels. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss and it's best
not to scrutinise your hostel too much. I would have definitely had a better night sleep if I hadn't noticed the bit of mould
growing on the edge of my bed sheets. If I hadn't looked, I would have slept
like a baby and gone home none the wiser. Tip: bring a sleeping bag liner to
sleep in at hostels, then you don’t have to make contact with said mould.
3. BRING A PEN
I always fail to follow this piece of advice and
always find myself cursing at past Tash. Whether it's to fill out customs
forms, write down people’s suggestions for places to visit or to mark down locations
and routes on a map, a pen is something that is indispensable.
4. STRANGER DANGER IS (PARTLY) A LIE
When backpacking, you meet so many different
people from all over the world and you'll realise the true kindness of
strangers. You might even encounter one who’s willing to sacrifice their whole
day to show you around their city.
5. WATCH FOR PICKPOCKETS
Unfortunately, not everyone in the world is good
and pickpockets do exist. Especially as a tourist and backpacker, the risk of
being pick pocketed can be quite high. We unfortunately learnt this
the hard way. The rule of thumb is to not keep anything in your back pockets.
6. BE ORGANISED, BE EARLY AND ALWAYS HAVE A BACKUP
PLAN
Being stranded in Downtown Fira, Santorini at 5.30am
with a flight at 7am because the cab you ordered never turned up is somewhere
you never want to be. Said situation
is made worse when the taxi rank is empty and your hostel's reception only opens at 7am...
7. CHARGE WHEN YOU CAN
Being stuck on a 6
hour train ride from Berlin to Prague with a dead phone and no music sucks.
8. BRING ALONG A MINI PHARMACY
Getting sharp stomach pains and feeling like
you’re being knifed after eating some questionable salami from a market in Budapest is no fun.
Almost having to be physically carried back to the hostel because of the pain isn't great either. Luckily, some paracetamol can make you better instantly and ready to face anything, even a beer bike.
9. ALWAYS HAVE SOME COINAGE ON YOU
Coins always come in handy. You’ll regret not
having some loose change when you’re forced to pay to use a public bathroom. So
much for basic human right…
10. DRESS APPROPRIATELY FOR THE DAY'S PLANS
When you plan to do some hiking, wear sensible
shoes. When you plan to go to a mosque, don't wear shorts. When backpacking
through Europe, wear Nike Roshe Runs every day. They might not go with every outfit
but your feet with be thanking you. Mine sure were.
11. THERE'S NO BETTER WAY TO KNOW A CITY THAT TO
IMMERSE YOURSELF AND WANDER
Some of my fondest memories from this trip were
times where we simply wandered through the streets of a city, getting lost
with no set plans or final destination. Straying from the typical tourist
itinerary and taking the path off the beaten road lets you see a city for what
it truly is and can lead to you stumbling upon hidden gems.
12. PREPARE TO WEAR THE SAME CLOTHES AGAIN AND AGAIN
Living out of a 33L backpack for three weeks
isn’t easy, especially when you’re going across different climates. The sniff
test is your best friend. If it doesn't smell, it's still good…
13. TRY LOCAL CUISINES
No matter how
questionable something looks, if the locals like it then chances are you will
too. Who knows, you could end up discovering your new favourite meal. All I
have to say is that currywurst is damn good. Street food is also a godsend. Not
only is it cheap but most of the time, it’s delicious. I still dream about Prague's street food.
14. WRITE THINGS DOWN
Traveling, especially
in such a fast-paced manner, can be overwhelming. I’d forget what city I
was in at times because I had been to so many places. I found myself forgetting what I had done even the day before so I wrote a daily summary every day just so I wouldn’t forget the amazing things that
I had experienced.
15. DON'T BE AFRAID TO BREAK THE RULES
One of my biggest regrets of this trip is not
jumping the fence into an abandoned theme park in Berlin. To be fair, we had
been walking for hours and some of us were sick and injured and definitely not
in the state to pull ourselves over a three metre high fence. However, I can't
stop thinking about the cool things that I would have seen in there. Sometimes,
you just have to break the rules (law even?) and jump.
16. DON'T FORGET TO TREAT YOURSELF
Sometimes, the
littlest things bring you the most joy. While in Prague, stopping for the best hot chocolate that I'd tasted in
my life (and sneaking back there for a second one at the end of the
day) is one of my fondest memories from this trip.
17. MOTHER NATURE WON’T ALWAYS BE ON YOUR SIDE
Walking home in the
downpour of rain each day on the inclined streets of Istanbul with an injured
knee wasn’t easy. Neither was exploring Zurich when it rained on and off all
day, with a bit of snow thrown in too. It’s easy to let bad weather ruin your
trip but I’ve learned to embrace it. It makes for a good story to tell if anything.
18. LEARN TO LET THINGS GO
Things won’t always go
to plan but you can’t let them damper your trip. Being charged 23% commission
when exchanging money in Prague was painful but it was a mistake made and a
lesson learnt. Sulking and complaining won’t change anything.
19. NOT EVERYONE HAS THE SAME TRAVEL PREFERENCES
Some people love
museums, some people don’t. Some people like fast-paced travel, some people
don’t. Sometimes you’ll want to go somewhere that the others don’t.
I’ve realised that it’s important to do what you want to do when traveling to make the most out of your
experience, even if that means straying from others. There’s no way I’m
stepping foot into a museum or art gallery unless it’s to see the Mona Lisa…
20. DON’T TURN DOWN OPPORTUNITIES
When you’re asked if
you want to be on the guest list for the most exclusive and expensive club in
Istanbul that’s on the penthouse level of a 19-storey building with panoramic
views of the whole city, you say YES.
Just be prepared for the fact that coat check costs ten Australian dollars…
21. DO THINGS THAT YOU WOULD REGRET NOT DOING
“I’ve heard that the bar
crawls in Prague are supposed to be legendary!” It
was the night before we were supposed to leave for Budapest from Prague and I
was firmly against going out on a bar crawl because I wanted to function right
the next morning. I'm so glad that I got coerced into it.
22. DON’T LET MONEY HOLD YOU BACK
My dad gave me some
good advice before I started my travels. He told me that being frugal is smart
but at the same time, you make money to spend it. He told me not to hesitate
(too much) when spending money during this trip because it was important to get
the most out of my experience. He said that he would rather me spend all of my
money now and go home broke than be frugal and go home with regrets of things I
didn’t do or food I didn’t try. I can always make the money back but I might
not get the opportunities again.
23. TRAVEL WITH FRIENDS
Not only will this be economically beneficial
(booking shared accommodation, etc), traveling with someone is the best way to
grow closer to them. I feel so much closer to the people I traveled with than I
did at the beginning of the trip. The crazy thing is, we had only known each
other for two weeks when we booked all of this! It's also great to have people to relive the experiences with because they went through it with you.
24. PREPARE TO
SEE NUMEROUS CHURCHES
I can’t even begin to count the number of
churches I have seen during my time in Europe.
25. REMEMBER TO STOP AND LIVE IN THE MOMENT
I’d often find myself in awe of where I was or
what I was doing. When traveling, you’ll encounter special moments that are
just so surreal and it’s important to stop and appreciate them so you remember
how you felt at the time. The emotions that you feel during the smallest things
like sitting at the edge of Santorini overlooking the sunset or stargazing out
the top of the Reichstag can be easily forgotten if you don’t live in the
moment. Sometimes, you don’t realise how great a moment is until it’s a memory.
26. AIRPORT SECURITY BLOWS
I’ve spent so much
time at airports during the past three weeks that I’m ready to never see an
airport ever again in my life. The makeup brushes at the very bottom of my bag
are no threat to this airport. Thanks for making me unpack and repack everything.
Dick.
The next few weeks are going to be extremely
busy for me. I have assignments due and exams coming up so my blog posts might
not be frequent but I'll be trying my best to post about every city I visited. However, after living such a fast-paced
lifestyle for the past three weeks, it's so nice to be able to sit back and do
absolutely nothing for hours on end. I'm not particularly itching to write up
blog posts or edit photos immediately, I'm really just enjoying doing a whole
lot of nothing right now.
I apologise for the long post. I got a bit
carried away. Writing this post actually helped me a lot in reflecting over my
trip and has made me appreciate even more the experiences that I have had. This
trip was only three weeks. I can’t wait until July, where I’ll be traveling for
eight weeks with my two friends from home. Imagine the things I’ll be
learning then!
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