transient vagabond

2012-02-22

What to Bring: European Backpacking

Deciding on what to pack for a long, multi-destination trip can be a daunting task. It’s important to choose the right items and organize them accordingly to allow for quick and easy transitions in between destinations. This guide will walk you through the necessary things you should prepare for your European backpacking journey.

HOW TO PICK A BACKPACK

Choosing the right backpack is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your trip. Your backpack will have to be sturdy enough to hold all of your possessions, but comfortable enough to allow for agility when walking through train stations and airports. Make sure to choose a backpack with chest and hip straps that can be adjusted to ergonomically suit your body. Even if you’re carrying 25-50 lbs, you should still be able to walk around in ease with most of the weight resting on your hips. A backpack with side access is also optimal.

Some popular brands include: Gregory, Osprey, and The North Face. Prices range from $175 to $400 depending on size and features. Make sure to try on a variety of different backpacks at your local sporting goods store to find the right fit.

PACK SMART AND PACK LIGHT

Regardless of how long your trip is, whether it be 1 month or 6 months, it’s key to pack as lightly as you can. Here’s a list of what you should bring for an autumn/winter trip:

Clothing:
- 4 shirts (2 with long sleeves for cold weather)
- 2 pairs of pants
- 1 pair of shorts
- 5 sets of underwear and socks
- 3 bras
- 1 pair of pajamas
- 1 dress
- 1 sweater
- 2 jackets (one heavy, one light)
- 2 pairs of shoes
- 1 pair of flip flops (for hostel showers)

Essentials:
- cosmetics and toiletries (only take what you need to maintain hygiene)
- fast drying towel
- sleeping sheet (for when you stay at hostels that don’t have sheets)
- lock (for lockers in hostels)
- light laundry bag
- first aid kit
- airporter (to protect your backpack and its straps when you check it into flights)

The Daypack: A small bag or backpack is also needed to hold your items for day treks. This bag will normally carry items such as:

- camera
- travel journal
- universal travel converter
- smart phone/GPS device
- music player and headphones
- sunglasses/glasses
- water bottle

Make sure your daypack is small enough to fit inside your backpack or to wear comfortably on your front for when you’re also carrying your main backpack.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

Passport, Credit Cards, and Cash: Pickpocketing is a major concern in certain European cities. As a result, many travelers feel more at ease securing valuables in a neck wallet or money belt. Others feel perfectly comfortable carrying them in their daypack. Your personal preferences will determine how you want to handle your valuables but always be aware of where your possessions are and never leave your items unattended.

Tips to Conserve Space: You don’t have to carry enough toiletries to last the entire duration of your trip. Purchase items as you need them and try your best to find travel sizes.

If you get the urge to buy an item that isn’t a necessity, remember that you’ll have to carry it in your backpack so be weary of weight and size. There are also plenty of reliable post offices all around Europe. Don’t be afraid to ship new and unnecessary items back home.

Some find it helpful to bring laundry paper (also known as single-use soap sheets) to wash clothing along the way and minimize the amount of garments you carry in your backpack. A common practice among travelers is to also wash garments while showering to save time and keep clothes clean.

The Flight 001 Spacepak system is an excellent way to keep your belongings organized and compressed. The system is comprised of multiple packs, each of them dedicated to a specific element of your carry-on—clothes (with one side for clean clothes and another side for dirty clothes), shoes, and toiletries. Every pack is designed with air vents on the side to let air out, but not let air in. The set costs about $100 and is well worth the price.

BON VOYAGE

Now that you know what to bring, all that’s left is to pack up and be on your way. You can find additional information on European destinations, sights, and eats on transient vagabond.

2012-01-09

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

beirut - vagabond

left the vagabonds /
a trail of stones /
forward to find my way home /
now as the air grows cold /
the trees unfold /
and i am lost /
and not found.

and who knows.

2011-12-19

europe

- 3 months
- 25 cities / towns
- 12 countries
- 11 languages
- 6 currencies
- 25 beds
- 1 outbreak of bedbugs
- 13 metro systems
- 1 spell of food poisoning

it’s been over a week since i’ve returned from my epic europe trip and i’m still at a loss for words to describe what i experienced. perhaps it’s too early to precisely know what i’ve gained from the past 3 months other than a couple of pounds but i’ll do my best.

i wish i could tell you something poignant, insightful, and meaningful—some crap like, “traveling has helped me find my place in the world,” but it’d be a complete and total lie. if anything, traveling has left me with more questions, more cultural curiosities and i fear these will only be answered by more travel. i may have gotten bit by the travel bug and at this point, there’s no looking back.

at best, i can tell you this much—after everything i’ve been through, every moment feels a little more precious, every interaction is a little more appreciated. that same analytical hat i put on as i hopped from city to city still sits firmly planted on that noggin of mine and in many ways, has helped me to view the world and even my own hometown in a different light.

i’m the first one to refrain from romanticizing my experiences, though. as adventurous as it seems from the outside looking in, being out there feels no more real than sitting here, writing this note. every moment truly is what you make of it. and though i had the highest of highs and lowest of lows, it was this precise dichotomy that miraculously kept me grounded.

even when i found myself in the most breathtaking settings, never once did i have to pinch myself to verify what i was experiencing was real. everything i saw, ate, and did was very real and i don’t take that for granted whatsoever. in the past 3 months, i have never been more present or more mentally absorbent in my life. i tried my best to allow the reality of it all to register in my mind because i didn’t want to walk away with mere memories but rather something more processed and refined. something i could readily access in the future.

so i guess, in the end, the most valuable thing i take from these experiences are the actual experiences in and of themselves. i now have all these first hand recollections to add to my understanding of the world, to my own cultural contexts if you will, to draw upon when referring to cities or countries i encountered. and though there are still many things missing (as far as my own lifetime, personal travel goals go), this is what i got, and i think it’s forming pretty nicely.

contrary to popular belief, i don’t think i’ll be leaving the states any time soon to live in a different country. the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and now that i’ve been on the other side, i can confirm it sure is greener. but i’ve also come to realize that this thought is as transient and fleeting as my vagabond tendencies—it changes as fast as your environment changes. so as much as i love the creative culture in berlin, the magic lights in paris, the calm energy of reykjavik, the delicious food in italy, or the odd familiarity of london and dublin, one thing is clear—i have never been happier to be in a warm house, around family and friends who i love and adore, in a country (though certainly flawed) that is and will always be what i consider home.

so for now, farewell. thank you for following my journey to europe. i sure am thankful to have had this blog and your interested eyes to help me document it. <3

2011-12-14

i didn’t really post many pictures of my friends on this tumblr since i wanted to show you europe from my own eyes, but they were there beside me the entire time and made this experience all the more worth while. here’s some fun .gifs i made of some of them (except the risotto guy. he wasn’t my friend haha!).

/cc emotivelle // foundfrequencies // playfulquips

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dublin, ireland

i was glad dublin was my last stop on my epic europe trip. the people here are friendly, funny, and despite the cold, windy weather, exude a kind warmth. they tend to see things on the brighter side and that kind of attitude is infectious.

dublin has all of the things i loved about london—amazing old pubs with crazy selections, delicious food, warm / personalized shops—but for some reason i feel like they do it better. the city is relatively small (you can get everywhere in the center on foot) and there’s government mandate prohibiting the construction of tall buildings so everything has a certain intimacy that london doesn’t. it feels like a small, big town where everyone knows each other and is happy to greet you with a warm welcome. top that off with awesome alcohol factories like the guinness storehouse and the old jameson distillery and you’ve got a winning formula.

but for my last leg, what was most important for me was to leave europe with nice, warm and fuzzy feelings. after 3 months of travel, i was eager for some relaxation and somewhat excited to go home. lucky for me, dublin provided a great transition. you can easily spend your whole day going from pub to pub, drinking pints, irish coffees, and cranberry and whiskeys. there wasn’t any pressure to do crazy touristy stuff other than pub hopping, eating a bunch of yummy food, and visiting trinity college, none of which really felt like work. not to mention the fact that everyone speaks english here so i didn’t have to worry about a language barrier. dublin made me feel one step closer to home and i was glad.

the night before my flight i couldn’t sleep and there was a moment when i felt tears well up in my eyes. i was sad that it was all over and couldn’t believe i had it in me to last 3 months. i had a pleasant conversation with an irish taxi driver on the way to the airport and i got on that plane. what an incredible ride the past 3 months have been. i feel very fortunate to have gotten the chance to experience all this.

i’ve been home for the past couple of days. adjusting has been weird to say the least, but everything is well and it feels good to be home. i’ll post some overall thoughts on my whole experience soon. <3

2011-12-12

dublin, ireland

sheridan’s cheesemongers
11 s anne st
dublin 2

ok, so it smelled like a cow farm when we walked into this place but in a speciality cheese store, i took this as a good sign. i knew nothing about irish cheese and the only reason i was here was because my mom requested i take some cheese back with me to the states, but the cheese-makers were kind. they walked me through the most popular irish cheeses and let me taste whatever my heart desired. i grabbed some cheddar, smoke gouda, blue, and 2 other cheeses i wasn’t familiar with but tasted lovely. a cute shop with friendly service always gets a gold star in my book.

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dublin, ireland

the farm
3 dawson st
dublin 2

hellooooo pie! after a failed attempt at a fancy lunch at the pig’s ear, we stumbled on this place and got pulled in by the promise of fresh, organic yumminess. then we walked in and all decided to order a heart attack—creamy, mashy fish pie topped with melted cheese. the restaurant is a bit on the pricey side (the fish pie was 13,50 euro), but is run by an award-winning chef and is well worth the fresh ingredients and purdy, modern decor.

farm fresh fish pie—salmon, cod & haddock in a cream sauce topped with mashed potato and melted cheese with an organic side salad

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dublin, ireland

the old jameson distillery
7 bow st
dublin 7

no cheap frills, no brainwash installations, a live tour guide, and amazing whiskey made this my favorite alcohol factory tour. the whole entire experience was tasteful and classy—the mark of a true whiskey. other than the taxidermy cat, i thoroughly enjoyed everything about this place. i even volunteered to do a free comparison tasting and at the end was deemed a graduate of the art of whiskey. YESS. i also learned that jameson mixed with cranberry juice is the way the irish like to drink their whiskey and it’s deliciously dangerous. i bought myself a bottle of their 12 year old distillery reserve (only available for purchase at the old jameson distillery) and walked away a happy gal. oh, and their bar makes the best irish whiskeys in town. the cream is so delicious you will cry. <3 jameson, <3 the old jameson distillery.

2011-12-11

dublin, ireland

o’neills bar and restaurant
2 suffolk st
dublin 2

for my first dinner in dublin, i was dead set on eating some delicious shepherds pie. initially, we were going to eat at the stag’s head, but after a taxi driver convinced us o’neills made the best pie in town, we headed straight there. holy mother of pies, he was right. i asked the carver what the best way to eat it was and he said with extra mash and a side of traditional irish cabbage. then he drenched my whole entire plate with gravy without even asking me. i wanted to kiss him. everything about this meal was excellent—the consistency of the buttery mash, the texture of the cabbage, the crispy top of the shepherds pie, and the warm savory insides. it was the perfect meal for the cold, wintery weather.

there were so many other dishes on the menu, we came back the next night for more. lucky for us, the carvery is open late (a bit of a rarity in dublin), serves a wide range of delicious traditional irish food, and their bar is loaded with all of the best irish beers. so yummy!

shepherds pie with a side of steamed / pickled cabbage and mash

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dublin, ireland

the brazen head
20 lower bridge st
dublin 8

not gonna lie, it was damn cold in dublin. especially when the wind decided to rear its ugly head. in my opinion, the only way to truly warm up is to stuff your face with some warm, hearty, traditional irish food. and it doesn’t get any more traditional than this. behold, my first bowl of irish stew! it’s got chunks of tender lamb, celery, carrots, and for a nice little surprise, is topped with some buttery mash. it totally and completely hit the spot.

i ate this bad little boy in the oldest pub in town, the brazen head. it dates back to 1198 and holey moley you can tell—the whole place feels like its drenched in history. the people here are super nice and if you get the chance, stop by for storytelling night (which comes with a 4 course traditional irish meal). i didn’t get the chance to while i was in dublin, but wished i could have.

traditional irish stew