When I turned 18, around 80 Friends of Ben gave me thoughts on life and one theme came up over and over again: Travel! See the world! Do it now while it’s cheap and you’re young!
Well guys, you spoke, I listened, and tomorrow morning is Day 1 of my seven week live-out-of-a-backpack journey in Europe.
I have a great trip lined up, mostly due to you, dear reader, and all the other 999 people who read this blog. Thanks to my blog readers, I am blessed with open doors and local expertise. Because I am an obsessive organizer/planner, I have an Excel sheet hour-by-hour, day-by-day for seven weeks. But I promise not every hour is filled! I’ve budgeted flexibility so I can change my mind along the way.
Psychologically I’m getting ready to lower my standards on all levels — communication, food, showers, warm beds, etc. I’m also preparing myself for lots of things to go wrong. After all, the most I’ve traveled is three weeks in Zurich last summer. Other than that, I haven’t been out of the U.S. or San Francisco for more than a few days in all my 18 years. So: shit will hit the fan….and those are the stories that will make for the best blog posts!
If you would like to follow my travel adventures, check out my Gap Year Travel Blog. Otherwise, this blog will remain normal programming, with the occasional highlight or two from the road. If you are going to be in any of the cities I’m in, email me.
With that, I say so long and pray that I get exit row seats!
Ben, a bit of parting advice, if I may: don’t check the xls too often (other than for contact data).
Your plan is not perfect, since you don’t know the places .. yet. It’s OK to deviate from the plan:-) Go with the flow, enjoy!