This is the beginning to all my posts regarding my Western Europe backpacking adventure.
It’s also the beginning to the rest of my life as a traveler, teacher, and adventure seeker.
After graduating from college, the last thing on my mind was getting a “real” job as a teacher. I had just spent the last 16+ years in school; I needed a break from the classroom.
Don’t get me wrong; becoming a teacher was and is my dream.
I just needed some time in which I wasn’t thinking about assignments, exams, and homework.
Rewind to my three summers working at a summer camp. 60% of the staff was international. In the summers of 2016, 2017, and 2018, I had met the most incredible people from all over the world. Mexico, Columbia, Brazil, Kenya, South Africa, Morocco, Australia, New Zealand, Lithuania, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, the U.K., and so many more.
While working there, I realized that the world was so much bigger than the corner that I grew up in.
I had made real, meaningful connections and relationships with people from completely different backgrounds and upbringings than me.
It was my first introduction to wanting to see more. I was in college though; that was the priority.
Fastback forward to graduation. I realized that for the first time in my life, I had no commitments. I was out of school, I hadn’t pursued a career yet, I was single, and if I worked hard enough and saved my money, I could do anything I wanted.
So that’s what I did. I waited on countless tables over the summer as a server, saved every penny, and bought a plane ticket to Ireland.
The next step was contacting my friends across the pond and figuring out the best dates to meet up with them and crash on their couch.
Mainly, I just wanted to see some old friends. But I also wanted to explore and travel a bit on my own. So the planning process was a bit of a mess. I had specific dates in which my friends could accommodate me, I had specific places that I wanted to see personally, and then I had gaps in between it all.
I knew that I didn’t want to plan everything. I wanted to leave opportunities to do something spontaneous. I wanted to be able to stay in a place longer if I connected with the city, or leave after a day or two if it wasn’t for me. I also wasn’t entirely sure on transportation between specific places.
Eventually, after a little planning, lots of communication with my European companions, and the use of the right apps, I was able to create a brief itinerary.
What resulted was the best six weeks of my life.
