You've heard the expression, "You would have had to have been there to get it." Usually, somebody says this when they tell a funny story and no one laughs. We all know that person.
I read books, I talked to people who had been all over the world, I Googled packing lists... I did everything to prepare. However, here is a classic case of, "I would have had to have been there [before] to get it." (You could easily replace "get it" with "to not almost get abducted by an Italian man in a minivan."...or something of that nature.) Backpacking is one of those things you can't completely prepare for. You have to experience it to really know what to do and what not to do for next time. Let me just start by saying I made a LOT of mistakes. Mistakes that ended up costing me a lot of time and money. Something I didn't really have a lot of in the first place beginning this trip! My intentions for this blog post are to help the future explorer (you) by learning from my mistakes so that you can hopefully save some time and money by potentially avoiding mishaps. Here we go. HOW TO SURVIVE EUROPE: 1.) Exchange currency in the United States. Just do it. All of it. I spent over loads of cash in ATM transaction fees all because I didn't pull enough money out the first time in the airport. The word "fee" sounds like "flea," a microscopic, little insect. An ATM fee in Europe is no small bug. Each transaction alone costed thirty dollars. 2.) Book all sleeping arrangements prior to your stay Don't wait until you are in city center to book a room. Murphy's law states that "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong," It's not pessimistic, it's safe. Pre book any lodging's prior to your arrival and read over all information twice to be sure. Check the number of beds you booked in your hostel, how many nights, check out times, whether or not breakfast included, how close it is to city center and the airport, if your hosts speak English and ALWAYS LOOK AT REVIEWS. I can't stress that enough people. I'm having a flashback to dragging an old 50 lbs suitcase with a broken wheel downtown Brooklyn because our Airb&b host bailed on us. We looked at his reviews AFTER (GOOD JOB GUYS, slow clap for us.) If you go to Dublin, stay in Ashfield Hostel, the best ever. Check it out. www.ashfieldhostel.com 3.) BYOM (Bring your own Medicine) I had severe jet-lag in England, some kind of weird eye infection in Dublin (so gross omg) Ear and throat congestion in Spain, nauseous in Rome, and allergies like no other throughout. One thing I am truly grateful for is the abundance and access we have to any kind of medicine in the states. That being said, BYOM when you leave the country or suffer the consequences. We couldn't find anything anywhere for ear and throat congestion and I couldn't hear for about a week and a half. It was a blast. 4.) Book all flights on Google Flights This is something we actually did right, every single flight we booked was under $100 thanks to good ole' Google. Between the two of us, our flight from Italy to Spain was $35 altogether. You don't have to be rich to explore Europe people! Other helpful websites/apps: hostelworld.com (or Hostelworld App) Airb&b Booking.com (or Booking App) 5.) Swing with the punches My biggest peace of advice would be to RELAX. It's not a matter of if, but when. When something goes wrong, and it will, you have to learn to just roll with it. There are challenges every single day and if you allow yourself to stress about every single thing, you will ruin your time. Welcome interruptions and learn to enjoy the detours your trip will bring. One of the best decisions we made was when we cancelled our plans for the day in Dublin to hangout with the people we met in our hostel. I could sit here and probably come up with fifty other tips to write about but I think these are definitely my top five. More to come! Read and Enjoy everybody! [[Go to my contact page and leave me any questions you have and I'll answer them in my next blog!]] Cheers!
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Welp. All I can say is that it's ABOUT TIME Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Thank you to the OBU kid from New York for coming down south and bringing your hipster-smoothie vibes with you. If you are looking for a healthy, yummy lunch/snack option and you also like underground music, Chaco's and fake prescription glasses, Acai Surf Bar is your favorite new grub destination. This smoothie bowl shop is just down Harrison (the other road in Shawnee) accompanied by a couple of other vendors in the area (we see you striving for that eclectic, Blu Garten feel, Shawnee). Pull a chair up to a giant thimble, take your Instagram picture and dive into the taste of a tropical Summer getaway. . Growing up, us kids could always find adventure in the mundane. My family home rested on a good amount of Oklahoma land and so naturally, as children, we were encouraged to play outside more often then not. It didn't take much encouragement however -- I was pretty much born for the outdoors. I can't remember ever having a boring day. My earliest memory of "exploration" was when I was about 9 years old. I convinced my six-year-old brother to go on an "adventure" with me one morning at around nine o'clock. I filled a back pack, loaded lunches and grabbed my dad's compass. (Why did I think I would need this?) After gearing us up both in our goulashes, (country person name for rain boots, basically) we jumped on our bikes and headed for the creek. We were gone from nine in the morning until nine in the evening. The entire neighborhood and the Shawnee police department were searching for us when we came up over the hill. As it had turned out, we had followed that creek into the next county before turning around to come home. That's just one of the hundreds of stories my poor parents could tell you of my wandering, curious childhood. If you're reading this mom, I love you-- thanks for not killing me. If you're reading this dad, thanks for the pocket knife I got in my stocking every single Christmas. It's hard to explain what exactly it is inside me that wants to explore, experience and wander. It's an ache thats been throbbing since I was old enough to run. When I was sixteen, I left the states for the first time and traveled to El Salvador, San Salvador. When we finally made it, I can remember walking out to an empty fishing beach, laying down on the sand and sobbing. I was overwhelmed by the beauty and wonder of what God had shared with me. The gratitude I felt for being able to experience the artistry of a place like this consumed me. I fell in love with the people, the culture and the charm of that small country. I fell in love with the food and the music. I fell in love with the sun we basked in, the terrain we trekked on and the volcanoes we hiked. I fell in love. Since then, I've been stamping my passport every chance I get. My hope is that I can either inspire those of you who are on the fence about going somewhere or simply entertain the rest of you! My name is Savannah Cozette Hurst, my friends call me Vanz, I love dirt bikes, mountains, waves, snow, photography, family, friends, MMA, traveling, watermelon and most of all, Jesus. Here are some iPhone 4,5 and 6 photos of things I like to do and people I like to hang out with... except the second photo on the second row... pretty sure that wasn't an iPhone judging by my dads full head of hair, rose colored glasses and my baby gap overalls. Click about! PS -- There's a story for that truck... but we'll save it for another time. |