One Month, Two Backpacks

September 4, 2013

Nobody wants to look like a tourist. There's a lot of discussion on the travel blogs and forums about what to wear to blend in with the Europeans and especially the Italians. Really? These are ITALIANS. Fashion is what they do! Besides, I'm pretty sure the backpack, camera, and our mouths hanging open are going to give us away.

Apparently, there are a few basic things that distinguish us as tourists: big white athletic shoes, shorts when we aren't at the beach, and t-shirts with clever quotes or advertisement. We also need to keep our knees and shoulders covered at the Vatican and have warm clothes for our trip to the tippy top of the Zugspitz, Germany's highest mountain.

Luggage is another topic of discussion on the travel forums and everyone has an opinion. We will be traveling primarily on trains; walking from the station, on cobblestone streets, to our B&B where we will schlep our luggage up several flights of narrow stairs to our room. A backpack seems the logical choice. We like the Eagle Creek Digi Haulers because they zip open like a suitcase. Another nifty product from Eagle Creek is the packing envelope. Can't travel without them.

Our goal was to keep each backpack and its contents under twenty pounds; filled with lightweight things we can wash out in the sink and have dry by morning. Think Columbia hiking pants or golf clothes in techy fabrics. Surprisingly, we outdid ourselves. Both packs came in at just over 18 pounds.

Ron and Ellen gave us some Canadian flag pins for our backpacks. We're hoping that terrorists (and other nogoodniks) have a tender spot in their hearts for Canadians. We should be able to maintain this charade as I was raised in WAY upper Michigan and speak fluent Canadian, eh?


Jane will be here at 11:30 to chauffeur us to the airport. Next stop: Amsterdam!
Below is a list of what's in those backpacks. I'm sure we could get by with less but I don't want to get sick of myself. I'll update this post when we get back with how this worked for us.






Me:
Pants: 1 long, 3 capris (knees covered). Shirts: 2 long sleeve, 4 short sleeve. 1 knit sweater type thing, 1 windbreaker, two pair of shoes, PJ's, undies, socks. A couple scarves and some jewelry in a pathetic attempt to jazz myself up.

Larsen:

Pants : 1 pair of khakis, 4 pair of shorts. Shirts: 3 Polo shirts, 2 button down. 1 windbreaker, 1 pair of shoes, PJ,s, socks, undies.

Miscellaneous:
1 smart phone with two spare batteries, Camera, iPad, iPod, Electric razor, Universal battery charger,
European plug adaptor, Travel extension cord/USB port, Cosmetics & toiletries, Laundry stuff: Woolite, Shout, clothesline, foldable hangers, Passports, Universal drivers licenses, Money belt, Mucho Euros.
A cross body purse made of Kevlar with steel cables in the shoulder strap and locks on each zippered pocket. This will be our day pack.
All of our travel info, including maps, reservations, and several audio tours, is loaded on my phone. I used a clever little App called Trip It.

Post Trip Update: 

The phone was a hassle. You won't believe how many apps you have running in the background that eat up your meager data plan. I shut it down and only used it as a "dumb phone" to access my Trip It data for reservations, train schedules, etc. Wifi was available everywhere, if not really reliable, at least it was free.

Loved the backpacks but 18 pounds feels heavier than you might think. Lighten it up if you can. The ipad added extra weight. If you don't plan on blogging, leave it home. You can turn on your phone when you are in a Wifi area to check your email.

The clothes we packed worked really well. We did notice that the colors were very drab: black, gray, brown, etc. Maybe it was the season, but I think I wouldn't take bright colors the next time.

The cross-body purse was great. We heard a lot about pickpockets. Never saw anything like this and never once felt uncomfortable anywhere we went. I have a theory. It's O.K. to look like a tourist, just don't look like a stupid or vulnerable tourist. Also, if pickpocketing is your profession, you probably recognize my purse as being hard to "pick" and move on to something easier.

One more thing: I wasn't sure what to do about a manicure for a month long trip. Shellac will last two weeks but then it has to be professionally removed and reapplied. Who wants to spend their vacation in a nail salon? I used CND Vinylux in a light color. It lasted 16 days. I had remover and alcohol on cotton balls in ziplock bags. I was able to, quickly, do a fresh manicure and was good for the rest of the trip. Great stuff, that Vinylux!

Pre Trip Planning

August 23, 2013

Planning vacations is almost as much fun as taking them. I've been hard at this one for over a year. We like to travel on our own so that we see and do those things that are important to us. Our kids are a little nervous but this is not our first rodeo. We planned and traveled on our own to Costa Rica in 1997, Ireland in 2004 (or was it 2005?), and around the entire continental US in a small motor home in 2010. 90% of the time, it was great. Those occasions when things didn't turn out were some of the most fun we had. The Venice Beach fiasco comes to mind.

 

I start with a general idea of where we want to go then I read the travel forums and other blogs like this one to fine tune. Real opinions of real people are invaluable. Places I thought I wanted to go (Pisa) have been replaced by those that I was going to skip (Venice).

The former Mrs. Larsen went to Europe three times during the marriage and left Larsen home. I'm beginning to understand.

During the planning process my cranky hubby grumbles, makes snide remarks, and actually whines; making sure I know just how much he doesn't want any part of the trip. Once we get on the plane, he's fine. I just have to remember two rules: 1) No standing in lines. 2) We must be off the road with a cocktail in hand by 5:00 PM. Easy.

So we leave in 10 Days. Starting in Amsterdam and ending in Rome. A total of 26 days on the ground. I can't wait.

In a last ditch attempt to scuttle the trip, Larsen woke up this morning with a very sore knee. I sent him for an ace bandage and some Aleve. Suck it up, Cupcake.

The "kids", Bogey and Sweet Pea, are staying with Auntie Rose next door. I expect to find her knee deep in cat hair when we return. Rose used to have cats but has apparently forgotten about the shedding or she never would have agreed to this.

We want to see all the really important sites but we mostly travel to experience other cultures. You can't do that inside a museum. Our interest in churches is purely architectural and after the first 90 - 100 paintings of the Madonna, I'm good.

This trip will be light on art museums and churches, and heavy on eating, drinking, and hanging with the locals whenever possible.

The Euro is pissing me off. When I started planning this trip it was at $1.22. It is now at $1.34. How can this be with all the talk of defaults and recessions? With all their troubles, are they still in better shape than the USA?

We haven't spent as much time learning the languages as we did prior to Costa Rica. Some of the places we went in Costa Rica were out in the pickers. Do they even have pickers in Europe?. We've learned the basic polite words and phrases in three languages; Dutch, German, Italian. We can say: Yes, No, Hello, Goodbye, Please, Thank You, Your Welcome, Excuse me, I'm sorry, What does this cost?, Is the tip included?, Where is the bathroom? I would like a vodka with a splash of water and lots of ice, Make that a double!

That should do it. Technology has advanced since Costa Rica. There's an app on my phone that translates what I want to say and then translates the response back to me. I can scan the text of a menu and translate it. So really, how much trouble can we get into?

So I've written a novel and we aren't even on the plane.

Next Post: One Month, One Backpack Each: What to Pack.