Student Travel – What To Take When Backpacking In
Europe
Rick Chapo
For the fortunate few, life isn't complete without a backpacking
trip through Europe. This right of passage is believed to further
the maturation process of college students, according to
sociologists. Of course, others have opined that copious amounts
of alcohol, sun and Amsterdam have something to do with it.
Regardless of your purpose, you still have to figure out what to
take.
Backpack – Getting In Touch With Your Inner Mule
Obviously, the first critical item is your backpack. While one
doesn't need to buy the $10,000 Himalaya Turbo Pack, you should
also avoid the $12 blue light special. So, how do you pick a
happy middle ground?
The best method for picking a backpack involves three phone
books. Select/swipe/borrow three yellow page books from
neighbors/friends/enemies and hit your local sporting goods
store. With the books, head to the backpackapalozza section of
the store and pick out a few sturdy/cool/outrageous rigs. Stuff
the phone books in, adjust the straps and go for a walk. Now
break out into a run to simulate future dashes for trains/
ferries/ toilets and make the sales people nervous. These steps
should quickly reveal the perfect pack.
Now, you may have read other publications suggesting highly
technical ways to select a backpack. Trust me, until you have run
for the last ferry from Italy to Greece, you have no idea how to
pick a pack. The three phone book test solves this nicely.
What To Take
There are a few mantras that every person should chant before
packing for Europe. These chants were developed originally by the
little known, Oh-My-Back Monks of Southeast Asia. The "OMB" Monks
were known for traveling half way to far off cities, turning
around, returning home and then traveling the full way to said
cities. Religious experts opined as to the deep metaphysical
meaning of such trips. They were later embarrassed when the monks
revealed the back and forth nature of the trips was due to
forgetting something, often whether they had turned off the iron.
Nonetheless, such chants have become the guiding light of
experienced backpackers.
Let us slowly and clearly chant together,
"I will pack only that which will not result in me being hunched
over like a Sherpa."
"Remember, I can pick it [(lower voice) toothpaste, book, soap]
up over there."
"I will not stuff thy pack to the point of bursting, for thy damn
zippers always break/get snagged/refuse to work."
"I will learn humility through wearing incredibly wrinkled
clothes and shall not bring an iron."
"I shall bring only one guide book, not one for each country that
I MIGHT see."
"I accept that I will come home wearing something I didn't take
and will have lost/traded/burned much of what I did take."
For female travelers and, okay, the occasional male,
"I will not bring high heels or a gaggle of make-up."
Admittedly, chanting these mantras will not bringing you
immediate enlightenment. Fret, not. You can always throw items
away or send them home in a box to your parents/friends/parole
officer. For the resourceful backpacker, it is not unheard of to
send particularly smelly/discolored/toxic clothing to an
ex-girlfriend/ex-boyfriend/little brother. Follow these practical
guidelines and you will soon happily be speaking in a loud voice
to make foreigners understand you.
The Evidence
This is the hard part for most travelers to wrap their minds
around. You will forget those special moments of your trip when
you met the hunk Sven or babe Svenetta from Sweden and had a
romantic evening/danced the night away/got arrested in
Ios/Ibiza/the airport. Maybe not immediately, but you will
eventually forget.
You will also forget or lose the contact information of people
you meet, despite meticulously writing it down on the back of a
coaster/napkin/your hand in a bar/poetry reading/jail at three in
the morning. Surprisingly, said coaster/napkin/hand often survive
the night/day/weekend and get deposited in your already trashed
backpack. Of course, their presence is often forgotten when you
later put a Oktoberfest mug/wet towel/toothbrush in. The extra
padding at the bottom of your pack is specifically designed to
deal with the decomposing result. Still, the information is gone
and so is your future with Sven/Svenetta.
To properly record the magical moments of your trip, you must
take a diary or journal. Don't worry, you can burn it later
before you get married/your parents get nosey/you have kids. You
want a journal in a water/beer/sweat resistant case. Of course, I
prefer a Nomad Travel Journal, but just make sure you take
something. When you have some extra time in the bus/train/jail
cell, you can record how you got there and the people you met.
Trust me, when you, Sven/Svenetta and your nine children are
sitting on the porch, you will greatly enjoy reading your
journal.
Of course, that assumes you didn't burn it.
Rick Chapo is with
http://www.nomadjournals.com - Preserve the
experience with writing journals for traveling, hiking, rock
climbing, fly fishing, bird watching and more.
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