My trip is based on the teachings of the lord of cheap travel, Rick Steves. I’ve pored over Europe Through the Back Door ’06 and ’08, Italy ’07, his Spanish/German/French phrase book, his Web site, his graffiti boards. He makes cheap travel sound so romantic, so wonderful, so simple and elegant and non-pretentious. I fell under his spell, despite years of avoiding all travel books sans photos. Steves doesn’t need photos. His language is so colorful that photos would be overkill.
I am such a Rick Steves disciple that I not only own his convertible, expandable backpack, but also his silk money belt, clean kit, large travel towel, compass/thermometer key chain, packing cubes, day back, lamb skin wallet, and pocket tote – and I wrote all those down by memory. I’m not adhering to his packing list, though, since I’m a 22-year-old chick who would like to look a little colorful in her Europe photos (and there will be a ton). I have, however, written out my packing list about 50 times. Whenever I get bored at work, I’ll pull out a notebook and start a list, subdivided by “Clothing,” “Meds,” “Misc.,” and “Toiletries.” Yes, I am a list maker.
What does all this mean, exactly? It means I’m traveling cheap and safe. It also means that while I am going to a few big cities (Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Barcelona, Prague, Budapest), I’m going to what Rick Steves calls “back doors,” too – like Cinque Terre, and Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Plitvice Park, Croatia. And I will always, always, always be wearing a money belt beneath my clothes.
I will also be traveling light. This is probably Rick Steves’ biggest mantra – “Pack light, pack light, pack light.” I’ll only have one carry-on bag. If you know me, you’ll know this is quite a feat. It’s a test of wills, of sorts. I tend to wear the same clothes over and over again anyway, so it should work out OK. We’ll see in my later blogs.
