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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 backpack apalozza 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 back pack. 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 10 years later, you will greatly enjoy reading your
journal. Of course, that assumes you didn't burn it.
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About the author:
Rick Chapo is with
http://www.nomadjournals.com -
makers of travel journals. Writing journals are the perfect travel
accessories. Visit
http://www.nomadjournaltrips.com to
read more travel articles and travelogues.
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Traveling
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Getting
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