Is that all you're taking?

We purchased our backpacks today....well, one of them, the other will be in in a few days....and they're surprisingly smaller than I had imagined. I guess I had envisioned these gargantuan packs that would tower over our *seemingly* pea sized heads! (See below) Boy am I glad I was wrong!

By the way...check out that old lady's face! I think her pack was too heavy!

However, I now know that when people refer to their gargantuan packs they are actually referring to the price tags. Man....I can't believe the price of these things. I mean, one pack cost more than an entire set of luggage we bought back in December. Oh well, let's hope the old adage, "You get what you pay for," rings true for our situation. And, Dave Ramsey would be proud, of course we purchased them with cash!

We got a crash course in backpacks 101 from the lovely salesperson at Quest Outdoors this afternoon; we left there backpack connoisseurs. Our packs are made by Osprey and we went with the 60 L variety which seems like plenty of space for all of our necessities. The most important feature that we were looking for was a pack that was front loading instead of top loading. This allows us to access our pack contents as we would luggage instead of a duffel bag. That means we won't have to dig to the bottom of the pack just to find a pair of socks. Yay!


And, the coolest part??? The backpack has this little "day pack" that detaches for use when the big pack isn't necessary. Isn't it adorable?


The backpacks will carry, comfortably, 40 lbs and no more than 50 lbs. I've been thinking and I really hope that all of my stuff doesn't weigh in at more than 40 lbs. Perhaps knowing that I will be toting all this stuff around will convince me to pack lightly. Let's hope, cause I don't think my sweet husband can possibly carry two for very long!

On the way home Mickey commented that purchasing our backpacks made the trip feel all the more real to him. 88 days and counting!

Mr. T modeling his new pack....sans contents, of course.

Next step - learning Italian!

Hostel? Like a hostile conversation?

A friend of mine recently reacted to the news that we were backpacking through Europe and staying in hostels with the above statement. Hilarious.

Mickey and I decided to backpack through Europe and stay in hostels for many reasons. First, we discovered hostels back in 2001 when we took a cross country road trip to California. It was amazing to say the least. And, staying in hostels allowed us to meet new people that were of similar age and interests as well as to travel on the cheap. Cheap accommodations means more money for other things! Thanks to our cousin, Joseph, for intro'ing us to the idea of hostels.

And, yes, I will admit that hosteling may not be for everyone. It offers more of a "dorm" setting than anything. Most times you share rooms that contain bunks with 8-10 other people and you have common areas such as a television/game room, kitchen, laundry, etc. It's really a neat experience. Check out the hostel we stayed in in San Diego.

In the kitchen of our hostel

The game/common area

The tv/movie room

For us, hostels were the obvious choice for our backpacking trip. Many people look at us like we're crazy when we tell them we're backpacking and staying in hostels. Maybe you have to experience it once to really appreciate it. Or maybe it's because we've been mostly talking with our parents and older fam. Maybe they'd have responded differently back in the day!

Either way, we're looking forward to staying in the hostels and meeting other travelers. Word is that many of the travelers we will meet will be, most likely, Australian or British...apparently there aren't as many American backpackers as one would think. Interesting.

So, stay tuned for all of the hosteling adventures to come! And, no, they won't be hostile adventures...they will be non confrontational, pleasant adventures!

To Busabout or Eurail.....That is the Question

For many months now we've wrangled with the decision of using Busabout or Eurail services for our trip. Both are viable options for traveling throughout Europe but both also have their pros and cons.

Busabout is a travel service for "Independent, Flexible Travelers" as they advertise it. Check them out here. Basically, they are big, blue buses (Greyhounds, for those of us here in America) that allow travelers to experience Europe in a more "touristy" travel setting than, say, the rail. Something that also appealed to us about the Busabout service is the offer of their "hop on, hop off" service that delivers passengers to, not only their destination city, but also to the front door of a hostel that is endorsed by Busabout. The buses run into and out of each destination city every 2 days. So, basically, you can choose to stay in a city for 2 days or 2 weeks. It's completely up to the traveler which is why they tout flexibility so much in their advertising.

Of course, with Eurail you have many options as well. First off, Eurail travels to many more destinations than does Busabout. Busabout tends to cover all major tourist cities but leaves out many of the "hole in the wall" towns that they assume many tourists wouldn't be attracted to. So, if you did have the itch to visit one of those towns you'd be out of luck with Busabout. Another benefit of traveling rail is that you could choose the overnight train which would allow you to sleep during your travels from city to city ultimately buying you more touring time. However, for us, the rail was a little too independent. With Busabout you are guaranteed that you will have tour guides on each bus, not to give you tours, but simply to suggest places to eat, see and stay in each city. Additionally, with Busabout you meet like-minded travelers that you will, more than likely, travel with for the larger part of your trip. Yay for meeting new people!

So, it appears that the decision has been made. We will book our 3 week trip with Busabout to visit the cities of Venice, Rome, Siena, Florence, Pisa, La Spezia, Nice and Paris. I think I'm most excited about Nice and Paris and, of course, anyone that knows Mickey knows he's most excited about ALL things Italy!

I never realized how many details go into planning a trip like this. I mean, this first hurdle, choosing transportation, is just one of many. We're now off to determine flights, travel essentials, learning Italian and brushing up on French, determining which museums and attractions to add to our "must dos," etc. This could get intense before the trip even begins! Strap on your seat belts!

Europe - Here we come!

Welcome to the blog of Mickey and Devon...husband and wife, best pals and first time backpackers extraordinaire!

This blog finds us setting out to fulfill a years long dream of backpacking through Europe. Yep, that's right, we are an adventurous pair who enjoy exploring new ideas, new places, new cultures and experiencing life to the fullest. (Although, admittedly, Devon does have the tendency to become homesick every now and again...sigh.) And, so, with the culmination of college graduations, grad school on the horizon, an employee of the year award, and all other stars aligned - we've decided to go for it! Our first trip - Italy and France!

We want this blog to keep those we love informed of our journey as it draws near and our adventures as they unfold "across the pond." So, sit back, relax (at least try, Mama(s)) and join us on our first trip to Europe.

And, hey, feel free to give us advice as we navigate the undeniable craziness of passports, backpack fittings and other numerous (and, yes, random) particulars that reveal themselves amidst the planning for such a big trip!