i just booked my flight to london town! and get this - the flight that's taking me all the way there from southeast asia only cost about $300 usd! thank you john and air asia. i heart you.
as you know, i've been meandering around central and southeast asia for quite some time. more than double the time, in fact, than i had planned on. it's so easy to get sucked into the slow pace of life here and the ridiculously low cost of travel. but i think i've gotten my fill for now. and with such affordable airfare to europe, how could i possibly resist?!
when i first thought about traveling the world, it was alllllllll about europe. i'd been there in '06 and totally fell in love, especially with the south of france. i had my heart set on the mediterranean region as my starting point for this round-the-world journey.
but desperate circumstances in my pathetic LA life had me eager to leave the states as soon as possible, and that wound up being in late fall of 2009. and the last thing i wanted to do to start my epic journey was be COLD. so i spun the globe to the other side and decided on new zealand / australia where it would be sunny and summery instead. good choice, as it turned out, because that winter in europe was quite the nasty one! instead of freezing my bum off, i was soaking in the sun and exploring the world down under wearing flip flops and bikinis and the occasional snorkel mask. a wise choice indeed!
theoretically, i would follow the sun and be in europe by june of 2010. but as i mentioned, the lazy lifestyle in asia got the better of me and i'm still here in 2011! i did have some unfortunate financial issues a few months ago that had me somewhat stuck in asia - money was running dangerously low, my bank account had been hacked, money had been stolen, had to cancel my cards, had zero access to my cash, etc. but every misfortune was an opportunity in my eyes. i got to explore far more of the eastern hemisphere than i had planned and have really gotten a feel for the local culture. absolutely priceless.
but it is time to move on.
the european leg of my world tour commences in march! it'll still be cold, but at least it will be warming up for spring time while i'm there. and if the money lasts (questionable but hopeful!), i could spend some of my summer there too. the money thing is freaking me out a little bit. but i refuse to return home to the states in the direction i came from - i set off to travel around the world and that's precisely what i'm gonna do.
i don't exactly have a plan yet though. i do know i wanna go to ireland, holland, spain, france, italy, switzerland, austria, czech republic, croatia, and greece. sweden if i can afford it. maybe albania. maybe scotland. maybe germany. i also wanna wander into africa a bit to see egypt and morocco.
sheesh, that sounded perfectly feasible in my head, but now that i've listed it all out, it sounds outrageous. have i completely lost my brain?! we'll just see how it goes. whichever countries i don't make it to, i'll just have to save for next time ;)
to be honest, i'm nervous about going to europe. by the time i get there, i'll have spent nearly a year getting into the asian groove. the idea of spending more than $1 usd on a meal sounds ludicrous. and having to wear real shoes and a jacket just sounds awful. but i have about 2 months left to indulge, so until my european adventure comes calling in march, you can find me in my flip flops, at a vietnamese streetside foodstall, filling my belly with nem nướng, bắp xào and bún riêu for literally pennies. i may throw in the occasional $1 pedicure, or 90-minute oil and hot stone massage for $6. i don't think i'll be finding those anywhere in europe!
that said, i am seeking advice on how to do europe in the absolute cheapest way. my life savings is dying a slow but wonderful death, and i am determined to see as much of europe as i can with what life support is left. couchsurfing is my key strategy for accommodations. but what about the other major expense of transport?
- should i get the eurorail pass or is that too limiting?
- should i just wing it by buses, trains & cheap flights as i go along?
- besides ryan air, what other budget airlines should i know about?
- is it easy to travel from country to country by bus?
my stats tell me you're out there, people, and i know you're shy! but i am sincerely asking you for your opinions, your experiences, your advice. i'd really appreciate it. you can post anonymously too, or just email me.
countdown to europe begins now
Labels: backpacking europe, europe tips, round the world