I’ve prepared to return to Europe. This will be my fifth time there. The first four trips were touch-and-goes, getting me to and from the war-zones of the time. I’m really looking forward to being there on my own, for an extended stay, and in total peace, focusing on what I love in this chapter of life; learning from and bonding with the people who call that continent home.
The ‘Europe 50’ page I’ve put together on this site details the countries I’ll be exploring there, the order I’ll be traveling to them in, and some of the highlights I’ve arranged the whole itinerary around. You’re welcome to suggest a different order, additional sights to see and places to try, and anything else you think of that can help me stay on time and within my budget. The goal is to see them all in less than one month, and for less than $5,000.
So how is that done, exactly? Airfare will likely take ~$1,000 or more, maybe even double if I bounce over to Greenland. I’m looking for any and all deals in that department as I can find. Let’s say there’s $3,000 left; spread that out over the 20 days I plan to be there (at most), and you get $150 available for each day. Most of that is going to go to food and gas, so I’ll aim for hostels whenever I need to stretch out overnight, and the rest of the time I’ll be sleeping in the vehicle.
I figure I’ll sleep for 1/3 of each day, leaving 320 hours available to drive and sight-see on this mega-trip; 20 days x 16 hours of consciousness per day. If another 1/3 of my time is spent driving from country to country and site to site, that’s 160 hours left to get out and walk around. 3.2 hours per country means I have enough time to grab a quick bite to go, walk around a castle or two, and maybe attend one festival or other event.
I’m fine with that pace, and will of course change it up daily, fine-tuning as I go. There might be days I sleep in, days I wake early, times I change my mind or route, and times I push through without even stopping. We’ll see what happens.
You can find the current route draft and thoughts in my Expeditions page, and the Europe 50 sub-page. It is also part of the Upcoming Itineraries page, and will remain there for the rest of this and next season. Any questions? You know how to reach me. See you out there if you’re feeling adventurous like me!
