Is it just me, or does everyone have that dream at some point in their life to live their life on the tracks? Just jump train-to-train and go wherever the wind takes them. Maybe it was from growing up with a train track in backyard, but I always wondered where all the trains were going and I always wanted be on one and go somewhere too. Last spring, a group of friends and I got the chance to experience a very small taste of what the fantasy of that life would be like. We had about a month off for our spring break and decided to spend as much of it as possible traveling on the Eurail, exploring as many different destinations as possible with the time we had. It was our way to experience as much as Europe had to offer in the short amount of time we had off. All of the Planning We decided that the pass that best fit out itinerary was the Global Pass twenty-two day continuous and at the time we purchased it we received an extra three days free with our pass. We also decided that since we were going to be spending a lot of time on the trains, it was worth it to spend the little extra money for the first class tickets versus the second class. (Not gonna lie, it was a fantastic choice and I highly recommend it if your planning month long or longer trips) For our trip, we used the Eurail’s European Highlights itinerary as a starting point to plan out trip, and then edited it according to our timetable and everyone’s personal preference for the trip. One of the easy adjustments we made to the itinerary was taking France off the trip since we had done a weekend trip previously, so we decided to start in Amsterdam and and add destination after destination after that. We manages to explore ten countries and sixteen cities with our “twenty five” day Global Pass on the Eurail. Most major cities we stayed about two days and the smaller cities we stayed about a day and a half. We would schedule our trains either early in the morning or later at night if they were longer so we wouldn’t waste too much of the day. With shorter train ride, we scheduled those around mid afternoon so we could spend the morning wandering in a city and have the evening in a new city. We tried to plan out as much as possible ahead of time so that while we were traveling we didn’t have anything left to think or worry about. (Also, when I say “schedule”, I mean we planned out most of our time table so that we knew expactly what train we were taking and on what day. We had a few that required reservations but most never reqiured it. On our first train ride, we all got divide up because we didn’t have reserved seats together. Which is not a big deal because we had a ticket no matter what. After that train ride, we decided to make reservations on the longer ones so that we could all sit together and not worry about being separate. We like’d our buddy system.) The best AirBnb award goes to our double-balcony in Venice. Even when it rained we lived for that view! A lot of our planning revolved around time, budget, and effeciency. We wanted to make sure that we did not spend the rest of our savings on the trip ( we still had a month left of school in London when we got back.) So we were still trying to be cautious, but we wanted to make sure we werent always racing against the clock instead of taking in all of the experiences. We kept an incredibly detail document between the six of us on our google docs up to date with our travel plans. Any time a train time, flight, or revervation changed we updated the document. You probably thinking, that is incredibly over the top to go that much into detail, but it was exactly what we needed. Most of the time we didn’t always have WiFi so it was important to have a saved copy of the document on our phones (and a hard copy) so we would always have the train times, our AirBnb rservations addresses, and emergency contacts. During our planning, we found that one of the things that was equally as important to us was time management. We ended up booking a flight from Monte Carlo (technically we flew out of Nice) to Barcelona to not only save time, but so we didn't waste a day dedicated to travel. We wanted to spend as much time in each city as possible, and by switching it up and taking that flight we were able to to extend out trip to Lisbon. We also found that we saved more money by booking AirBnbs. AirBnbs tended to be in the locations that we wanted, whether it was in the city center, close to the train station, best prices, and felt more autentic. It was like a homey introduction as soon as we got to each city and the hosts were always willing to tell us where the best food, hidden attractions, and local favorites were in the city. Overall, the Eurail was the most flexible and cost effective option for us and everything we wanted to accomplish. And oh boy did we test the limits of what we could pack into twenty-five days.
xx A Traveler's Bliss
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Happy New Year, 2017! To ring in the new year, and to top off a two week break, I decided to start off the year with a more personal post: My ultimate travel bucket list. It is a pretty long list filled with trips and destinations, different activities I want to do in certain cities or places, and all I want to photograph along the way. To write every destination on my list would consist of me listing everywhere I haven’t been yet, and then going back to al of the places I have been. I decided to narrow it down to major trips that I would love to plan out one day and then see through. Writing this list has been incredibly inspiring, because it has no budget and no strings attached. This is my list-in-progresses of my dream travels and future plans. I can add to it, take away, and add check marks on the side as I accomplish as I go. Destinations -See the New Seven Wonders of the World: The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt; The Great Wall of China; Petra, Jordan; The Colosseum, Italy; Chichen Itza, Mexico; Machu Picchu, Peru; Taj Mahal, India; Christ the Redeemer, Brazil -Ultimate Road Trip Across the United States: When I was living in London, I realized how little I have traveled in the states. I want to live out of a car for the end of a summer/fall and drive from coast to coast and see everything in-between. -Michigan Road Trip -Alaska Cruise. Ice and northern lights? Am I right?! -Go to all Six Disney Parks: Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disneyland, Disneyland Tokyo, Disneyland Shanghai, Disneyland Hong Kong (Okay, I have been to two, but how cool would it be to plan a trip around the world and go to one park after another? Or just go to all of the parks eventually. That works too.) -Antarctica -Tour of Morocco -South Asia Adventure: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam -Easter Island Heads -Travel to all Seven Continents and all 196 countries Activity Must Dos
-Hot Air Balloon Ride in Arizona/Utah, Turkey, Austria, or Myanmar. -Helicopter Ride over a City or National Park… Anywhere Really. That would be the coolest photo experience. -Hike the PCT ... or part of it. -Bungee Jump in New Zealand or South Africa -Horseback riding through the Scottish Highlands -Descend inside an Egyptian Tomb and learn its secrets -Experience the Northern Lights in Canada or Alaska -Walk the Great Wall of China -Tour Havana, Cuba in a 1950s Chevy -Go Whale Watching in Maine -Attended India’s Holi Festival -Release a floating lantern into the night sky during the Chiang Mai Yi Peng Festival -Hike in the Alps -Elephant Conservatory in Thailand -Skydiving in Hawaii, Arizona, Switzerland, or New Zealand -Shrivel up in a Dead Sea bath in Jordan -Go wild on an African Safari -Scuba Dive in the Great Barrier Reef -Party all night at Mardi Gras -Soak in a Blue-Lagoon Hot Spring in Iceland -Hike to the top of a Volcano -Do the Eurail again -Spend the night in a Castle -Live abroad for a period of time I hope some of these wonderfully, crazy travel ideas inspire your 2017 travel year! xx A Traveler's Bliss Paris. February 2016. Ever since I can remember I have had one consistent dream: to go to the city of lights and love. Last February that dream can true, but with a twist. It didn’t have a fairytale ending. My friends and I planned the perfect weekend in Paris and a day trip to Versailles. It started off a little rough; I had to get up at 3am to catch the 6am train from London to Paris, but no complaints along the way. It was worth it. When I got into Paris, we went straight to Versailles for the day and then back to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle by dinner. The only time we weren’t on our feet was when were on the metro or eating. The day flew by so we tried to spend as much time sitting by the Eiffel Tower and taking in it’s beauty. I mean, we were in Paris! After sitting under the Tower and making our plan for the next day, we made our way to the metro to go back to our Airbnb for the night. It was late, we were tired, and that’s where it all went wrong. It was late, and we let our guard down, and we were so close to our destinations, we stopped for once second and didn’t pay attention to our surroundings. That voice was in the back of my head say, “Something isn’t right. Why is that lady in line twice?” But I was so tired and could already see myself in bed, so I just shook it off and carried on. While we went through the turnstile for the metro, a friend saw the woman try to “come through behind me” but the bar stopped her. When my friend caught up to me and told me what she saw, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach. She robbed me. She stole something. She pick-pocketed me. It is the worst feeling. I had no idea what to do, where to go, or how to react. But we adapted and we learned. So now, I am passing on what I have learned about having your passport stolen, to you. You can only plan for so much, and planning for disaster is usually not one of them. So where do you even begin when you are in the middle of your adventures abroad and disaster sticks? When it comes to your passport there a few precaution steps you want to take before you leave - for the never wanted, cross your fingers, and pray to every God - kind of just in case. It helps to have a few copies of documents with you while you are traveling in a documents folder. While it is nice to have them saved in a folder on your phone, you can’t take your phone into the Embassies/Consulates. Documents You want to have copies of: Passport Driver’s License Credit/Debit Cards Travel Visa (if needed) List of Contacts (since you wont’ have you phone in the Embassy, so it’s nice to have number written down just in case) Copy of Birth Certificate Trip Itinerary (with Contacts and address of your tours / where you are staying) Tip: Keep copies in a folder on you at all times and keep a folder with copies locked up in your hotel room. App Us Embassies & Consulates App - This app is hands down amazing and I totally recommend downloading it before any trip out of the country. It has all of the Embassies and Consulates addresses, phone numbers, and hours programed in it so all you have to do is click on the country and nearest city you need. Surviving and Thriving in the Aftermath after it Happens: Police Report While there isn’t much the police are going to be able to do (I am so sorry, not what you ever want to hear!), pick-pocketing and theft are common crimes, it is still important to go and fill out a police report so you can take it with you to the Embassy. You will need it as proof to file at the Embassy for a temporary passport since they cannot issue you a new “full” passport. Banking As the sad saga continues, you will want to go to a bank and have some money with you to pay for a new passport. A stolen/lost passport fee is $110USD. If you forget, you can withdraw money at an Embassy, but the exchange rate will be incredibly high. You will also want some extra money ($5-10USD for new passport photos, food money, and a little spare). *If you have credit cards, I'm sure they will take that. I was in quite the pinch, and honestly don't remember, all I had was cash. My credit cards, ID, passport, the little cash I had, and just about everything you need were taken. I had some amazing souls get me by. Passport Photos You can get passport photo at the Embassy when you get there, but if it makes you nervous and you can get them in a souvenir/travel shop before you go. The Embassy
When you go to the Embassy, try to go first thing in the morning when it opens and go fifteen minutes early. There will be a line, but because you are a citizen of the Embassy and your passport was stolen, you can go to the front and skip the line. You will need to show any ID you have, or the copies, and the police report. When you get in, you will go through “airport security” and only take in the essentials. Your documents folder, police report, money, and new passport pictures (if you have them). The rest is just your basic paper work, waiting game, and paying for your new passport. When you get your new passport, it will be a “temporary passport”, good for traveling up to six months. When you return home you will send your temporary passport in and they will send you your new full passport. Since you paid for your passport at the Embassy, you just have to fill out some paper work, send in new passport photos, and send it in! I hope you never have to go through this process, but if you do… Just breathe, don’t worry, and it will all be okay. Take it from someone who knew nothing and learned it on the go. xx A Traveler’s Bliss Going into my freshman year of college two things were facts to me: One, photography was my passion, therefore I was going to be a photographer and two; I was going to do multiple studies abroad. It seems crazy, but at that time I was completely certain of that and only that. I went to the first study abroad fair my school offered and came back to my dorm room with a two-foot tall stack of study abroad information. Information pamphlets, flyers, and guides from my school on their exchange programs, independent study abroad provider’s booklets, and travel networks. I had it all and I was determined to find the ones for me. I started with my school’s programs, but quickly ruled them out because they were not the best fit for me. They had a slim selection for photography majors and none were in major cities, which was another requirement for me. After ruling out my school’s programs, I started going through my mountain of books from independent providers. The hours flew by as I went through each one and search for my best options. The biggest factor in determining if a program was for me was if it offered photography – taking a photography course at another school in another part of the world was a must. I loved the idea of getting to work with other artist and photographers and seeing how they worked and viewed my work. Another requirement was if the school was located in the center of a major city. I wanted to make traveling as easy, affordable, and stress free as possible once I was abroad so studying at as school in a major city with access to trains, buses, airports seemed like the best way to go. Sure you can get to all of those things from other schools that aren’t centrally based, but I was going for optimal travel, no time wasted. After going through all of my books multiple times, I finally settled on my first program: CIS Abroad’s summer photography program in the Outback. It was a summer course for three weeks in the Australian outback. I was fortunate enough at the time I was going to have family living in Australia at the time, so after my program ended I jumped on a plane and stayed with them for two weeks. I made the best memories on my short but sweet time in Australia, the best friends, and had the greatest experience with CIS that I knew I wanted to go through the same program for my next study abroad: my semester abroad. (Left is a photo of me from the day we hiked to to top of St Mary's Peak in the Flinder's Range, taken by @robyncatherine22) For my semester abroad I was drawn to London. I love it’s history, architecture, and style of living. I loved the idea that if I wanted to go somewhere else for the weekend I could just jump on a train at St. Pancras or Kings Cross, take a MegaBus, or book a flight and just go. London was not only an amazing place to live, but also a great central location to travel from. Even with the expensive cost of living, it was the place I saw myself living for six months, and the place I feel in love with before I even left. I loved the rain (even though it really did not rain that much. The lies), the Tube was amazing, and everyday was an adventure. I was never bored or thought, well there's nothing to do today or gosh I've already done everything twice, because there is just so much to do in London. Even from London, you could do so many day trips and be back for dinner. Even after six months of living in London, I still have a list of places I did not make it to and things I did not get to do. (So London, I'll be back) For both of my studies abroad my focus was always driven to building my portfolio, learning as much as possible, and becoming a better traveler. Learning as much as possible didn’t always happen in a classroom, and becoming a better traveler didn’t always happen by doing everything right or according to plan. I made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot of hard lessons a long the way. But without them, I wouldn’t know what I know now, and I wouldn’t be the better person and traveler. xx A Traveler's Bliss the beginning of my charm bracelet // Photo of me and Ben by @kellymckeough
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