I am sitting in the hostel common room in Naples. I've already checked out but they were cool enough to let me chill until I have to catch my train. I am taking the night train to Venice so that I don't have to pay for a hostel tonight. I will arrive in Venice around 7am tomorrow. It has been an adventurous last few days. I am not a fan of Napoli at all. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The streets are covered in dog poo and graffiti and the city is boring. I think that Venice will be much [View Full Entry]

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I awoke, much to my dismay, to the sounds of flatulence and snoring. Oh the joys of sleeping in hostels! I don't know who the noises were coming from but they kept me awake entirely too early. I decided I had enough of that nonsense and got up to shower and get ready for my day. My last day in Rome, I headed to Naples on the train. I had quite an admirer in the market at the hostel. From the first day I was there he would seek me out to give me advice and just chat. You must be [View Full Entry]

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It's 21:29 in Rome right now and I'm laying on my bed in the hostel. Today was my first full day away and I must say, it rocked! I got up at 9am and said goodbye to the 4 British girls that were staying in my room, they were moving onto Barcelona. I was laughing at the girls as they packed up because their bags were huge; 90 liters, which is twice the size of my pack. My other roommate is returning from 2 years in the Peace Corps and has 34 days to spend exploring Europe. We headed towards the [View Full Entry]

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I made it safely to the Frankfurt airport after quite a delay in Chicago. I have so much to talk about already, I've met some nice people along the way and made connections for when I stay in Germany. On the plane ride from Seattle to Chicago I sat next to Jens, a 22 year old German who was finishing up his 4 week holiday in America. We talked about the sights, the people and how Europeans and Americans are different yet the same. He said that Seattle reminded him of a European city, very much. He and I are going [View Full Entry]

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I've got only 35 days left until departure! I have all my clothes (which isn't much) and everything fits nicely into my backpack. It's like playing with Lego's or a puzzle trying to stack everything just right so I can close my pack. I have some room left for souvenirs or things I might pick up along the way. I am starting with minimal clothing: *2 pairs of pants *2 pairs of shorts *2 long sleeve shirts *2 short sleeve shirts *2 tanktops *lounge pants/PJs *vest *jacket Here are pictures of my clothes laid out and my backpack. More pictures to [View Full Entry]

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From the time we boarded the first airplane at 11:20 pm in Seattle until we touched down back in the Emerald city a mere 71 hours later our adventure was nothing short of awesome! Aleena and I wanted to get away on a whim. Our destination? Washington, D.C. People said we were crazy and it was a waste of money but I just figure that you only live but once so you might as well take all this life has to offer right now. We landed in D.C. at 9:45am on Saturday morning and the wandering began. Our first stop was [View Full Entry]

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So, as many of you may know I'm gearing up to travel the world, leaving next October. I have gotten some mixed responses but an overwhelming consensus of amazement. I am taking nothing more than a backpack and the air in my lungs to see the world. I have a list of places that intrigue me and I want to experience what they have to offer. I guess I'm just unsure why more people don't travel. Is it fear? Is it lack of confidence in one's self? What? I want to know why people say "I could never do what your [View Full Entry]

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These are the things that I want to do before I die or get too old to function. Read, enjoy, feel free to join in!!! Some are travel related and some aren't take a look. ♦ see the pyramids ♦ relax in a hot spring ♦ learn to SCUBA dive ♦ skydive ♦ bungee jump ♦ swim with the dolphins ♦ learn to surf ♦ make friends on every continent ♦ trace my family tree ♦ adopt a child ♦ visit all 50 states ♦ complete a triathlon ♦ keep the art of letter writing alive ♦ visit all 28 places [View Full Entry]

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So this is the first official entry (as you may see) and I just wanted to say thanks for stopping by! I plan on updating this at least once a week while traveling. Before I leave I may post some odd n' ends about packing and planning. If you want you can subscribe to my journal by hitting the "Subscribe" button to the left just under my picture. This will send you an email every time I update my journal (in case you forget to check it). I will be posting pictures and stories of my adventures, thanks for joining me! [View Full Entry]

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