The Science Of Backpacking

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Can’t remember the real names of the two American guys on tour in Europe. Bill and Ted maybe. Or Jay and Silent Bob. Or Batman and Robin. Doesn’t really matter. Bill and Ted have come to symbolize the essence of budget travel. Backpacking Europe 101. They liked Amsterdam, they like to party “if I know what they mean”. I know what they mean.

They would also like to go to Sweden “to chill” for a few days. But now we’re all in Prague. After a day of sightseeing we end up temporary roommates at the nice little hostel. Basically because there is nothing better to do, I join them for dinner. They know a nice restaurant. Nice because the atmosphere and the food is decent. But nice mainly because it’s cheap. Upon receiving the menu, the calculations begin. Who would have thought that students on holiday could be so mathematically resourceful? They may not have picked up any facts about Prague. It’s highly unlikely that they absorbed any information at all in Amsterdam. But they know down to the penny how much money they have left to spend.

“We have x $ to spend tomorrow, we have y $ to spend the day after tomorrow, we have to save z $ for the next day, etc.”. “So, this meal we can spend x Koronas”. Down to the decimal they calculate and recalculate how to maximize the remains of their daily budget. After hypothetically having tried out all possible combinations on the menu we decide, order, consume, pay, digest, and are pretty content with the result. Another day on the road, another day sticking to the budget. And who said travel isn’t a science…?

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