Chapter 1: Departure

Good-Byes

“Memory is the diary we all carry about with us.” -Oscar Wilde 

My classroom, office, & home

This has been a week of good byes. There was something terribly nostalgic about leaving Cleveland this time. I felt like I was loosing a sense of ownership of the area. I could, and will, return, but it won't be the same. Not only is the campus not meant for me anymore, but neither is its playground. The memories from places like the Blue Hole, Benton Falls, "the cliffs", "the quarry", Chilhowie, etc. seem to be sifting threw my fingers only to become the instagram photos of incoming freshmen. Guess you just have to shrug and hope the good memories continue on your next journey.

Happy birthday/going away party for ME!

It was most difficult to say bye to these guys.
I couldn't of asked for better roommates this past summer. The fun crazy nights, the 12 hours TV comas of The Office, pool days, and so much more. These guys were awesome, and they make Cleveland fun enough to almost ditch my plans for Europe.

Ben, Tom, Devin, and Tyler, I'll miss you!

Packing!!

Tomorrow I fly out at 6am. Forty hours later I'll be in a bed in the SouthWest of France

Weather for week 1

My Favorite Items packed:

1. Xanax- good bye flight phobia!
2. Exofficio boxers: "17 Countries. 6 Weeks. And one pair of underwear. Okay, maybe two"    Exofficio is, as far as I'm considered, the best travel clothes, especially for hot locations. If they got me threw the Sahara, they can get me threw France.
3. Greek Bible- Ok, this might not be for everyone's packing list, but its going to keep my mind sharp.

My immediate fears:

1. Cats - But seriously, why do Europe loves them? Guess I'll be bringing allergy medicine...
2. Planes - Have you seen that clip in Brides Maids where the main character is drunk on a plane and freaks out? That's me sober on a plane. Anyone that knows me knows this is my largest fears. I have weakly nightmares of plane crashes. Hopefully the Xanax I just got work!
3. Foot injuries - Lets not go threw that again.....

Everything I'm bringing with me

 Packing List: 1 collared shirt, 1 pair of jeans (They may be heavy and not easily dried, but I wear them a lot. A good alternative can be khaki pants.), 1 pair of zip off pants, 1 pair of basketball shorts, 1 bathing suit, 4 T-shirts, 1 long-sleeve T-shirt, 1 pair of chachos, 1 pair of sneakers, 5 pairs of socks(preferably trail socks), 7 pairs of boxer shorts (preferably Exofficio boxers), 1 raincoat, 1 northface jacket, 1 mini umbrella, 1 toothbrush, 1 tube of toothpaste, 1 razor, 1 package of dental floss, 1 bar of soap, Comb, mini Deodorant, Phone, First-aid kit, Universal power converter (must have for everyone), Zip-top bags, Plastic bags, 1 Bible, 1 Journal, 1 Latin book,  1 wristwatch, Passport, Copies of Passport/credit cards, Hairband - for when my hair gets long, 100 Euros, Itinerary,  Ipod, Ipod arm holder, headphones, day bag, reversible belt, water bottle, headlamp, small reading light, rain cover for bag, earplugs, portable speakers, sleeping bag.

Finally I want to thank three people who have been especially helpful in my preparation:
Alan White, who was willing to let me borrow any of his backpacking gear.
Jared Johnson, for his French notes and special gifts for the trip.
And String, for his encouragement and gifts.
Thank yall so much!!

Launch Video

Nothing makes you more self-conscious then recording a video of yourself. It's like that awkward moment when you listen to your own phone's voicemail.

Nevertheless, I wanted to post a launch video for this blog! Here it goes!

(Thank you Zach Green for this idea)

Also, I have some links to show you of my first workaway:
Workaway Ad
The family company's website


If you didn't read about my plan, read the first post below!

Becoming Literate

"The world is like a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." -St. Augustine
 (Actually this quote is misattributed to him thanks to John Wade in the 1800s. Augustine rarely traveled himself. But as I require a cool title we're going to use it nevertheless.)

Six months ago I decided that I needed a break before graduate school - and I wasn't going to spend it developing ulcers from serving tables. It needed to be good! And thus I landed on the ideal post-grad gap year plan: European backpacking. I texted my two closest friends to inform that about my decision. Thankfully, one of them responded with a "HECK YEAH!!! I'M COMING" The other, however, said something about needed to find a job. Have fun with your "real life" Sam.

On August 1st, Peter and I are flying out of Atlanta and arriving in Paris 21 hours later. Now I need to confess something: I am woefully unprepared for this trip financially, in fact we both are. If I told you how little money we had you'd probably stop me from getting on my one-way flight. Of course I didn't plan that part, my idea was to have a treasure chest of riches to bring with me, but a few bills, weddings, dinners, and late night taco bell runs later and it seems to nearly all be gone. Yet that is half the story! This blog isn't just about me posting a picture of myself under the Eiffel tower(which will happen), nor is it just about me learning the language and culture of my hosts(which will also happen), it's also an attempt to travel dirt cheap around the most expensive place in the world. This blog will either be a great demonstration on how to do such, or a hilarious story of its failed attempt....lets hope for the former.

ATTACK PLAN

Now more about the attack plan. As I said we have one-way tickets. We plan on flying back sometime around December, but we will decide that while on ground. Landing in Paris we will stay in France for 7 weeks, Germany for four, and Italy for a one. Americans are only allowed in the "Schengen Zone" for only 90 days without an extended visa, so we will have to be in either Eastern Europe or the British Isles/Ireland by Novemberish. The corner stone of our plan is workaway.info, a website where small businesses, farms, and family's who need volunteer help give you free food and housing in exchange for 25 hours of work a week. You can even make a joint account, like ours, since lots of people travel in pairs. Through this program we will be helping with a barn conversion project outside Bordeaux, taking care of a families horses and yard work in Normandy, working at a gorgeous hotel in Germany and more! Because of this we will be spending more time with locals in the rural areas instead of tourists in the cities. For short visits in cities we will be using one of the modern world's greatest inventions, couchsurfing(give me a reference)! Traveling will still cost, but between the extensive Eurorail, the less well known but even cheaper Euroline busses ($50 from Paris to Rome!?), and hitchhiking, we should still be able to get to all our destinations.

I am obviously excited, I am attempting to live out the stereotypical young adult backpacking adventure. I am also cautiously nervous of course. I have traveled extensively before, and I remember the hard times, physically and emotionally. Yet, every time it has been worth it. I can't wait to go through these difficult times in order to experience the stories that are worth such hardships. And any followers I have of this blog will learn about both the difficulties I face, the adventures I find, and the moments of achievement I experience.