EUROPE

Where Have I Been?

United Kingdom, France, The Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Germany, The Czech Republic, Spain, France, Croatia, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark

When Was I Here?

June & July - 2011
January - 2012
May - July - 2014
January - 2017
November - 2018
November - 2019

What Was I Doing?

Post-College Backpacking - 6 weeks
Solo Backpacking - 3 months
Work Trips - 3 weeks

Average Daily Cost?

Backpacking - $45/Day
Work Trips - $200/Day

Europe Blog Posts
Leaving Chris
Leaving Chris

Fuck. Even though the view looks like this, saying goodbye is nearly impossible.

Homesick in Europe
Homesick in Europe

I’ve never really felt homesick because I’ve never really felt at home anywhere. I have had lots of great friends and enjoyed a lot of places that I have lived, but I don’t feel like I really belong anywhere. Well……now I do. I belong on the road. But for the first time, I’m homesick. For Chicago summer. For Colorado 14’ers. For friend’s weddings. For music festivals. But most of all, I’m homesick for being a part of someone else’s crazy stories.

Spain, France, Croatia Update
Spain, France, Croatia Update

I’ve been off the grid for a while now. In Asia it meant I was having a really fun time but lately it has meant that I’ve grown used to traveling and what I’m doing doesn’t seem so novel anymore…it’s just my life.

Backpacking Europe
Backpacking Europe

Backpacking Europe is fucking weird. I have been using everything I have learned to try to get into the groove of traveling solo out here but I can’t and it boils down to one thing: the people backpacking Europe suck.

Simon Schnepf.jpg

Human Highlight

I spent a large chunk of my time in Europe with my then-boyfriend, Simon Schnepf (from Germany). We met at Slinky Bar on Koh Phi Phi in Thailand - I liked him, but he pushed me off onto his friend! We went to lunch the next day and I convinced him to like me. We parted ways less than 2 weeks after we met (him back to Germany for work, me back to the states because I had a flight booked) but after I got back stateside I decided to sell all of my things and move to Germany to continue seeing Simon.

We went on to travel through Russia on the Trans-Siberian railroad, visited Mongolia and did a 10-day Gobi Desert trip, and spent a few months back in Southeast Asia enjoying ourselves.

While Simon and I don’t speak anymore (the breakup was rough, and it was my fault), he holds a very special and dear place in my heart.