My name is Laine. I currently have a very fulfilling job working for a well-known nonprofit in town where I get to be a part of an amazing team which helps make dreams come true for families in need, but this blog isn't about that. This blog is how my friend Natalie and I made our dream come true.
Two years ago I had just turned 24 years old. I was a little over a year into my first entry level gig out of college. With my meager $14.50 an hour wages, I was barely scraping by even with the extra I was able to pick up from waitressing at my old college job after work. I found even with the two jobs that between paying my part of the rent and utilities, my student loan payments, car & medical insurance, cell phone bill, groceries, and tending to my car which was quite literally falling apart beneath me- I was drowning and my credit card balance was going up every month with what I couldn't cover.
I was in a slump.
I remember the day when my roommate Tara came home from her blissful 3-week international vacation with her new boyfriend. I was sitting on the couch eating the wilted remains of our empty fridge that only minutes earlier I had debated on tossing away but instead opted to toss in teriyaki and call "stir fry" rather than spend more money I didn't have. As I choked down my dinner and listened to her reminisce about her trip, she practically glowed with joy and for a moment, I thought she might actually be levitating. It wasn't that I wasn't happy for my wonderful friend, it's just that listening to her talk about her trip made me want to cry myself to sleep with a bucket of gelato and shoot myself in the face because I knew even as hard as I was working, there was no way I would ever be able to afford to travel that way. Luckily for my unborn children and my waistline, I could neither afford a handgun nor a bucket of gelato at the time.
I remember being so hurt when I said to her, "Wow, you're so lucky to be able to have that experience" and she replied before briskly trotting off to her new love/international travel partner/fabulous life, "You could too you know. You just have to do it and stop making excuses."
At the time, though I knew she meant no malice and only encouragement, it felt like a punch in the gut. Today, I realize she was right.
A few months after that conversation, my friend Natalie came to me with an interesting proposition. She asked if I would be interested in planning a backpacking trip to Europe with her...for the summer of 2014. Natalie and I both shared the dream of being able to see the world and had talked about it quite a bit though both more in theory than as something either of us actually ever saw as a possibility.
Natalie was a student and, consequently as such, poor as shit just like me. We were a perfect match. We knew we'd never be able to save up enough to go now, but if we started putting just a little away here and there, we knew we could maybe, just maybe pull this thing off.
It is currently April of 2014 and Natalie and I will be leaving on our four and a half week trip in less than 8 weeks.
I would like to use this blog to share both Natalie and my travels and how we made these travels possible.
Our hope is that our story will inspire other impoverished young and young at heart folks to realize that though it may seem impossible, they too, with a little planning and determination, can bring their wanderlust to life.
Because Tara was right. If you really want to travel, you just have to make it happen.
Two years ago I had just turned 24 years old. I was a little over a year into my first entry level gig out of college. With my meager $14.50 an hour wages, I was barely scraping by even with the extra I was able to pick up from waitressing at my old college job after work. I found even with the two jobs that between paying my part of the rent and utilities, my student loan payments, car & medical insurance, cell phone bill, groceries, and tending to my car which was quite literally falling apart beneath me- I was drowning and my credit card balance was going up every month with what I couldn't cover.
I was in a slump.
I remember the day when my roommate Tara came home from her blissful 3-week international vacation with her new boyfriend. I was sitting on the couch eating the wilted remains of our empty fridge that only minutes earlier I had debated on tossing away but instead opted to toss in teriyaki and call "stir fry" rather than spend more money I didn't have. As I choked down my dinner and listened to her reminisce about her trip, she practically glowed with joy and for a moment, I thought she might actually be levitating. It wasn't that I wasn't happy for my wonderful friend, it's just that listening to her talk about her trip made me want to cry myself to sleep with a bucket of gelato and shoot myself in the face because I knew even as hard as I was working, there was no way I would ever be able to afford to travel that way. Luckily for my unborn children and my waistline, I could neither afford a handgun nor a bucket of gelato at the time.
I remember being so hurt when I said to her, "Wow, you're so lucky to be able to have that experience" and she replied before briskly trotting off to her new love/international travel partner/fabulous life, "You could too you know. You just have to do it and stop making excuses."
At the time, though I knew she meant no malice and only encouragement, it felt like a punch in the gut. Today, I realize she was right.
A few months after that conversation, my friend Natalie came to me with an interesting proposition. She asked if I would be interested in planning a backpacking trip to Europe with her...for the summer of 2014. Natalie and I both shared the dream of being able to see the world and had talked about it quite a bit though both more in theory than as something either of us actually ever saw as a possibility.
Natalie was a student and, consequently as such, poor as shit just like me. We were a perfect match. We knew we'd never be able to save up enough to go now, but if we started putting just a little away here and there, we knew we could maybe, just maybe pull this thing off.
It is currently April of 2014 and Natalie and I will be leaving on our four and a half week trip in less than 8 weeks.
I would like to use this blog to share both Natalie and my travels and how we made these travels possible.
Our hope is that our story will inspire other impoverished young and young at heart folks to realize that though it may seem impossible, they too, with a little planning and determination, can bring their wanderlust to life.
Because Tara was right. If you really want to travel, you just have to make it happen.
(Tara, Myself, and Natalie from back in June of 2012)
Natalie and I created a timeline for our trip which was both helpful in keeping us on track and also from curbing our enthusiasm to buy everything at once. (Word of caution, you don't want to buy your airline tickets too soon! End of January/February seemed to be the perfect time to buy affordable peak summer season tickets.)
In June of 2012 we started saving. I opened up a separate bank account from Bank of America at Golden One which offers this wonderful thing called "The Santa Saver" which reminds me a mini RAF IRA. Essentially you can put money in, but you can't touch it until October 31st. It's supposed to help you save for Christmas, but Natalie and I both took advantage of it for our trip.
We didn't put a lot in each month, maybe $50 a month, and sometimes nothing at all, but little by little it added up.
At the time when I opened the account and started saving, I wasn't sure if I'd even actually be able to go on this trip in 2 years. After all, who really knows where they'll be in their career in 2 years at age 24. But I decided to start saving just in case because in the very least, maybe I could use it to pay off my credit card.
In August of 2013 two very big things happened - 1) I got a raise at work 2) I met a handsome man from the Netherlands who reignited my passion for wanting to explore. Both of these variables, though the raise was meager and the meeting brief, gave me the means and the push to really once again focus on making this trip possible and I'll be forever grateful to both.
It was also during this time that I realized that my tireless efforts at my job had resulted in me not taking vacations and that I had accumulated over 5 weeks of paid vacation.
I told Natalie that in January I would request the time off work and if they allowed it, the trip was on. In the meantime, I did some research online to find the best travel rewards credit card and found that site after site recommended this card called "The Barclay Rewards" card which in addition to no foreign transaction fees and great travel benefits, was also offering a 40,000 bonus miles sign-up incentive. I applied for the card and was accepted. Turns out that even though I was in debt, because I pay my bills on time every month I still have good credit!
(I also was working on tackling my debt. In August of 2013 I also opened up a 18-month 0% interest credit card where I transferred by $5,000 worth of debt. I would highly recommend doing this if you're having trouble with your credit card debt. As of today, less than a year later and without paying any interest, I have managed to save for my Europe trip and take that $5,000 debt to $2,000).
But back to Europe.....on February 5th I got my official signed notice that my PTO request had been accepted. Natalie and I booked our flight that night. After using my barclay rewards credit card, I got over $450 off the flight. (Note: It's must cheaper to get a round trip flight than one-way which is why we opted to fly in and out of Dublin. A quick $100 one-way hopper flight back to where you started is a whole lot cheaper than buying an entire one-way flight back home)
After booking our flight, Natalie and I set out to create our itinerary and reserve our hostels.
Our Plan= San Francisco->Dublin->London->Paris->Laussane->Florence->Venice (day trip)->Munich->Prague->Berlin-Amsterdam->Dublin->San Fransico
We then booked our eurail pass. If I could give one word of advice to those thinking of doing a backpack trip in Europe, do it BEFORE you're 26. Natalie and I missed the "youth price" for the Eurail Pass by a few months and it hurt paying $900 price for something that would cost a 25 year old half as much. We opted to go for the 27 day unlimited global Eurail pass because it covered the duration of the trip and was roughly the same price as a global 10-trip pass.
It's now nearly 7 weeks before we leave. Everything is booked and reserved. At this point, I'm just focused on working out to look good for the trip and trying to figure out how I'm going to fit my life into a backpack! I couldn't be more excited that after two years of planning that our trip is finally about to happen.
Timeline for Natalie and Laine’s Epic Europe Trip- Summer 2014
June 2012:
X Create separate trip bank account and start saving Money for Trip. Budget how much we’re going to need and how much we’re able to save each month.
December 2013:
X Open up travel rewards credit card with bonus sign-up advance for miles (***For a great travel rewards card I would highly recommend the Barclay Rewards Mastercard. I received over $450 off my flight just as part of the sign-up rewards.)
X Order Passport if Needed
January 2014:
X Select Dates
X Select Cities of Interest to Visit
X Do taxes and put money towards the trip
X Request time off and get approval from work
February:
X Book Plane Tickets to/from US to Europe (February was a great time to book! RT $1,100)
X Create Working Calendar of Cities
X Create Hostel World Account and Reserve Hostels
March:
X Create day-to-day planned itinerary for each city. This will help us decide where to stay and what type of transportation we are going to need.
X Decide on which Eurrail package is the right fit and purchase.
April
X Book flight from Dublin to London
X Book flight from Amsterdam to Dublin
X Book London to Paris
-Create packing list. What are some of the items needed?
-Purchase Travelers Insurance?
May
- Purchase important travel items – adapters, convertors, etc.
- Sort out who is bringing what (hair dryer, strengthener, etc.)
- Figure out where you’re going to park you car for a month (Laine)
- Figure out how you’ll pay your bills while gone (Laine)
- Start preparing work for your month-long departure
June
- Practice putting your life in a suitcase before the day before the flight
- Get everything prepped before departure (haircut, nails, etc)
- Organize rides to and from the airport
- Leave with $4,000 for food, stay, and fun. Private rooms cost roughly $60/person per night x32 nights you’re looking at $2,000 room/board cost alone.
- Get on the plane and have an incredible trip!
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