WELL just about two months ago I was boarding a plane to London with my friend Vanessa for the European backpacking trip we’d been dreaming about/planning for a year (!!!). It’s hard to believe it came and went just like *that* but every time I start to get sad it’s over I just remember there was literally nothing we would change if we could do it all over again and that snaps me right out of it. :)

Preparing for an experience you’ve never had is a funny little thing… it was both our first times going to Europe, traveling internationally on our own, backpacking, and being away from home/family for that long (19 days)… HA recipe for disaster, right? Well I’m happy to report it was everything we dreamed and more (cheesy but true), we felt completely safe 99.9% of the time, AND we’re still friends! PTL.

Our #1 topic of discussion throughout the trip was “I just feel so grateful to be here…” on repeat (followed closely by “this is amaaaazing”) and it’s true when they say that traveling opens your eyes to the world around you in really cool ways. We knew going into this trip it really was a once in a lifetime opportunity and so we soaked up every moment. Walking the streets we’d seen so many pictures of and actually DOING the things we’d been planning for months on months was surreal and humbling all at the same time.

We went into this saying that everything is either a good time or a good story and we would remind each other of that in the stressful moments that weren’t so glam. We’ve heard a lot of kind comments since returning along the lines of “your trip looked so perfect” and while it WAS, this blog post will hopefully shed some light into the backpacker lyfe we’ve come to know and (kinda) love. So here’s a recap of London, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Dubrovnik, and Cinque Terre with Part Two promising even more to come.

Side note: I picked THE BEST travel buddy for many reasons but also because Vanessa is a rockstar videographer and recorded our trip so well. Also she wrote two blog posts chronologizing our trip and activities so if you want the play by play written in great structured sentences… read HERE and HERE first and then come back. I tend to be a bit wordy (lol shocker) so instead of restating everything she did with 500 extra words, I give you…

20 THINGS A BACKPACKER SHOULD KNOW (PART ONE)

1) Big Ben is the obvious place to start your #europeanbackpackingtrip and there’s no shame in that. Travelers that think they’re 2 kewl for the cliches, repeat after me… WE ARE TOURISTS AND WE LOVE IT!!

2) London is like a prettier/cleaner version of NYC plus great accents.

Fave London moments included:
– Being the squealing GURLZ on the airplane when we touched down on European soil
– Taking thirty minutes to figure out how to put our backpacks on for the first time post-flight. How far we’ve come <3
– Toppling over on London streets cause we had no center of gravity while in backpacking uniform
– Hitting Hyde Park on our first full day in London. It was so surreal renting little pedal boats in the park since that was the first thing we’d researched and were actually doing
– Pity smiles from strangers because of our turtle backpacks
– Covent Garden, a mentoring session I’ll never forget, and Ben’s Cookies! S/O to my cousin Cherish for the raving rec! Triple digit calorie cookies in Prince William’s backyard, don’t mind if I do…

4) Maybe reconsider having your dad pack your things in your backpack/zip it shut with his brute strength cause news flash: you’re not as strong as him and you won’t be able to pack it as strategically as he did. (*The following pictures are from our day at Petersham Nurseries… full story HERE.)

5) If you show up to London Heathrow for your flight to Croatia only to realize you’re flying out of London Stanstead (if you’re familiar with how far these airports are from each other you’re probably sweating rn SRY)… don’t panic. Roy the taxi cab driver (Brit’s best, complete with an accent forever lovingly engrained in my mind <3) who I’m still convinced was an angel will get ya there. Full story HERE.

6) Strangers are shockingly nice. And not in the creepy kind of way… genuinely good-hearted people that consistently dropped everything to give two clueless American girls directions.

7) Obscure places your friends make a clueless face when you mention you’re going to OR places that are very much so out of the way? They’re the ones ya wanna hit. Find a little slice of heaven like Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia that makes both dreams a reality and you’ve kinda hit the travelers jackpot and by kinda I mean REALLY.

8) If it starts down-pouring at any point in your trip (Hey Plitvice, still love ya!), throw on ponchos like the true tourist you are and make some memories you’ll never forget. (Pretty sure our Nikes spent the rest of the trip drying…)

9) Your travel buddy will remind you to make a copy of your passport before you leave “just incase” and you’ll scoff and say “THAT will not be happening to us” but you’ll do what she says of course and then you’ll eat your words and lose your passport in Middle of Nowhere, Croatia. I know I know… *GASP.* Read all the deets HERE because Vanessa does a much better job explaining that wild experience than I ever could and plagiarizing is wrong. *Spoiler alert ahead* to those who keep scrolling…

After a long, late night in the Zagreb Police Station filing a police report, we got a faaaaancy police escort to our hostel @ 4 AM and set our alarm for two hours later (who needs sleep). The one thing we heard going into the trip was “Whatever you do, do not lose your passport” accompanied by heartwarming stories of it taking days on days for the unfortunate souls (ahem) to attain a fresh issued passport.

But somehow, after a night of little sleep and an early morning homeschooling field trip to the Zagreb US Embassy (10/10 would recommend… def work that into your itinerary, travelers !!) we were sitting by our airline gate new passport in hand still kinda in shock at how every little intricate detail fell into place. Moral(s) of the story is… 1) GLUE YOUR PASSPORT TO YOUR FACE, 2) Jesus is a miracle worker and I’m so so grateful for the people back home praying us through such a scary situation so out of our control. And of couuuuurse for the best travel buddy (she does have a name but I just like *trying* to embarrass her) who never ever made me feel like the novice international traveler that I am and was the support I needed to laugh when I probably should have been crying. This night is the only exception to my “I WISH I COULD RELIVE EVERY MOMENT” comments that I now say on the reg…

10) Learn to be a morning person especially in Dubrovnik cause beating the crowds of tourists is worth it and mid-day naps in AC are always a good idea.

11) Having a friend that fights for your tap water needs is a must. Save your 6 euros, pumpkin… you’ll need them for your twice-daily gelato fund anyway.

***REALITY CHECK INTERMISSION***

12) Back to the topic of gelato… it really IS worthy of all the hype it receives and Cinque Terre boasts the best in all of Europe. Vernazza we salute you.

Remember what I said about Vanessa’s video skills? Well here’s your proof. I may or may not watch this daily…

You’re a saint to have read this far, but now I’ll let you go take a bathroom break. Be back soon for Round Twooooo!