patrickt
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Post by patrickt on Jan 30, 2006 0:24:29 GMT -5
AuntieJo... Thanks for the resonse... though there's SOOOO much I have to do before I take off on this grand adventure, I too, am WAY too excited to wait for another 6 weeks... but I must, as I'll never accomplish all that I need to do here at home in any shorter period of time. I'm still working on finding a good pack, as NONE of the stores mentioned on the Eagle Creek site actually carry backpacks... it's always their accessories... how can I go backpacking without a pack?? No worries though... all will work out however it's supposed to work out. And though we've bastardized this thread into a Dr. Phil show, I'm curious as to why you're taking your trip as well... If you care to share, you can email me at RentUNT at hotmail... And though I'm determined to experience this adventure on my own, I wouldn't mind meeting up for a pint or 3 to swap stories of the starts of our trips... We will both be in such foreign experiences that it creates common ground. Anyhow.. if I don't hear from ya... I hope your trip is better than you could have imagined...
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patrickt
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Post by patrickt on Jan 27, 2006 2:18:00 GMT -5
PS.... Kim.. do you have any pack sites for which you get a referal fee?? Using one of those, so you can get a kick-back is the least I can do... THANKS
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patrickt
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Post by patrickt on Jan 27, 2006 2:03:03 GMT -5
Dumbdiety... I'm about 6'0.. 175lbs or so.. 32-33w... if you're close to that, let me know... keep in mind that I'm planning a 4 month trip... thanks in advance... AuntieJo... "finding myself' is a good blanket answer for everything... though the travel board isn't the greatest place to express inner emotion, I'll try to make this short. (Sorry Kim!! ) I'm a very free spirit... I work in the entertainment industry... dancing, choreography, performance, stilt walking, theater... etc.. and I've been (in my opinion) wildly successful at it... but a few months ago, I blew out my knee... and I've been quite sedintary and lazy since... While I'm not tied to any time restraints, or significant others.... I feel that this would be a fantastic time to go and 're-inspire' myself.. See new things... taste foods I can't pronounce... learn the words to an Irish drinking song... meet others from around the world.. see new cultures... and in general, reflect on who I am... vs.. who I CAN be in this world.. There's nothing I'm looking for, in particular... but the treasures I'll find will be priceless.. A few years back, I just up and moved to Orlando to do a college internship with Disney... it was the best 5 months of my life... and it completely changed the way I saw America... working at Disney, *I* was the local.. *I* was one of the ones being visited... Now, I'm reversing it... (oh yeah.. .and going to a completely different continent)... and I hope for this to be even MORE rewarding... Though I'm still a young 26 years old... at least I feel that I'm still young... I still need to learn. A day without learning is pretty much a day better off spent in bed. Anyhow... there's a lot of reasons... mostly, though... to inspire me. Auntiejo... welcome to the board... I'm still very new on here... any questions you've got wil be answered by some great and knowledgeable (and experienced) travelers.. you've come to the right place!! Sorry, Kim... that took way too long... I've got a problem with rambling... Fly High PatirickT
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patrickt
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Post by patrickt on Jan 26, 2006 17:57:21 GMT -5
I'm baaaack... sans backpack.. Though I looked at the Eagle Creek store locator list posted above... and I've traveled to 4 of the stores in my city... no one actually carries the backpacks... accessories only... Has anyone dared to by their pack online?? If so, how do you pick what's right for you... as far as sizing, etc... ?? Buying online makes me nervous... though Eagle Creek seems to be the popular choice, I'd almost be willing to go with another brand... but I can't find ANYTHING that even reomtely comes close to an 'industrial' pack... Help!! Thanks!!
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patrickt
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Post by patrickt on Jan 23, 2006 18:26:47 GMT -5
Wow.. Rome seems to be quite popular with everyone... I may, indeed, have to check it out.. Kim, though I live in Orlando currently... and can appreciate the tourism industry for it's benefit to this city... I grew up in David's area... Texas.. (can I get a yee-haw??) Thanks for the priceless info thus far... and now, for a few more gems.. The book I've been reading has a hefty section on remaining safe and guarding against theft.... and while I know its intention is to get travelers to be more aware of their surroundings, and how to safe-guard against pick-pockets and skams... it worries me a bit.. Any brilliant tips for me?? And then, there's the question of Visas... (the pass.. not the credit card)... If I'm planning on visiting Europe for over 3 months... do I need a visa, and... well, I'm not quite certain how all that works... I get the concept of the passport... but the visa is foreign to me.. (no pun intended)... Again.. any tips.. thoughts... cautions... or "you'd be a big loser if you didn't see (fill in the blank)" type statements... feel free to share... Thanks a million!!! PatrickT
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patrickt
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Post by patrickt on Jan 23, 2006 13:13:49 GMT -5
Thanks for the quick replies!! The re-arranged keyboards will most definately be the bane of my existance, but this is all about trying new things, right? So I should be prepared for some snide comments.... but nothing to be seriously worried about as far as any dangerous situations?? I can handle that.. PS, I currently live in Orlando, FL... guess I should have stated that in the first place Thanks again, and I'd love to hear more!!
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patrickt
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Post by patrickt on Jan 23, 2006 0:46:55 GMT -5
Heya peoples Ok.. gonna go ahead and apologize for starting yet ANOTHER thread for the newbie... (meaning, me).. I've scanned a lot of the posts, and it's got some GREAT info.. but I still feel totally overwhelmed... I give my WORD that when I return from my trip, I'll help out others as ya'll have helped me... Here's the low-down. I'm planning a roughly 4 month trip to Europe.. (it's one of those cliche "find myself" trips..) I have ideas of where I'd LIKE to go... but I will not set a solid itenerary... I want to be free to stay longer, or leave earlier in\from any given place. I haven't been to Europe (cept for London and Scotland when I was little, with my parents... and though it was uh... different... I didn't wholly 'get' it..) Other than that, I'm looking forward to seeing the touristy stuff, but primarily the off-the-main-road places as well. I'm looking at starting off in Dublin for St. Patrick's day.. as my name's Patrick, I feel this might be a suitable way to begin this adventure. Which sets me up to come home around July or so... definately wanting to do the 'open jaw' flight plan... So... that's the jist... Questions... it's an ambitious trip, planned in a relatively short amount of time.. I've got my book... which I'm devouring by the minute. But let me ask a few questions.. hopefully, your answers may calm me a bit... 1) Communication with home: Do the internet cafe's have computers?? in English?? And is there usually a way for me to upload my pics to the emails?? How much does this usually cost? 2) Considering the current turmoil over the United States and foreign policy... as an American, am I in any extra danger than would usually face a traveler? Are there any regions I should avoid for safety sake? 3) Since I'm PLANNING on being there in mid-March... at least for the beginning of my trip, should I be concerned with full hostels?? (Since, supposedly, it's not quite tourist season yet).. 4) How much should I allow for travel... assuming the worst... that I travel from Ireland, to Barcelona, to Stockholm, and everywhere in between... in the course of 4 months?? Just a ballpark figure... roughly... 5) Is there a store in which I could find the Eagle Creek packs?? I despise buying things online... especially something as crucial as the pack... I need to try it on.. 6) Though it may not influence where I choose to go... I'd love to hear of your 2 favorite places to visit... just for kicks... Thanks in advance!!!
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patrickt
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Post by patrickt on Feb 4, 2006 4:28:18 GMT -5
I though it was a typo... for... Morocco?? But that's just me... I should really go to bed about now.
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patrickt
Senior Travel Member
Near? Faaaaaar!!!!
Posts: 80
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Post by patrickt on Feb 1, 2006 0:53:36 GMT -5
Hey Jo!!! Sadly, I haven't recieved your email. Just to be sure, it's RentUNT at hotmail. When I was little, my family and I went to England and Scotland... there are very few things that I actually remember about these trips... but visiting Edinburgh was definately one of the highlights... My brother and I played 'castle' among these ancient ruins of some fortress.. Did I 'get' the history behind it? No... but dang, it was fun... Finding all the nooks and crannies in which to hide... 'shooting' at my brother when he was invading my teritory... it was almost like being a real life G.I. Joe... but then I turned my focus to music, theater, and dance.... weird, huh? While in London, I plan on re-creating a few of the photos that my parents took when I was younger... (though these pictures will be detestibly touristy)... IE: A pcture of me straddling the time meridian in Greenwich... and pictures of pigeons landing on me in Trafalgar Square in London... I'll also make a visit to Cork, Ireland... though I'll find many things there, my venture to Cork has a single goal... Take a picture of the street signs at the intersection of "St. Patrick" and "St. Paul." (Paul, being my brother's name)... '' Other than that, I've got no real direction for my trip... and for me, I think it'll work well.. Which is why I promote a no-itenerary approach to travel... You won't be bound to groups or reservations... you can stay however long or short that you like... Say you meet a wonderful group from Sweeden, and they're heded to Germany and invite you to come along... even though you had pondered going to Italy... you decide to go with them... you have the freedom to decide your own destiny on a whim... A lot of people my frown on this approach... and I may return to the states in July whistling a different tune... PLAN YOUR TRIP... but a no-strings approach is how I imagine my first trip should be. And to Kim... the wonderful Kim... Right now, I'm a lowly soon-to-be-traveler... my eyes are most likely bigger than what my walking shoes can handle... so, I talk a big talk, hoping to walk the big walk when I finally get to fly out on my trip... so, for taking up your bandwidth and file storage, I apologize... but when I return... I'll have so much more to offer than just my dreams...
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patrickt
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Post by patrickt on Jan 24, 2006 22:57:54 GMT -5
I apologize for interupting this thread....
But Eagle, you astound me with your brilliance and knowledge about the countries, and the logistics of travel. I'm really impressed, and you're an exceptional contribution to this site, and to countless traveler's dreams of seeing the world.
The first beer I drink in Ireland will be for you...
Cheers. PatrickT
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patrickt
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Post by patrickt on Feb 21, 2006 0:58:31 GMT -5
Sara... what's up??
Make sure whichever guide book you get is tailored to your style of travel... a lot of books I flipped through were targeting family travel... or travel with little concern of budget...
I finally found a few backpacking books with great info.. make sure the one you pick is the most recent edition, as prices, schedules etc change...
Personally, I got the "Let's Go: Western Europe" book... some people frown on this, cause a LOT of backpackers use this book... thusly, each place listed\reccomended in the book will be either totally booked, or very busy... for me, I'm using that to my advantage, as I'm going (for the most part) in off-season..
I also got the "Rough Guide: 1st Time to Europe"... it's got great info.. (most of which can be found on this site as well)... but it's also rather humorous, and fun to read...
Best of luck, and happy travels!!!!!
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patrickt
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Post by patrickt on Jun 15, 2006 14:05:54 GMT -5
To be honest, I never made reservations. Risky, yes? But I never had a problem finding a seat... given, I traveled in off\early-shoulder season. There was one train trip where I had to move seats... but it's easy! Just look at the reservation cards and find a seat that isn't reserved for that leg of the trip. It's daring, but it's not immoral or illegal...
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patrickt
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Post by patrickt on Feb 10, 2006 2:38:57 GMT -5
Morgan.. I'm glad to see that you're looking at fulfilling one of your dreams... so, congrats!!
I too, am planning a trip... blasting off in less than a month... I'm a 26 year old male, with an athletic build... but don't think I'm any less timid than you...
But at the same time, I've worked in the theme park business for nearly 6 years now... a business that caters to tourists... (either foreign, or domestic)... and I've YET to see any sort of violent (mugging\robbing) crime go down... on either a male or a female...
Theft?? Yes... I've seen it... but only because the guest dropped his\her wallet.. or left his\her wallet on a table by accident, etc...
Most items were returned to their rightful owner, but in Europe, there's no "Guest Relations" booth...
Like everyone has said, be mindful of your surroundings... take all the precautions recommended in the guidebooks (no matter how dorky they may seem) and you should be fine...
Thieves and pickpockets look for signs of weakness... just like lions and tigers in an African Savannah look for the slow and injured animals to attack... Be purposeful with your walk, stay in lit areas, and have no qualms about the look on your face that says "I am on my way somewhere... if you choose to bother me, I'll make you wish you were never born."... Think G.I. Jane... on steriods...
A simple look can deter most troublemakers.
Though I rarely condone violence to a man's... um... private parts... a swift kick or punch to the groin is enough to being any man to his knees... I was injured during baseball... and.. well... damn, it hurts.
Then, there's pepper spray... a would-be attacker can't get ya if he can't see.
Again, you won't need to even PONDER any of this if you're smart with what you do, and where you go. If you decide to go pub crawling, invite some of your hostel friends to go... safety in numbers...
Another trick: If you are really nervous... bring your cell phone... who cares if it doesn't work?? On your way to your hostel at night... have a wonderful conversation... "Oh yeah, the pub was great... I'm walking back to my hostel on such-n-such street next to the statue of the guy on the horse... it's really nice out here... I met this wonderful guy... he's a wrestler... and... oh look... there's my hostel... I've gotta go.. love ya.. buh-bye"... Doing this (if you're walking alone) establishes a pseudo-contact with the outside world... anyone thinking of approaching you would be turned off, as you had just given your exact location... though it's not fool-proof... it's a definite deterrant...
Just, basically, use common sense... don't be any less careful as you would at home...
You don't need to be worried... you'll be fine. Follow your instincts... trust who you trust... don't trust who you don't...
I hope you have the adventure of a lifetime... have a blessed journey.
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patrickt
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Post by patrickt on Feb 28, 2006 1:39:31 GMT -5
Here's an idea.. (if you choose to use tape).. Place a layer of paper or make some sort of barrier between the tape and the fabric of the pack... that way, the tension remains, but the sticky residue is stuck on the paper... HOWEVER... The TSA has the right to open and search all checked luggage... if you take the trouble to pack and seal it, they could open it, and possibly neglect to re-tape it.. Just some thoughts!
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patrickt
Senior Travel Member
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Posts: 80
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Post by patrickt on Feb 21, 2006 16:23:27 GMT -5
Thanks for pointers, WT.. it's greatly appreciated.. I'll let ya know how it goes... and if it doesn't work, I can always find something else to use while overseas.. soo... no worries
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