I've wanted to start a blog for over a year now about my travels and adventures on vacations with the love of my life, Super Nel, and good friends. However, it wasn't until a few weeks ago when we decided to spontaneously book a trip to Europe that I decided to create an actual blog.
My name is Andy Aguirre-I'm 31 years young, a giant kid at heart and adore superheroes (especially Wonder Woman). I'm new to the field of nursing and have worked with children in recreation or some other capacity for over 15 years.
The Dream:
I'm writing this first post exactly one week before we land in Europe. I've wanted to go to Europe since I was a little girl and I saw an episode of I Love Lucy where Ricky, Lucy, Ethyl and Fred travel abroad. I remember telling my grandma that I wanted to go to all those places Lucy was visiting on the show. My grandma told me that those countries were very far away and she showed me on a map in an encyclopedia (google what?). She also said that if I really wanted to go there then I should grow up, get a college education and travel the world. The idea to travel to Europe and go backpacking through different countries has been a dream of mine ever since. So many times I would check out travel books about Europe from the library, create and plan the trip, but then something would happen and all that planning would stop in its tracks. It wasn't until two weeks ago when I received the opportunity of a lifetime to be chosen for an amazing new graduate nursing program that I realized it was time to that dream and all that planning a reality. I turned in my two week notice at my current place of employment, called a travel agent and booked roundtrip tickets for Super Nel and I to Europe.
The Plan....Finally:
The itinerary started to come together in the last two weeks-it's as follows: next Friday, July 5th, 2013, Super Nel and I will board a plane for the longest ride ever and arrive in Frankfurt, Germany. In Frankfurt we'll meet up with my cousin Ricky, who is in the air force and has been stationed in Germany for a few years now. We'll stay with Ricky in Germany for four days and then board a Ryanair flight to Venice, Italy. After two days in Venice we'll take a train to Florence and stay in the countryside for three days. I'm looking forward to Florence the most. I've seen so many pictures of the countryside and I'm ready to see it in real life. After Florence, we'll do some hiking in the Cinque Terre before we take another train to Rome and explore some of the historic sites. We've left the last four days of our trip open to be spontaneous. We can fly over to Paris, France and see the Louvre and take the touristy photo of us together in front of the Eiffel Tower. Or we'll stay in Italy-go down to Pompeii (I love history!) and explore the Almalfi coast. Our total time in Europe will be two weeks.
Packing:
Honestly, the packing has never been this exciting and fun. Super Nel and I went to REI to try on backpacks and find new fun gadgets to use on our trip. I purchased an Osprey Porter bag. It's small, it's light and I love the straps. After reading the manual that comes with the bag (yes, I read that crap) I found out on the front strap is a built in safety whistle-no way you would know unless you read the manual. I pity the pickpocket who comes near me. I'll blow their ears off-and if that doesn't work I'll use my right hook (I like to box). Super Nel found his backpack online. I kinda freaked out because I have anxiety about bed bugs and I've read you should never buy anything from someone that could carry a bedbug. However, the guy who sold it to him is a backpacker, ex-military and very friendly (plus I quarantined the bag for a few days so I'm sure we're safe). His backpack is great because it has all these extra pockets and hidden areas for stashing stuff.
Now to fill our packs with the necessities. This is where the title of my blog comes in. Super Nel found these underwear by Exofficio. The man helping us at REI told him about these. They're supposedly sweat-proof, odor proof, germ-proof and you can go weeks without washing them (gee thanks REI guy...). Super Nel tells the REI guy "I'm gonna test these bad boys out. I'll wave them in front of my girlfriends face every morning before she's awake. If the smell of them doesn't wake her up than I won't wash them." I'm a lucky gal I tell you.
I decided I should pack my own Exofficio undies for the trip and so I'll be blogging about how "fresh" they stay along the journey in addition to the sights and adventures I see. Don't worry-those of you grossed out by this should know I'm a germaphobe (great trait to have as a nurse) and I value good hygiene. I'll be bringing two pairs of Exofficio underpants on my two week trip and I also have these amazing laundry soap papers. They dissolve in water and can be carried in a small plastic container half the size of a tic tac jar. I plan to wash my underpants daily.
Other fun/necessary items we've packed:
-A rope-to hang our clothes, tie each other up when someone is getting annoying (or for some fun), tie our bags together or for a fun game of tug-of-war on the train
-Peanut butter -we're trying to travel on a budget and plan to save some moolah with a few pbj sandwiches. Most hostels give you bread for breakfast-a few extra slices and some jam=another meal! I also have some raw almonds, dried apricots, papaya and due to a tip from my friends Miss Dania and Chuey-protein bars (they lived off these in Cuba for a few days when they were desperate)
-Badger 1 Liter H20 bottle-it's collapsable and I like to be hydrated ("Hydrate or Die" is one of my life mottos)
-First aid kit-I try to prepare for anything and I'm always getting sick so I have Band-Aids, triple antibiotic ointment, benedryl topical cream, fungal cream (recommended, I have no fungus at the moment), alcohol swabs, benedryl tablets (allergies), tylenol, anti diarrhea meds (just in case), pepto tabs, mucinex and my inhaler.
-Rain jacket
-A sporknie (spoon, fork, knife all in one and TSA friendly)
-One bar of soap that does hair, body and clothes in a pinch
-This amazing leave in conditioner that I found through birchbox
-Bug spray (bugs eat me alive)
-Sunscreen, sunscreen face stick hat, rash guard, bathing suit (I'm passionate about sun safety!)
-Digital Camera-we bought this fantastic Nikon last year for Hawaii-water/shock proof. Pictures look fantastic, easy to use, small and light
-Ipad
-Chargers, adapters and transformers (not the Optimus Prime kind)
-Minimal Clothing-I'm taking 1 pair of shorts, 1 long cotton skirt (necessary for all the churches and religious sites), long and thin cotton cardigan (churches again), 1 scarf, 1 cotton "fancy" dress, 1 tank top, 2 camisoles, Sanuk flip-flops and my Chacos. That'sit. Minmalistic. I packed more clothes for a one night vacation to Rosarito then I have for this 2 week backpacking trip.
-Travel inflatable/collapsable pillow (Miss Dania sold me on this one-from REI)
-Avengers small notebook and pen for jotting down thoughts/journal
-Moneybelt, combo lock for lockers at hostels and little lock for backpack (we're concerned about pick-pockets)
-Sham-Wow Towel (dries fast)
-Sheet set in ziplock-most hostels charge you extra for sheets and I'll have anxiety about bed bugs if I don't have my own. Super Nel's momma is making us these thin sheet sets that will be like a sleeping bag and even cover the pillow on the bed. I'll stash it in a ziplock so if there are bedbugs they'll be contained.
Everyday Super Nel and I pack our backpacks, put them on, decide their too heavy and take something out (then I secretly put it back in...). Sometime this week we're going to load them up, go to the San Diego Zoo and walk around for a few hours in the heat (well, heat for San Diego). This will hopefully simulate being in Europe and we can decide if we need to unload any more weight. I also plan to spend some time in the steam room doing squats and lunges to prepare for the Duomo climb in Florence in the worst heat possible. July has been said to be the worst month to travel to Europe because of the heat. I'm hoping we don't melt and instead sweat out all the gelato we're going to eat.
Funding:
I would like to add that I did a lot of research about traveling to Europe on a budget before we booked. The most expensive part of the trip is our flight. We'll be staying in hostels for most of the trip with a few splurges in hotels here and there. So far we've spent less than $300 on travel between Germany, Italy and all the trains in Italy for two people. I was shocked to book a flight from Frankfurt to Venice for two for only $77-total! I don't think Southwest airlines could beat that-woohoo for Ryanair. I did do some saving this year. I've been banking my paycheck for months now, added my income tax return, dog sitting money (as I type this blog entry I have a doggie curled up next to me that I'm watching for a week), babysitting money and tomorrow Super Nel and I are getting up at the crack of dawn to go sell a bunch of our crap at the Swap Meet. What I'm trying to say here, is that if you want to go to Europe or travel somewhere, don't let money be the reason you don't go. Sacrifice something else so that you can get there. I've been eating cereal, pbj on sprouted whole wheat bread for the last two weeks just to save a few extra dollars. People told me this years ago when I first voiced my wish to travel. However, it wasn't until recently that I realized how true it is. If you want to go, GO! Stop making excuses-there's no time, no money, too hot, too cold, I don't want to wear only 1 underwear for two weeks....whatever your excuses are STOP making them and start planning. I've been so excited about this trip that I wake up before my alarm everyday just to research and google websites about Germany and Italy. Super Nel and I know that this big adventure is just the first of many. We've already talked about doing Asia next year and maybe joining the Doctors without Boarders program to see as many cultures and places as we can. Miss Dania and Chuey are currently in Jamaica enjoying the culture and music of the island. Those two went to Cuba last year on an Amazing Race style adventure. One of the physician assistants at work told me that on his bucket list he wants to visit all seven continents. I laughed and teased him about going to Antarctica. His response? "I've already been there." Say what?! No excuses, no reason not to do it, just GO. Want to know how much Europe means to me? Are you ready for it? I'm missing COMICON for this adventure. That's right-the biggest superhero event of the year, the hardest event to score tickets and I'm willing to miss out on it for the trip of a lifetime-to make a dream come true.
I wish my grandma was alive today so I could show her my passport and my Eurorail tickets. I'd like to think that she would be very excited about this trip too. She'd tell me in Spanish that I'm finally going to see all the I Love Lucy places I love. Then she'd tell me to make sure I pack enough underwear and always put on a fresh pair everyday because if something happens the last thing I want is a doctor or nurse to see my dirty underwear......ok maybe it's best that she doesn't know about my Exofficio undies after all.
