Planning: Tech Dilemma

I’m a huge nerd. I’m not ashamed. But I am nervous about what that means for my travel plans.

At any given time you can expect to find me with my iPhone, MacBook Pro, 2-3 cameras (film and digital) and who knows what else. I’m reliant upon technology and I’ve become accustomed to a lifestyle where I’m connected all the time.

I think, more than anything else, not having the internet at my fingertips is going to be one of the most trying parts of this trip. Not only that, but figuring out a way to maintain a manageable level of connectivity while still keeping my backpack moderately light is going to prove to be an interesting challenge.

Two problems:

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Planning: Where to?

I have a very long list of places I’d like to go. I know that realistically I won’t be able to cover very many of these, but I figure it’s better to get an “ideal” list down and then pick from there. Here’s a list of places I’d like to see just off the top of my head:

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Planning: Time to get serious

I’ve had this trip stewing in the back of my mind for a few months now, but all of a sudden I realized that it’s only about 2 months away and I haven’t done -any- actual planning. Not good, Jenn. Not good.

It’s time to get serious.

I was at the campus bookstore the other day and they had some travel guides on sale. $4.00 a piece. I, of course, grabbed a few: Let’s Go Western Europe and Let’s Go Italy. Sure, they’re the 2006 and 2007 editions, but come on, how much do the Roman ruins really change in 2-3 years? The books were pretty useful, but I think they’ll be even more useful once I nail down a preliminary itinerary and time frame so I can look up more specific things.

I think the hardest part about all of this was the sheer scope of the trip. Where do you even begin? (Answer: at the beginning), but where is the beginning? So many questions to be answered.

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