I hope you enjoyed the photos and memories from my backpacking trip of Europe. It was time consuming and emotionally exhausting work, but if it encouraged a single person to plan their own epic adventure or maybe do some volunteer work, it was all worth it to me. If it simply entertained or informed you, that's cool to. Just get out there... there's so much of this beautiful world to see and learn about. Bon Voyage!

...and now... 3 months retold in 7 minutes...

 

lastpatriot.com - The rest of my site... heaps of random stuff

elselrahc@gmail.com - my email/facebook/msn messenger

myspace.com/iamthecharles - my myspace page (i'm just asking to be stalked)

elselrahc - my AIM screename... feel free to drop a line.

 

Online resources I used to plan my trip

eurotrip.com - A great travel community where there's always someone who can answer any of your travel questions.

bugeurope.com - A good all-around eurotrip planning resource

ricksteves.com - Find plenty of useful advice on bed & breakfast - off the beaten path - mingling with locals type of travel.

backpackeurope.com - Another site that helped me out when I was planning my trip.

hostelworld.com - This is where I booked my hostels online. It's comprehensive and convenient.

hihostel.com - I didn't end up using my HI hostel membership much because the card was stolen with my wallet, but it's a useful thing to have.

myisic.com - These cards offer useful discounts for student travelers. I got the youth one which isn't as good, but it was stolen anyway, so it didn't matter.

ryanair.com - The incredible European budget airline with ¢1 fares. I used them to fly from Ireland to Belgium, and from Spain to England.

kayak.com - A great tool for finding airfare between America and Europe. My open jaw ticket cost $675 during high season, which isn't bad.

raileurope.com - Find out information and purchase a eurail pass here. Mine came with a timetable, map, and blue & yellow envelope YOU MUST KEEP THE TICKET IN! The pass I got was the eurail flexi youth 15 travel days in 2 months @ $612. This year the price has increased to $679... I'm presuming the increases are across the board.

groundwork.ie - Website for the Killarney volunteer workcamp. I highly recommend it!

vfp.org - A directory of worldwide volunteering opportunities. I registered for the one in Poggio Catino, Italy through them. Their site drasticly improved this year.

kropla.com - Helped me answer basic questions about electricity plugs and adapters.

xe.com - In case you want to know how shitty the dollar is at this point.

dpreview.com - Where I researched my photo storage options. Good forum.

nikon 7600 - This is the digital camera I used to take all my pictures and video. I got it two years ago, and I'm sure there are better ones out now. I didn't use a tripod.

wolverine mvp - This is where I stored the thousands of pictures that I took. I also filled it with pictures and videos from home that I was able to share with people I met.

high sierra railpass - This is the backpack I used to... backpack. I loved it.

lets go: western europe - I never let the guidebook dictate my travels, but it was an indispensable resource at times when a computer wasn't around.