Ok, so this is it, the real deal, the whole sha-bang, the final word on my Europe adventure.  Of course I haven’t posted the last two cities yet, so you have to keep checking the site at least for a little while longer.

What can I really say?  As I sit here in the Dublin airport waiting for my final flight back into the U.S. there are about a trillion thoughts that race through my mind when I start to think about how this journey has completely transformed my life.  If I had to narrow it down to one major element or theme, I would have to say the experiences with other travelers and locals is what made this trip absolutely incredible.  Seeing the sights was tremendous as well, but it just doesn’t compare to the bewildering joy you receive when you share a completely unique experience with another human being.  It was usually only a couple of days with each new person I met, but it was always difficult to say goodbye in the end.  If only for a short while, that time shared was so unique that you will carry it with you for the rest of your life.  Not to mention how incredible it is to make friends all over the world that you are free to visit nearly anytime, as well as provide them with a place to stay during their travels.  You don’t really know it until you’re in it, but there is a unique culture that has no race or religion and no prejudices … they actually embrace the more differences they can find, it’s the lifestyle of a world traveler.   You would be amazed how many people are out there from all reaches of the globe that love to meet new people, sleep in odd places if need be, try new cuisine and just go where the wind takes them.  I traveled alone, but never really was alone.  I could seek solitude when need be, but I could turn to someone in the hostel or at find a new mate at the bar if I just opened my mouth and started a conversation.  It’s easy to be scared or intimidated to talk to new people, especially in a different language, but you will find that any attempt at all is easier than you think… and will most likely turn out a lot more interesting than you could have imagined.

I could go on for days, but I’ll spare you the thousands of jumbled thoughts racing around my dome.  If you really want to hear all about my story and open a dialogue, feel free to email me or just take me out for a drink or maybe a whole meal of food and see what happens.  Obviously I enjoy meeting new people and I also love listening to stories more than sharing at times, so don’t be shy and let’s create some memories.   I loved traveling with you all, your support has made this blog possible and I hope to keep posting through out the rest of my adventures even within the United States and where ever else I may wander off to (hopefully you can share more of your thoughts with me as well).  I’m going to steal a quote that I always loved and throw it in as my conclusion…

More opportunities are lost to indecision than to bad decisions

So let’s do a quick recap of physical appearance over the last 10 weeks, shall we? I have undoubtedly lost some weight, but that’s not the feature one would notice most.  As some of you have already pointed out, you could mistake me for two different people if you haven’t seen me since I started this journey… not to mention that second person could be a serial killer, rapist, or even creepy pedophile.  I’ve looked passed those negative connotations associated with a overly grown Irish Red beard and held on strong to fully achieve the identity of a hobodrifter.  You have to sell out for the cause or it just isn’t worthwhile.

I often keep myself entertained by simply running my hands through these sun kissed locks of manly facial mane.  I also imagine myself as more of a mythical creature than a creeper, it helps me get past the weird looks I receive on a daily basis… often times it’s from mothers of young children, or people looking over their shoulder to make sure I’m not going to mug them.  So, in my world I can be the all powerful Zeus, or even King Leonidas ready to take on the Persian army.  Call it a weird fantasy if you will, but you try and grow an untouched beard for 11 weeks in a foreign country then tell me what you start thinking about… we’ll see who the weirdo is then.  Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed the progression from clean shaving to not clean in any way, shape or form.

I will be sporting the beard for an unknown amount of time upon my return to Denver, so book your flight now (or get in your car this weekend) and cruise by my pad.  If you know of any charities that take beard hear as a donation, let me know, I can’t just throw this beauty away!

I’ve been on the road for just about 4 weeks now and I’ve been waiting and waiting to share what I’ve learned about certain aspects of travel. This discussion is going to focus on hostels. If you don’t plan on staying in hostels, read this anyway because it may change your mind (or just make you enjoy staying in a hotel even more). Bare in mind that most times I like do things at the lowest cost possible, regardless of what that may entail.

For the budget traveler, hostels are without a doubt the best way to go. I’ve stayed in about 10 hostels over the course of four weeks and they have ranged from small and cozy, to large and noisy, but most importantly the majority have been for under $20 a night. Often times the old saying “you pay for what you get” takes its course in terms of hostels as well, but every once in a while you can find that hidden gem for cheap price. Having a computer along has been a godsend because I can book hostels online as I go, a preferred method, but you can always book in advance from home or use the internet provided in certain hostels or find an internet cafe for a small fee (be forewarned that the keyboards in foreign countries are often different from the U.S. so be prepared to spend a little more time searching for the rights keys). The two major sites are hostelworld.com and hostelbookers.com, both work just as well but hostelworld has a small booking fee. So steer clear of that site or somehow manage to get a free gold card that provides you with no booking fees for a year (I filled out a quick survey in a hostel and they gave me one for free). It’s important to read the reviews and get an idea where the hostel is located so you’ll know if you need to take public transportation or you can walk to most places. Now that we’ve covered the basics of booking, let’s get into the fun stuff, optimizing your stay.

Nearly every hostel I’ve stayed in has had free wifi and some sort of free breakfast. Notice the key term found in that sentence, free. Anything you can get for free dollars is the best.  At breakfast, be sure to stuff your pockets with as much food as you can.  This may be frowned upon by the hostel, but you just packed yourself a free lunch… brilliant.  If you play your cards right you can even get a free nights stay. I haven’t been that lucky yet, but a guy I met told the hostel he didn’t have the money to pay just then, somehow he didn’t need to leave an ID or passport or anything, then left 2 days later without paying a cent. Depending on your morals or ethics, this is always an option. There are always free pamphlets lying around, some of which may provide you with discounts or ideas for what you should do around town. I’ve found free tours in almost every city as well (a small tip at the end is better than paying most likely double for a shit tour with lame people). The great thing about the tours I’ve been on is that they are of course in English, which means the other people in the tour speak English as well, see where I’m going with this? It’s a great way to meet people. I’ve met a lot of new friends on these free tours that I’ve ending up hanging out with the rest of my time in that city. Not to mention the great travel advice you can give to one another.

Meeting people on the tours is great, but if you decide to bypass that whole situation, the next best thing is to talk to everyone in the hostel. Just say hello, and you never know where the conversation is going to lead. It’s easiest with the people in your dorm, but your chances of meeting people is proportional to the number of beds you have in your room. So the higher the number, most likely the more people and the better chances you have of not meeting bags of douche. There is, however, an obvious downside to more bunks in your room. The privacy factor is greatly decreased and it becomes a lot easier to get annoyed. One night in Munich I swear the whole 10 bed dorm was snoring at the same time. It made for a long night, but at the same time was kind of entertaining. It was almost a symphony of snoring, with various rhythms, pitches, and tones coming for every direction. I was almost compelled to stand up and start conducting these natural woodwinds. Let’s see, a few other things to be aware off: people having sex in your room (the most entertaining act in the hostels), people constantly eyeballing you in fear that you may steal there stuff (these are usually little Asian women), the loud guy or woman who likes to yell at people in a foreign language because they know zero English, and last but not least the small amount of people that actually do want to steal your shit. This is why I always lock my backpack to the bed (I use a bike lock), or put it in a locker, or if I have to, leave it at the front desk storage. Security is a big thing when you want your trip to run as smoothly as possible. Often times you will think it’s a safe place and you can leave your bags around or camera out, but it’s just as easy to lock those things up because you never know who may want to stop in and grab your awesome gear that you purchased after looking Inside The Handkerchief.

One last thing I’ll touch on is hostel cleanliness. I haven’t had a problem yet, but check you bed out before you decide to lay your head down. The sheets may not always be clean and its not hard to go back to the front desk and let them know. You never know what kind of weird things could be lurking in unclean bed sheets. This isn’t to scare you, because I’ve had clean sheets at every place, but just keep your eyes peeled. Sometimes they will change them everyday, and other times you will have to throw your sheets into a bin once your stay is over. Next, comes the bathrooms. Often times there are separate shower rooms and toilet rooms or water closets (WC). I haven’t had any completely disgusting ones yet, but some have been sub par. There isn’t a whole lot you can do about it, just be aware of your bathroom surroundings. When you find those newly remodeled bathrooms and shower rooms, indulge yourself in a sea of cleanliness. I admit that I can go for a good 3 or 4 days without a shower and it doesn’t bother me, showers have become a luxury. But you better believe that when I find a great shower with warm water and good pressure, I am in there for hours. Such a great feeling to let that warm soapy water clean the travel muck away.

I hope this has been informative and some what entertaining for you all. Just cracking a little egg of knowledge over you head on the topic of hostel living. As always, if you have any other advice or fun stories about living in close quarters on the road, feel free to share it.