Where to go? Research and planning

The most difficult and yet exciting part of any trip, might be planning. I presume that in a backpack destination one could really chose the "Distré" (Absent minded) way,  going along with destiny, no plans, but if you are going on a budget and want to respect that budget, planning is essential. 

-Plan according to what you like, not what is popular.
 
- List all the places you and your kid wish to go.  Go wild, you will have enough reasons to remove places from the list at a letter stage, either by efficiency of schedule, budget, or any other impractical reason. Pick your starting point and secure it if possible, it is the first step to opening the door to the adventure.

-Read about the places you wish to go. Make sure you share information with your child, show him/her maps, you will notice how exciting the conversations become. Prepare him/her with the idea of carrying his backpack around Europe, the trains, the destinations, places and food he will taste. Remember, your enthusiasm is essential to inspire and motivate young ones.

- Ask around, it is very likely that somebody you know can recommend a must see place, village, city, attraction. Take their suggestion seriously, for they will probably recommend what has left a long lasting impression on them and not necessarily all they have seen.

Is not about seeing it all, but experiencing some.

-Whether you know someone or not, make sure you watch Youtube traveling videos, they'll teach you a lot in little time, and will get you excited about the places you are potentially heading to.

-I have been using TripAdvisor for many years now, it is safe to say, that the time spent there reading reviews has been not wasted, I really read them all, over and over. There is precious information, from the basic recommendations, to dialogues about safety, expectations, etc.

-Research and secure your Airbnb Accomodation, they book fast. I found out that hostels generally don't accept children, unless you book a private room, which for a budget travler is not convenient. Airbnb offers private rooms in residential areas. I got great deals, in safe places with very good recommendations. It also adds an extra dimension to stay with locals.

-Have fun thinking about it! It can be very overwhelming, but is an excellent challenge, how to make the best of an opportunity like this with the resources of time and money one has. When the thought of economy overwhelms me, I remember how much I have traveled so far, I know very well by now, that many of the things I remember where not expensive to see, they were available for everyone to experience. For me is the purity of the feeling I search, and that usually doesn't carry a big price tag.

-Keep an eye on the budget, but safety first in mind.

Distré Backpackers Europe - Let the planning begin

Before in time, our holidays were arranged and coordinated between the members of our family, I had my very own family and I was so proud of it, and we had splendid travels together. After our divorce, holidays have always been a sensitive issue, not always because of money, not because of lack of free time, but because of the invisible issues I still feel as a single parent. Feelings that linger and are dragged towards each summer holiday season in particular.

In the beginning it was more difficult than it is now, but still, after so many years, it would be a lie to say that traveling alone with my child isn’t a difficult mental and emotional challenge when I start to think about what to do in the summer. This has nothing to do with my son, but with me, and my fears, broken hopes,and that terrible invisible feeling of inadequacy.

I have been lucky to be invited to several vacation trips with people I know, and although it makes me very happy to have places and people to be with, it has never really eliminated the feelings and thoughts of being a third wheel on others people life, and put a wrong focus on my own reality, accentuating this idiotic handicap feeling.  I was also fortunate to have a boyfriend during some of those years, who made our holidays special and meaningful, but now I am alone, and the old feelings reemerge and I question myself, why is it so easy for me to travel alone, but so difficult to find a holiday plan for my son and myself that doesn’t give me such a feeling of being incomplete?  

When there are no others to be involved in our holiday plan, it is time to be creative.There is no need to torment oneself trying to snap out those feelings that rationally don’t make sense. I know I have to live with those feelings and through them, until one day I will be freed from them (Hopefully). 

I have a safe haven for spending fun holidays, my family in Mexico, but it is an expensive travel I can’t always afford. Charter trips are among the worst things that could ever happen to me, I have tried two in my life, and I am convinced that is not the way to travel for us. I am taking in consideration my son’s open spirit for traveling, and my own interest as well. I have gambled on self-planned holiday successfully all my life.

Thank life for all the rational people that love me and rescue me form drowning  in a glass half empty. The original idea, has now evolved to the final idea to go as backpackers around Europe with my 10 year old, who has been most excited about it.

This will be our second long trip alone in seven years. Our first time was in 2012 renting a car and traveling around Denmark for 10 days, a memorable first trip for us two.

After our trip to Paris last autumn, a friend of mine on Facebook said "I wish I could do that with my kids, but with five children that is impossible for us". I replied to her, that I always wanted to have more children but I couldn’t, and that if I could have chosen five kids, I would have done so knowing well traveling was never again going to be on the agenda, but life threw me other cards and this is what I could do with the hand I was given, and I was lucky to be able to see and show the world to my son.

A great fortune!