For the past few weeks, I’ve been gearing up for this European trip.  I’m trying not to overpack, but remember I am a girl.  HAHA.

• Osprey Backpack

My lovely friend is letting me borrow hers.  I don’t think she even used it yet, so she didn’t tell me much about her bag.  This is what I know.  The top portion can be taken off and used as a hiking bag.  There are three ways to entering the bag: top, middle, and bottom.  It can hold one of those water camel thingy.  Tons of strap and two side pockets.  On one of the straps there is a rape whistle.  There is one extra zipper pocket at the bottom as well.

• Sleeping Mask

I bought this memory foam fleece sleeping mask for those naps on the trains/airplanes.  I’ve tried it and it’s not bad.  Instead of a band, it’s  enclosed by Velcro, which has it’s pros and cons.  $4.50, Walmart

• Go Pro Hero 2

I’m planning on riding a bicycle in Amsterdam, like all the locals.  I thought it would be fun to strap the Go Pro.  $300, Amazon

• Combination Lock

Many hostels have lockers to put your belongs in.  I wanted something sturdy, wide mouth opening, and the ability to set my whole combination. I picked the word lock, because it would be easier for my friends (aka other traveling companions) to remember the combo.  $9, Target

• Netbook

I’m planning on blogging, so I thought it would be a good idea to bring my netbook.  Although, it’s thinner than my laptop, it’s still quite heavy.  I’m still debating on this one.  My friend, Mike, might bring his really nice macbook air, but I don’t want it to get stolen. So I would feel more comfortable bringing this one.  $500, Best Buy

• Platypus Water Bottle

This collapsable water bottle is the perfect water bottle.  It can hold up to a litter of water.  There is also a loop to add one of those rock climbing clips, so I can clip it to my bag.  Also, it’s BPA Free.  $15, Amazon

• Toiletry Kit Bag

It’s going to be hard to condense all my makeup and toiletries into this one bag, but I’m determined.

I couldn’t find the exact same hanging toiletry bag link on Amazon, but I found something similar.  I really like the fact that this bag has two big side pockets.  Although it looks small when closed, it’s actually quite roomy and big.

• Travel Surge Protector

Not to be confused for an adapter/converter, which should be on it’s way to my house via snail mail.  I bought this surge protect for all my electronics.  I hope it works up there.  I’ve read online that it does, but never know.  $10, eBay

• Swiss Army Knife

I had no clue that Swiss Army knifes were so expensive, but I was lucky to find a semi-used one on eBay.  The reason why I choose this Spartan brand is because it has a bottle, can, and wine opener, all the essentials if you ask me. $8, eBay

• Travel Blanket

I bought this small travel blanket (compression sack included).  It’s not big enough to cover my whole body, but big enough to cover my legs.  On one side, there is fleece, on the other, a slick raincoat fabric.  This would be perfect to use this blanket as a picnic blanket.

• Moleskine Travel Journal

I wanted to keep my blogging notes organized.  My friend Kat was nice enough to buy this for my birthday.  One of two best birthday gift I’ve ever received.  The second best birthday gift was from my travel companion, Mike.  He got me a chest mount for my Go Pro.  Free

• Travel Towel

I am not going to be one of those suckers who has to pay for a towel at a hostel.  I think that’s pretty ridiculous.  I bought the medium size, which is not going replace a nice big fluffy towel.  The company claims that the more times you wash it, the softer the towel will become.  $10, Amazon

• TSA Approved Locks

One of the many perks of having a brother who works at the airport is that he finds all these luggage locks.  I’m bring a couple for those pocks on my backpack.  Free

• Waist Belt

Everyone and their mothers have told me to bring a money belt, the ones that you hide underneath your clothes.  I was a little worried about purchasing this one, because there is a fleece lining.  I sweat pretty easily and I’m hoping that I’m not dying of heat while wearing this.  $4, Walmart

•  Pocket X-Shot Camera Extender

I’m not going to lie, I think this product is pretty embarrassing, but I hate being the one always taking the picture.  Come on, I want to be in the picture too!  This xShot is a monopod that attaches to your camera and it extends it out to about 30 inches.  With this gadget, I can be in the picture with my friends or (since I’m short) I can take a picture high up without tippin’ toeing. $25, eBay

• Rick Steves’ Europe Through The Back Door

I’m not bring this book, but I wanted include it in my post.  The reason for this is because most of these items was listed in this very book.  $20, Barnes and Noble

I still have to buy compression sheets, adapter, first aid kit and clothesline.  Is there something I’m missing, besides clothes and shoes. What would you suggest?

It’s only 7 weeks before I leave Hawai’i for a month and backpack my way through Europe.  Ever since November 2011, I’ve been reading and researching for this moment!   For some, 7 weeks is a long time, but I’m starting to feel the pressure of getting things in order.

YouTube has been a great way for me to familiarize myself with my adventure ahead.  I believe the biggest fear is the fear of the unknown, so the more I educated myself the less scared I feel.  Here are some of my favorite videos.

For packing:

I’m not planning on bringing that much clothes (fingers crossed).  I do agree that you shouldn’t sacrifice style, so finding a limited amount of clothing that matches AND be able to be dress down or up has been proven to be very difficult.  Guys are lucky that they can get away with wearing a collar shirt and that instantly makes them “club appropriate”.  My plan is to bring two shirts that are both appropriate for the club and the church.  I’ll be wearing flat sandals.  If that’s not appropriate, I’ll find some cheap high heels when I’m there.

Hostels:

I’ve never stayed in a hostel nor a dormitory before.  I don’t want to offend anyone by my reaction, so it was important for me to see what hostel living was all about.  Now that I see it, it’s really not that bad.

Planning:

I’m trying to plan everything on a college student budget.  The only way that I know how to save money is to get education.  Research, ask other travelers, and check out forums on travel site like Lonely Planet.  Try to seriously think about how much you want to spend per day and add $40 per day for “just in case” money.  Don’t forget to add currency exchange fees and tips in your daily allowance.

Getting to know your destination:

My travel companion is dead set on going to the Hofbrau Haus.  I’ve only read about the Hofbrau Haus and I imagined it to be a huge frat house filled with women dressed like Heidi serving huge pails of beer where I needed two hands to drink.  I’m glad to see that it’s not like the movie, Animal House.  If you are curious of a town or a tourist destination, YouTube it.   It’s a great way to see if it’s something you would like to see, another way to not only save money, but time as well.

Get inspired:

I can’t wait to throw my backpack on and start hitting the pavement.  I’ll be using this blog as my travel diary blog.  For my main blog, Jen Kakio, will still be about special things that I really loved about a particular place or people I’ve met, stories I’ve heard, and food that would make Anthony Bourdian proud…sorta.  You join me on my adventure by hitting the RSS feed or email subscription button.

When ever looking for a really good BBQ joint, I don’t rely on websites/apps like Yelp or AroundMe.  Instead, I look at the restaurant itself and see if there is a line coming out their door.  On this particular night, my friends and I were driving around town looking for a place to eat.  We saw random American, Mexican, and even Japanese restaurant.  The one place that stood out to me was Mark’s Feed Store.  While traveling I have a list of criteria when it comes to dining.

1.  The eatery can’t be found back at home (Hawai’i).

2. The price has to be appropriate for the menu.  (ie: I can get really good sushi for $5.  I’m not going to pay for sushi anymore than that except for Japan.  Or don’t expect me to pay $50 for a steak, if it’s not aged or a prime cut.)

That’s it, just two rules when it comes to dining.  When it comes to BBQ, there is an added rule.

3.  If there is no line outside, then the BBQ is just not good enough.

Think about it.  We, Americans, loves our BBQ.  It’s something about the sauce and taste of flavor that can’t be found anywhere else, but in a BBQ pit.  By no means am I a BBQ master, but if the small sleepy town of Louisville is standing outside during a cold night of October, it’s worth checking out.

 I ordered the full slab dinner, which came with grilled corn, spicy fries, and Texas toast ($19.49).  Normally, it comes with cold slaw, but I swapped it for the corn.  I was trying to be “health conscious”.  On their menu, they guaranteed fallin’ off the bone and supposedly it’s the town favorite.  Plus I love ribs and all it’s messiness.  I ordered Big Red, which is not available in Hawai’i.  What a shame, Big Red is the best cherry soda I’ve ever had.

In the end, the meal was good.  The ribs did fall off the bone and to me the fries were spicy.  The corn was nice and buttery and the Texas toast was divine.  OH, how I love Texas toast.  I can never find Texas toast in Hawai’i.  All and all, a good time.  The restaurant was quite small and decor reminded me of the stereotypical backyard BBQ joint.  Customer Services was nice and friendly.

Mark’s Feed Store:

Website

Menu

Yelp

FTC: Everything was purchased by me with my own money. I am not getting paid to do this blog post, I have no affiliation with this company. These are all my honest opinions.

With that said, I’ve been trying to pack lighter.  I’m not an expert, so what did I do?  I YouTube it.

I found this guy who packed a sizable amount for his month long trip.  I know he is not a girl, but he still brought a lot of stuff for a dude.  Watch in amazement, it’s like a magic trip or something.  This video is a definitely a do.

Isn’t that amazing how much clothes he got into that one tiny bag?  The only downfall is unpacking and packing, but who cares when you are saving $50 on air luggage fees.

Daily Grace, who is the funniest YouTuber ever, did a similar packing video.  Watch the video and do exactly the opposite.

Obviously, we should be putting a baby in your luggage, but we should be bring our whole house either.

What’s your must have packing things besides clothes and shoes?

Delta videotaped what a luggage does through after the passenger checks in.  This is a behind the scene look.  They cut holes all over the luggage.  It was a very interesting video promoting their Delta app.  I am not affiliated with this company nor am I giving my stamp of approval for this app.  I just thought the video was cool.

After the haze of Christmas, we are faced with looking at ourselves in the mirror and saying, “I will be better.”  Maybe after eating like gluttons and drinking like fishes for the past three months has finally caught up with us.  What ever the case, we go through this song and dance of thinking that we can be a better person next year.  We have somehow convince ourselves that the only way to have a better new year is to give ourselves ridiculous goals and the conviction to attain it.  Some of us are successful, but most, including myself, aren’t.

I have made millions of resolutions and some of them I’ve kept, but most of them I’ve failed miserably. I asked myself what worked for one goal and not the other?  I’ve thought of tips on how to be successful on your resolutions.

1.  Don’t make a million goals.

It’s easy to be carried away with the long list of things to fix.  Boy, the pressure!  Let’s keep it to one or two tops.  After four months of mastering your first resolution, there is no problem with adding another one. Just don’t bite off more than you can chew (figurative and literally).

2.  Be realistic.

Like I said before, we set ourselves up for failure and we don’t even know it.  It’s as if we want to be punished in some way.  If the goal is to be the next top model and you are 59 years old, maybe the goal is out of reach.  This is where SMART goals kick in.  Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Realistic. Timely.  When making a goal, ask yourself, “is it SMART?”

3.  Plan Ahead

Any goal should have a plan.  A very extensive plan.  Losing weight has to be the top goal every year.  Losing weight is a great goal, but what’s the plan?  Planning on working out in the morning, well, that means sleeping earlier in the night.  Of course, exercise is not enough.  Eating habits need to change, planning meals and factoring cost is very important.  To be successful, a plan needs to be in order.  It’s not as easy as just working out or just eating fruits and vegetables. I truly wish it was.

4. Be specific.

Going back to that SMART goal.  Often we forget to be very specific.  Being too general can set a person up for major failure.  Back to the previous goal of losing weight is great, but go that step further.  How much pounds?  By when?  I would revise “losing weight” to “losing 10 pounds by March.”  If successful the first time, then I would extending it to additional 10 pounds by July.  If not successful for whatever reason, I would just extend the timeline.  Not losing 10 pounds by March is not a failure, but just a small goal on the overall goal.  The overall goal is to lose 10 pounds within the year, which is very feasible.

5. Make your goals visible.

Write your goal(s) everywhere!  Put a post-it on the mirror of your bathroom, so every morning you are reminded by it.  I put one on my fridge to remind me to not drink those sodas.  I would even put one up in my office.  Make your goals visible everywhere.  Don’t rely on your memory to remind you of your goals.  We all live busy lives and we put ourselves on the back-burner.  Honestly, isn’t this how we got into this mess the first time?

6.  Don’t give up.

So what if you gained 5 pounds or had a coke during your no-soda resolution.  Treat your resolution like AA, “one day at a time.”  If you slip one day, just pick yourself up and try again.  Don’t go off the deep end and say, “screw it.”  Who ever said that mistakes were not allowed?  Why did we convince ourselves that resolutions had to be all or nothing?  Cold turkey doesn’t work, so why pretend that it does?

Changing oneself or their bad habits is hard.  Finding the goal is the easiest part.  With that said, once fulfilled, it’s the best feeling in the world.  I believe in you, maybe even more than you believe in yourself.  Good luck.

I’ve been slowly preparing my Europe trip and the one thing we often forget how stressful traveling can be.  Isn’t traveling supposed to be a vacation?  Aren’t we supposed to enjoy the fruits of our labor?  There has been times where I felt like I needed a vacation from the vacation.  Since Europe is going to be not only a financial investment, but an emotional one, I wanna make the best out of it.

Benjamin Jenks AKA Adventure Sauce has been traveling for the past 3-5 years.  He has made a video on his top 3 mental mistakes before traveling.  They are:

1. Dwelling on leaving
2. Getting TOO excited for the trip
3. Fear

I agree with Jenks, but I wanted to add some that I thought of from my personal experience.

1. Getting enough sleep

I make a point to sleep at least 8 hours consistently, maybe three days before your trip. Often times, maybe from the excitement or stress of leaving, we find ourselves sleep deprived before the trip even starts.  Whomever says that they can sleep on the plane are fools.  Granted, sleeping on the plane is possible, but I’ve never seen anyone wake up on the plane feeling and looking like they had a full night’s rest.

Chicago, October 2010

2.  Don’t sweat the small stuff

I know, it’s easy to worry about those little things like: did I pack enough or did I pack my reading glasses?  After double or triple checking your luggage, just walk away.  Once you step onto that plane, anything you forgot…just let it go.  Just roll with the punches.  If you really need it, you can always buy a new one or have someone FedEx it to you. If that’s not an option, don’t let that mistake drag you and your travelmate down.  My last trip, I thought I lost my iPod.  I just casually said it out loud, but after that I was over it.  Having a freakout was not going to make the situation better, nor is it going to find my iPod.  Those small things, I just had to let go.

Wizardly World of Harry Potter, Orlando, October 2011

3. Remembering the benefit of the group

Traveling brings out the best and the worst out of people.  If you want to know more about someone, travel with them.  You will end up knowing maybe a little too much about the person.  To avoid getting into a fight or hating each other, remember the benefit of the group.  Before any trip, you and your travelmate(s) should sit down and tell each other what’s your expectation on the trip will be.  Make a rule about compromise–always remember that this is everyone’s vacation.  If the group did something you wanted to do, it’s best to return the favor, but I wouldn’t throw it in their faces either.  Just be a team player.  If you want to be by yourself, just be nice about it.

Here are some of my tips on getting mentally ready before a trip.  I know it’s easier said then done, but just try it.  I hope this helps.

What’s a mental mistake that travelers make?

Wanna see more Adventure Sauce?

YouTube

Website

I’ve been traveling since the age of 9.  Compared to world travelers, I haven’t traveled that much, but compared to others, I’ve traveled my share.

Right now is a pretty important time in my life.  I have booked a month long trip to Europe.  This will be my first time traveling to Europe and my friends and I have decided to do it backpacking style.  I want to record my adventures thru this blog.  Whether it’s by saving money ideas, which backpacker bag to get, and hostel hunting.

I am not here to tell you how to travel, but instead share my traveling experience.  May my mistake be your warning and my rewards be your rewards.

Any tips on traveling?

It’s weird, I always see in the movies detailed flashbacks and I’ve always thought to myself that could never happen to me.  I can barely remember what I ate two hours ago, but on September 11, 2001 I can remember it as if it was just yesterday.

It was 2AM 09/10/01 (Hawaii Standard Time), my boyfriend (at the time) and I came home after a night of celebrating.  We just graduated from High School, he was going off to the mainland and I just started college at a local community college.  We were eating in front of the TV in my room when I flipped the channel to CNN and there it was staring back into our faces.  The whole screen was taken up with footage of two planes hitting The World Trade Center.  At first, I didn’t quite understand what was going on.  ”Is this a movie trailer?” I thought to myself.  It didn’t take me that long to figure out this is what was really happening.  Needless to say, I have a hard time sleeping that night.

I will never forget what happened on that day and even thought I don’t know anyone personal that died on that day, I feel like I owe it to them to never forget.

Born American

Die American

Always Proud

HeyTell is an app that sends an instant voicemail to your friends.  This app is great for those days where you don’t want to send a text/email, but at the same time don’t want to bother them with a phone call.  I feel like this app was made for people like me.  Personally, I hate making phone calls.  I think it is because I don’t have the patient to sitting and talking with someone.  Even though, I love talking to my friends and family, I can’t stand just sitting around.

 The interface is pretty simple.

• Recent Conversations stores all your recent HeyTells.
• The bulls eye looking button is to see where your friends are at.  Do keep in mind, some people do disable their location button.
• The check mark give you the option to Add To Friends list, Remove your friends, and block a friend.
• Play button
• Speaker phone.  To disable speaker phone, just click on it.
• The “To” bar.  Shows you who you are HeyTelling
• Green profile picture is how you can invite your address book to join HeyTell
• Hold and Speak orange button.

How to HeyTell?

Before anything, both parties needs the HeyTell app and accepted each others invitation.

The yellow highlight tells you who you are speaking to.  In order to send a message to someone, you have to hold the orange button. A record indicator logo should pop up, that’s how you know your voice is being recorded.  Once you are done with your message, you let go the button and the record logo should disappear.  Your message will be instantly sent to the recipient.  When I mean instant, I mean INSTANT.  It’s faster than texting, in my opinion.  

Pros:

• Available for iPhone and Androids.
• Easy to use.
• Doesn’t take up your minutes.
• Participants are only accepted by invites only. So, no random person will be HeyTelling you, only the people you accepted their invites to.
• You don’t need a plan to use this app.
• Recordings are short.
• Free.
• Faster than a text or voicemail.
• Fun.
• Alerts like a text message.
• When put on silent the alerts vibrates.
• Great for sending a fast message while on the road. (I don’t condone talking and driving, but a fast, “hey, I’m running late” is fine.)
• Works with WiFi
• Privacy is great.