24! I’m currently celebrating my birthday with my mom, step-father, and dog in France at a campsite. I’m kind of couchsurfing their campsite, or squatting it? Heck, I don’t know what to call it. We’re in Die in the Drôme department of France. It’s full of beautiful mountains and rivers. I think this is the 8th time or so I’ve celebrated my birthday in France; we used to go here almost every year when my sister and I were younger. So it’s like the good old days with a Francophone gâteau d’anniversaire! In recent years, I’ve spent my birthday abroadContinue reading
hitchhiking
Monaco Adventure Travel
Besides meeting the newbie hitchhikers from Czechia yesterday here in Monaco, I also met these two cyclists from Poland who are doing a big European tour. I met them in the daytime when I felt more optimistic about adventure travel in Monaco and hadn’t downed a beer yet. But I haven’t seen any backpackers or that category of travelers since… Greece..! That was more than one month ago and suddenly I meet two duos in one day! That gives me some hope. These guys also have a Facebook page (that I still need to find) but unless you speak Slavic,Continue reading
Moody Monaco Mornings (Sleeping Rough, Not Freecamping)
Today’s a moody morning in Monaco. Either that’s the truth, or it’s my bias because I’m moody as heck. As you might have followed from the previous Monaco posts, I didn’t find anywhere to freecamp in crowded Monaco and most places didn’t even let me in because I had a backpack. But I managed to sleep rough at a business at the waterfront. Not truly relaxed, but I had a nice view of the yachts. It reminded me of my boat hitchhiking adventure to Malta earlier this summer. Though I have other plans, I wouldn’t mind crewing another yacht onContinue reading
Czech Out Monaco
I just arrived in Monaco and met these crazy Czech guys with a SpongeBob-themed ukelele. They’re newbie hitchhikers and we’re about to make things go down for real. Probably at the Monte Carlo casino – a.k.a. the James Bond casino – if we can get in. They were already drunk before I met them and I was in a similar mood. So I knew they’re also working hard to make Monaco a backpacker place despite its unwillingness to cater to the EU’s poor and poetic ones. Prepare for nasty updates. But ooh la la, I haven’t thought about Czechia in a long time.Continue reading
Sicily to Mainland Italy: Hitchhiking Cosa Nostra
This morning’s hitchhiking selfie from Taormina, Sicily. I slept outside in public for two days in a row now, but it seems like I’m not going to find a shower anytime soon. So I’m curious if people will still stop for me tomorrow. I already covered Catania (in Sicily) to Salerno (on mainland Italy) today. I’m probably headed to the Amalfi Coast to camp close to one of the hiking trails tonight. We’ll see about that. The smartest move of the day was asking around on the 3-kilometer ferry from Sicily to mainland Italy for a ride to Salerno. IContinue reading
Siracusa: Eat Pray Love Streets in Sicily
After hitchhiking yesterday from Pozzallo to Siracusa, I was feeling a little #EatPrayLove—though I REALLY dislike that movie. Siracusa has some cute small streets that reminded me of it. And somehow these streets activate the girly travel girl Instagram pose instincts in even the ones most aware of performative femininity. Makes me want to buy a dress or something? (And then I look at the photo and think ehm, you tried!) Anyway, I ate some Sicilian stuff that came highly recommended. But the only name that stuck was “arancini”, which is a sort of fried rice ball with for exampleContinue reading
Hitchhiking Failure of the Year: No Malta to Sicily
Philosopher Jagger once said “you can’t always get what you want” and that’s what happened last night. I couldn’t find a boat willing to take me to Sicily from Malta. It’s a hitchhiking failure! Therefore I was forced to use the extortionately priced ferry! After more than three weeks in Malta and almost one week at the marina, enough was enough. And I’m very sad about it. Mick Jagger also said, “but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need!” Though it was frustrating, the people from La Marina Trattoria were so kind to feed meContinue reading
Airplane Hitchhiking over Malta
I guess this is the in-flight airplane hitchhiking selfie with the pilot you’ve been waiting for! “Johnny Bravo Yankee, prepare for landing..” listening to the radio stuff is quite entertaining, but I wouldn’t want to have the responsibility for an aircraft honestly, so I can scratch off becoming a pilot off my list of potential future jobs… and I’m back to just being a hitchhiker. It’s the more reasonable ambition. The pilot made the smoothest landing ever on Malta’s runway. And obviously I took many (shitty) photos and videos through the window. I love small airplanes! I love the number ofContinue reading
Malta: My First Time Hitchhiking an Airplane
I’ve seen Malta from the sea, explored most of it overland, and now I’ve seen it from the sky too… what did just happen? I can’t believe it yet either, but I think this was the first time hitchhiking an airplane. But is it hitchhiking if I landed at the same airport? Yes, I’m still in Malta. Let me know what you think by commenting: yay or nay? YAAAAAAY ANYWAY Photo snapped at Airport of Malta Edit from the Future About Hitchhiking an Airplane I took this photo of myself before the flight. Some things happened on that little airplane thatContinue reading