As mentioned in my previous blog post, I am headed to Europe this summer for three weeks. I will be seeing many different cities in eight different countries in those three weeks and am beyond excited. I have never been to Europe before or traveled alone so this is a big deal for me. My airline tickets are booked and the trip is now paid in full so there is no looking back now. Only forward. And I guess that's the best way to live life anyway.
Although I am super psyched for this trip, I am very nervous as well. As per my usual fashion, there is always some anxiety to go with everything. (Working on this. And getting better actually.) On a trip so long and so far away, of course there are the usual concerns of the language barrier, getting lost, not seeing everything I want to see in such a short time, etc... And then there are the not-so-normal concerns that cross my mind. Of course I am not going to let any of these ruin this trip of a lifetime, so I am open to any and all suggestions to alleviate any stress related to any of these. With that being said, here are some of the worries I already have about my upcoming Europe trip.
1) Laundry. This is by far my biggest cause of anxiety for this trip. (#firstworldproblems, huh?) 24 days. 1 suitcase. Summer heat and humidity. This adds up to sweaty, smelly clothes day after day. I can't go out and buy a completely new Europe wardrobe with outfits for each day. That would be silly. (But if I could afford it I probably would.) I also know Europe is not basketball shorts-tank top (my go-to summer attire) friendly for walking around so I will have to mostly wear dresses. This is totally fine also. Those who know me, know I have plenty of those. (Some might say too many.) Since I will be in a different hotel pretty much every night, I don't know if I will have time to send them for the laundry service. (But if I can, I most def will.) I do plan to take a shampoo size bottle of detergent and handwash and hang some stuff every few days, but I can't do this with everything. I am not one for re-wearing clothes that are unwashed, but I may have to get over that. I will however, stock up on extra underwear and bras. That's for damn sure.
2) Not meeting people my age. I am going on this trip by myself but on a tour group. The age range of this tour group varies drastically according to all the reviews I have read, but one of my major concerns is being in a group of like all 65 year-olds and/or all couples. Barf. I am confident in my ability to make friends with almost anyone, but it would be nice if there were a few people my age. Specifically, a handsome 30-something male, who is attractive, athletic, smart, driven, etc... (Shall I go on?) But realistically, I know it can be hard for most people to take off three weeks of work to travel so I think that it will be a crapshoot. I think it will all play out in my favor though regardless. I am just thankful that I am teacher with summers off and am able to do this and hope that the other people in the same group are in the same boat. (Have I mentioned how excited I am?)
Although a concern for me, this is actually not a huge one. I did want to go to Europe alone but the thought of planning all the hotels and transportation was going to be tough, so doing a tour group was the easiest way to do this. If I don't like or mesh well with anyone, I can go off by myself and not worry about it. No biggie. If there are some cool people, we can hang and do stuff together. Score. But if not, I will only be with the group for the bus rides, some tours, and be at the same hotel. I even splurged (go big or go home, right?) and got a single room so I will have my own hotel room every night and not a roommate from the group. (Or maybe I won't be so lonely every night with a different European man in every city. Kidding. Kidding. Am I?)
3) My stomach. I am really hoping this is a total non-issue on my trip but with all the travel, different food, and potential lack of sleep, this can cause stress on the body which could trigger a UC flare. I will make sure to have all my meds on hand, along with many OTC ones as well. Additionally, traveling so much and not knowing when and where the next bathroom stop is always something I think about. Even in my daily life in NYC. You just never know when you may have to go.
4) Not working out. One of my hesitations of booking this trip in the first place was that I am also planning to run the 2013 NYC marathon in November. This means training starts the first week of July. I will be gone right after that and for almost a month and miss out on those miles. I am hoping this will not affect me in the least with the overall outcome of my training, but I sometimes (um, always) become kind of a psycho about training, but I have committed to this trip so when away, I want to keep the marathon in the back of my head. I can worry about that when I get back.
Additionally, working out is thapeutic for me and I think training or not training, I will certainly get the itch to run (and spin). In unknown places, I do get nervous going for runs alone, but it is a great way to see a city. It will however, create even more dirty laundry. Ugh. But it may just have to be done. And worst comes to worst, I figure most of the hotels will have fitness centers in them if I do get antsy.
5) Gaining weight. Ugh. Another huge fear. Being in different countries with different foods, many I want to try, with the combination of not working out, scares me. I do not want to come back 10 pounds heavier than I left. I know I will be walking around a good deal everyday, but I am also not going to turn down certain delicacies in certain countries. Fish and Chips in London. Croissants and other pastries in Paris. Pizza, pasta, gelato in Italy. And so much more! I don't want to say no because of my fear of getting fatter, but this is something I worry about every single day of my life. I know I will be on vacation and I guess I should just continue to embrace my YOLO thinking while away with the eating.
Am I a total freak for worrying about these things? Maybe. But I can't help that I think about them. I actually think the best thing to do is problem solve for them now so they won't be an issue on the trip at all. If I can work out some kind of plan in my head, I will be able to enjoy my trip 110%. I have plenty of time to work all this stuff out (and stock up on more undies!). I really cannot wait. This is going to be awesome. C'mon summer, hurry up and get here already.
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