Post #1: Ten new countries, $12 flights and a 35 year old pack

Shannon heads off on her three month European adventure...click headline for details

I’m about to depart for my long-anticipated 3+ month adventure to the Baltics, Balkans and Italy. I’m over-the-moon excited and feeling comfortable with my itinerary but kicking myself for not having done more logistics planning ahead of time. Here’s the scoop on where I’m headed and why.

When I studied in Italy 35 years ago, I set a life goal to visit every Eastern and Western European country. I’ve made a lot of progress, but I didn’t visit Yugoslavia when it was one country…so my trip started with a goal to tick off the seven countries that used to be one.

While researching the region, I found a hike that I’ve been obsessing over since last February: The Peaks of the Balkans. It follows an old shepherd’s trail through Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro, with overnight huts interspersed along the way.

I love that it’s less traveled than many of the other epic hikes in the States and Europe, with similar beauty and challenge to the busier European Alps. Perhaps not surprisingly, few friends are itching to visit this region of the world, but my cousin Stacy, who climbed Yosemite’s Half Dome with me last summer, has a shared passion for the area, so we’ll tackle the 10 day journey together.

We’ll bring camping equipment to give us the flexibility of camping or staying in the huts. He’s a stronger, faster hiker so I suspect I’ll be running to keep up with him…and that he’ll want to take a few detours to the tops of mountains to get the best views (he’s a fabulous photographer).

On both sides of the Peaks of the Balkans hike, I’ll wind my way (most often by bus) through the other Balkan countries, learning more about the war in the early 90s (and how the healing has gone), how the cultures are different and similar (don’t people everywhere want many of the same things, despite country borders and political differences?) and seeing the beauty of the landscape contrasted against architectural marvels (or lack thereof).

Since I’ll be relatively nearby, I’m starting in the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) because it seemed like a fitting place to be when the rest of Europe is hot in the summer…and because I’ve been intrigued with the region since they became independent from Russia back in 1991. Once landing in Estonia’s capital city of Tallin, I’ll spend my first few nights at a place that offers free waffles, sauna and a cold plunge pool.

After my time with Stacy, I’ll link up with my friend Susan who introduced me to backpacking ten years ago. She was up for a far-flung adventure, so we schemed up – with friend Jen – a hut-to-hut hike in the Italian Dolomites. This is Jen’s third trip in three years to the region so we figure it must be compelling. It will be nice to skip the tent and home-dehydrated meals in favor of comfy beds and meals cooked by someone else.

My friend Liz (who I’ve wanted to take European trip with ever since meeting her over 30 years ago) shares my passions for food and nature, so she’s coming over to explore Slovenia and Croatia. We’ll hike, bike, eat local/seasonal foods and search for truffles over two weeks this fall.

Finally, I finish with my first visit to Sardinia, an island off the coast of Italy. I learned of an epic coast hike (the Selvaggio Blu) that requires a guide (for wayfinding as well as the daily boat delivery of fresh drinking water) so I’ll navigate the cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea with a handful of strangers. I’ve not done many group tours (on purpose), so this will be a good chance to try it out.

Before that adventure, I’ll embark on a three night pilgrimage (think The Camino…but in Sardinia) to learn of the island’s archeological, cultural and mining history. The government offers free lodging to women traveling the ancient paths.

Peter isn’t joining me. I tried to sell him on a vacation in the Baltics but it’s just too far, for too long and too uncomfortable. So he’ll hold down the fort and have his own adventures, and we’ll find ways to creatively share our experiences. We’ve already talked about each enjoying a meal “together” via WhatsApp video. I hope I selected enough data for my eSIM plan.

My goals for the trip:

• Interact with the local people to learn history and culture

• Try varied travel experiences to see what I like best

• Take advantage of being on my own to discover my own travel rhythms (and test my personal limits a bit)

• Find opportunities to slow down (journal, draw, paint, read, savor foods)

Some have expressed surprise that I’ll be on a solo journey for more than half the trip. I’ve been doing more travel by myself and find that I like it. Sure, I’ll miss the companionship (especially at meal time), but there’s sure to be fewer compromises :) and I’ll have the time to reflect on my own preferences, which will help me better evaluate the kind of travel I’d like to prioritize in the future.

Being on my own, I expect I’ll be more likely to meet others, being more approachable instead of deep in conversation with a travel companion. I plan to meet people at the places I’m staying (mix of hotels, hostels, b&bs, apartments, convents, colleges and campgrounds) as well as on the guided walking tours that I’ll join (impromptu style) to learn the highlights of a new place.

Later, I’ll cover the challenges of packing for such a trip, but I did land on resurrecting my 35 year old Rick Steves backpack that I used when I lived in Italy all those years ago. And I haven’t lost my knack for getting a good deal…my outbound trip to Estonia only set me back $12 and 30,000 miles (and only 20,000 miles for my return trip), thanks to advanced planning. Thus the name of my blog: Ten new countries (plus two repeats), $12 flights (plus miles) and a 35 year old pack.

I’ll keep up the blog as I’m able. Comment below to share what destinations are on your travel wish list and what you’ve learned about your own travel preferences.

Thanks for following along.

Shannon

Full itinerary here.

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