Journal 4

                There are many steps to take in order to ensure that I will be totally prepared for my trip! The main idea of my trip is backpacking – so, that means no plane tickets. I would limit my traveling to walking, taxis, buses, trains, and obviously a boat to take me from Sicily to Italy. The point of my travel log is to be spontaneous – meaning that I do not want to plan anything ahead of time. Train, boat, and bus tickets will all be purchased at the depot, harbor, or station. I will however plan the major sights which I want to see ahead of time.

                A big thing which I will do is familiarize myself with my journey via maps and travel guides. Planning my route to ensure that I will know where I am going, and also avoiding certain areas for my own safety. I think it will also be important to learn of the different cultures which I will be traveling through as I pass through Italy so that I do not do anything to offend anyone as I am passing through each region – whether that is through my clothing, actions, or whatever else may offend people from region to region.

                In preparation for my trip, I will be sure to set aside more than enough money to survive off of while experiencing my excursion. I will figure, three to four meals a day, about $15 per meal for two weeks of traveling. I will also research hostels, not Marriot hotels, and the average cost of them per night. I will also do the same for my transportation. Of course I will plan on doing fun things in Italy, such as touring different sites, hiking, and I will definitely have to establish a budget so that I can enjoy these thrills thoroughly. Lastly I will have to set aside a decent amount of money for different mementoes which I can purchase so that I can remember my trip.

                Lastly will be my clothing. I will have to research what the usual weather conditions will be like for the time of year which I will be traveling. I will also have to make it a point to find a place to wash my clothes. Since I am back packing, I won’t be able to carry a large suitcase with me during my travels, so I won’t have much room for a lot of clothing.

Travels with Twain

It took me some time but I think I’ve decided. I would like to travel with Twain. My reasoning – through reading his works I’ve gotten the impression that he is a funny guy. Having said that I would also like to add; that this man would not be in charge of my trip. No offense to Twain, but handing him the reigns of my trip is like giving a two year old a gram cracker and telling them not to eat it (hope you liked that one Ron) – It’s just hard to trust him. Might I propose a split? A trip which is to be planned in unison, or a compromise of sorts? Let’s face it, the reasoning behind bringing Twain is not for the obvious reasons, but he is a funny guy, and a long trip will undoubtedly have down time, especially when traveling from place to place by whatever means of transportation. So I guess I must admit that my real reason for bringing Twain would not be for his skills in travel, but for his skills in making others laugh – because in all honestly, who doesn’t like to laugh?

Putting humor aside – I’d like to tackle the next reason, experience. Now, I do not want it to seem as though I am contradicting myself from the first paragraph. When I say experience, I do not mean that I would travel with Twain because he knows what he is doing. I believe that the real fun in travel writing is rolling with the unexpected! That’s where the real fun is! I would want Twains experience because of what seems to be a recurring them in my writing thus far, and that is entertainment. As mentioned previously, who doesn’t like to laugh? Well let me take a moment and say that when someone is trying to crack jokes when you are not in the mood, well it’s annoying – pretty blunt, but why sugar coat it? For those instances when Twain is just annoying the living shit out of me, I would try to transition into conversation of his past travels, which also be a good way to maybe learn a thing or two. Hey, I know I said the fun in travel writing is rolling with the unexpected, but who doesn’t like a little advice every now and then? All and all, I think Twain would be a great travel companion, for other reasons than simply the ones I listed!