joe7f

What/Who inspired you to start traveling and, more specifically, backpacking?

I think I started because I heard my father's stories about traveling around Europe after college. He was moved by a Canadian cousin who did the same thing. Also what was the first city you saw/spent time in in a foreign country?

Of course, I place the blame of my traveling obsession squarely on my fellow Tpunk shoulders, without whom, I probably would never have considered any destinations east of Austria

--Joey

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lauren313

Great topic Joey!

It was my boyfriend that made me want to start travelling, but it was before he became my boyfriend!

We met at uni, and the summer before we'd started, he'd spent 3 months in New Zealand. So once we met, he was telling me and the rest of our friends all about what he got up to, and it made me SO insanely jealous!

So yeah, once we got together later that year we decided that after we'd finished uni we'd go for a long trip together. Which meant I had to wait about 2 and a half years for that trip!!

In regards to when I first spent time in a foreign country, I'm guessing Portugal when I was 3 doesn't count?! I was lucky to have a holiday abroad at least once a year when I was growing up. But my first trip away without family, and not on a school trip or anything, was to Paris for 5 days with some friends in 2004.

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pinknic38

yeah I agree, good topic


One of my sorority sisters got me into traveling my freshman year of college. She was older than me but had just come off of studying abroad for the summer and backpacking Europe and it was so amazing, her stories and pictures.

Not to mention I have a) always been the nomadic type and a lover of the open road, and I've been all over the US/Canada and b) had an anthropology minor (which I am going to turn into a major when I go to OSU) because I am fascinated by other people, other cultures

so that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

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freespiritz

I'm gonna place the blame - or inspiration for me to travel (more specifically, travel solo) on an ex-boyfriend of mine. I met him on my gap year program when I was hanging out in Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines, and he talked about all the stuff he'd done and seen. And when we parted when he was going back to Canada, he headed to Thailand, Cambodia and Korea, and I was like, why the hell can't I do that if he can? We also roadtripped a lot of Canada when I went to visit, and the awesome times we had totally ingrained a love for travel in me...

As for time spent in a foreign country, I started way young - three continents when I was three months old! Born in the US, left when I was about 2 months old, went to Malaysia for a couple of weeks and then the UK for three years...

The first abroad experience I actually remember properly (I like to think my first memory is from Switzerland when I was about 3-ish years old) was my family's six-week stint in the UK when I was 11.

The first trip I took without my parents was to Borneo in 2004, although that wasn't really backpacking yet!

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joe7f

Hehe, I forgot to answer my own question. My first city was Amsterdam but I was only there for 5 hours on a layover to Oslo and pretty much stayed within 1 km of Centraal. So the first city I got to go out really walking in was Gjovik, Norway.

My first solo backpacking new city was Seville*.

--Joey

*I had been to Granada two weeks earlier solo but two weeks before that I had been there with a girl I met in a study abroad program so I already felt like I knew it when I showed up at my first ever hostel, "Funky Backpackers"

**Oh and my family did the road trip bit extensively since my dad traveled a lot for work. They were usually little out of the way towns but it allowed us to stop in DC, NY and other cool cities.

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Countries visited: USA, Netherlands, Norway, France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain (and Gibraltar), Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Austria, Ireland, UK, Japan, Canada , Portugal, Czech Republic, Poland, Andorra, Croatia, Montenegro

Next up: Mongolia, China

"I sought trains; I found passengers" - Paul Theroux

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marc873

Nice topic. I started traveling at birth basically. My parents are always traveling, and By the time I was 12, I had seen all of the east coast south of NYC, 3 cruises to the caribbean, and 3 weeks in Italy. My first non backpacking international city was Rome. Where I was also lucky enough to have a private audience with Pope John Paul II. My family just happened to luck into that situation, and to this day, I still love the pics. Venice is the city that I remember most from that trip and it left a lasting impression. My first backpacking trip as an adult was to Napoli Italy, and the islands off the coast. Now theres no stopping me, and sooner or later I will end up walking the planet I'm sure!!!

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TheJake

My dad and I were talking about this the other day. We think it's partially his fault for taking me on roadtrips all the time but we also think that Carmen Sandiego may be largely to blame....

My first solo trip was in 97 to Costa Rica for 3 weeks. I was technically with a group of 40 on a mission trip but I didn't know anyone, I was only 12 and I kept sneaking off to wander around San Jose.

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expatben

I too have traveled since I was small, my parents moved around a lot. In fact, I don't even remember living in the city I was born in.
My Dad spent his life traveling too.My first backpacking trip was with a close friend to Belgium, it was great and to this day Belgium holds a dear place in my heart.
Who/what inspires me to travel? Well ALL you TPunks for a start. My Uncles and my friend as well

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