Lifestyle Archives - Page 10 of 15

My Happiness List

Heading home after an extended period away is no easy feat. I learned this back in 2011, when I returned home from my first backpacking experience in Europe.

Was I excited to get back? Of course. I was looking forward to plunking my backpack down and never picking it up again… expect to maybe burn it. Beyond that, I was excited to see my family and friends, sleep in a room solo, and take as much time in the bathroom as I desired. But my excitement was lessened by the thoughts of post-trip depression that sometimes crept into my mind.

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It’s Nice To Be Back

Well hello! Again.

As you can tell by the date of my last post, it has been sometime since I made my way back to this little corner of the Internet, and because of that, I feel like I have some explaining to do.

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The Best Thing About Memories Is Making Them

As I sit here in my childhood home in Ontario, thinking about all I have seen and done in the past five months I am overwhelmed with emotion and imagery. It’s funny how you can think back on a moment in time and almost re-live it, if you can be still enough.

I can still feel the heat of the Sahara sun, smell the salt water air of Crete, and taste my first sip of Italian Grappa (Ugh, so much Grappa). I can remember the bus ride I took from Faro, Portugal to Seville, Spain. The first time I laid my eyes on the intricacy of the stonework at the Alhambra, and my first sip of Belgium Beer in Brussels.

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Good Shoes Take You Good Places

As we approach the end of our 6 month European adventure, I have noticed myself looking into the depths of my suitcase and thinking, “Could I have done better?” By that I mean, could I have packed less, would I have chosen different articles, are there things hiding in there that I haven’t even touched?

I wrote before on how packing for long-term travel can be somewhat daunting (find the articles here and here), and how it’s tough to pack for weather that will span three different seasons: winter, spring and summer. But now, as I sit here with two days left of our trip, I think, “I did a pretty damn good job”.

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Long Term Travel: Essentials from H&M

If you have been following my journey on Wander Before What since the beginning, you would remember that packing is not my forte.

Although I have improved on my packing skills over the years (I can now do three weeks in the Caribbean with just a carry-on), the thought of packing for six months of travel over three different seasons was daunting.

But now that we are coming up on the end of this journey and I look into my suitcase… I think I nailed it! I’ve had a few people ask me what I bought and what I brought. View Post