Brandon O'Brien

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 @ 10:17 AM in 2013 Europe

After my "test packing" post I started to think a little bit more about what I had packed. I really like my Nikon D50 but the sad truth is the camera is 8 years old and the lens already has some focusing issues and the whole thing takes up a lot of room. I did some research into some compact point and shoots and ended up purchasing the Canon Powershot G15. The G15 is basically a DSLR crammed into a point and shoot body. There are full manual controls for setting the fstop and shutter speeds plus it has full 1080p movie shooting modes. It feels very sturdy when holding it and the rear LCD is amazingly clear. I'm going to be much more inclined to carry this around than lugging around my giant D50.

I also went to REI and purchased a couple more pairs of quick drying boxers. That should be everything I need to change up for now. 8 days to go!

Tags: preparation,

Posted from: United States

Monday, June 10, 2013 @ 7:27 PM in 2013 Europe

In preparation for my trip abroad I created a spreadsheet where I made a list of all the cities / countries I wanted to visit and then estimated how much time I might want to spend there. Then today I learned about the Schengen Zone. This is a group of 26 European countries that have opened their borders to each other to make it easier to travel around. Travelers from the USA can show up and stay in the Schengen zone for up to 90 days in a span of 180 days (3 months within a 6 month period). Looking at my spreadsheet I currently have 98 days estimated within the Schengen zone. That means I have to re-evaluate some of my plans but that shouldn't be too big of a deal.

Ireland and the UK are all outside the Schengen Zone so at least the start of my trip will be in the clear. Morocco is also outside the zone so that's in the clear too. I just have roughly an additional 50 days to burn outside the zone so if anyone finds any cheap flights to SE Asia or South Africa, let me know!

Anyway, glad I figured this all out now before getting into trouble by overstaying the 90 day period there. If anyone else is planning on visiting Europe for a long period of time, it's something to keep in mind before planning everything out!

Posted from: United States

Monday, June 10, 2013 @ 9:53 AM in 2013 Europe

It's only 16 days before I jump on a jet for Dublin, Ireland so I decided it was time to lay all my gear out and take some photos. This was the first time I laid everything out to see what I'm taking and then to try and pack it all into my backpack. 40 liters sounds like quite a bit of room until you start laying everything out and then look at how much stuff you have. The stuff that takes up the most room by far is my clothes. My DSLR is a little awkward to fit just because of the shape.

You can see a full list of everything I packed by visiting the Preparation link at the top of the page. The last photo also has everything identified with numbers.

I'm getting really excited now. These last couple weeks are going to blow by!

Teaser photos:

Everything unpacked

Starting to consolidate

Everything in the pack

Detailed list of what I'm bringing

Tags: preparation,

Posted from: United States

Monday, April 22, 2013 @ 9:49 AM in 2013 Europe

I reserved a bed in a 6 bed suite at the Times Hostel - College Street in Dublin for my first 5 nights in Europe. I'll be staying there the night of June 27 through July 2nd. After reading reviews and looking at all the sights I want to see in Dublin, it looks like it's in a pretty prime location. It's next to Trinity College and is within easy walking distance to several big sights.

The hostel is also on a main bus line from the Dublin airport and will only cost a little over 3 USD to hop on board. After spending 5 days in Dublin I'll probably head west toward Galway, but who knows at this point!

Posted from: United States

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 @ 4:43 PM in 2013 Europe

After doing a little bit more research and hearing some horror stories, I decided I needed to get a Chip and PIN card for my time in Europe. Unfortunately the pickings are pretty slim right now in the US for a true Chip and PIN card, but I came across the Andrews Federal Credit Union GlobeTrek Visa card.

This card has a true Chip and PIN (AND a Chip and Signature) capabilities. I just applied for the card today so hopefully I'll be getting it in the mail within a few weeks. The card has no annual fees and no foreign transaction fees which make it the best choice in available Chip and PIN cards in the US.

Some of the horror stories I read about people that only had their magnetic swipe credit cards (like pretty much every card in the US) included not being able to get tickets in train stations, not being able to pay for gas, not being able to pay for groceries and more. Rather than deal with that frustration I decided to do the smart thing and get the Chip and PIN card.

Once I'm over in Europe I'll keep everyone posted about how it works.

Posted from: United States

Sunday, March 24, 2013 @ 11:10 AM in 2013 Europe

I've been slowly buying things I'll need for my trip and collecting them in the corner of my office. So far I've got my big backpack (the REI Vagabond Tour 40), day bag (REI Flash 18), water bottle, flip flops, sleep sack and more ready to go.

I decided to go with the REI Vagabond Tour 40 after reading several reviews online and trying it on in the store. It's large enough that it should be able to hold everything I need for my 6 month trip but it's small enough to still act as a carry-on for most flights.

I'll use the smaller day bag for walking around cities or for day-hikes when I'm in the Alps. It has an integrated pouch for my Platypus water bottle and can be turned inside out and used as a stuff sack when I'm not using it during the day.

The sleep sack is used in hostels as a barrier between me and the bed/sheets. It packs up extremely small and doesn't take up too much room.

You can check out my entire packing list by clicking on the Preparation link at the top of the page.

Teaser photos:

What I'm taking so far

Posted from: United States

Thursday, February 14, 2013 @ 10:28 PM in 2013 Europe

Well, no turning back now. I just purchased my one-way ticket to Dublin to depart the US on June 26, 2013. I'll be arriving in Dublin around 9:30 am local time which is great. One thing I learned from the trip to London a few years ago is by taking an overnight flight and arriving in Europe in the morning/afternoon you can basically pretend it's a normal day and trick your body out of jet lag. The hard part is trying to sleep on a plane filled with a cacophony of babies crying, people coughing, conversations, flight attendants and bathroom doors slamming.

Flight Details:
Flight: Aer Lingus 124
Depart: ORD @ 8:00 pm on June 26
Arrive: DUB @ 9:25 am on June 27

Next up I need to figure out where I'm going to stay once I get to Dublin. It looks like there's a €6 bus from the Dublin airport to pretty much anywhere in the city.

Posted from: United States

Thursday, February 14, 2013 @ 10:31 AM in 2013 Europe

Well, this is something I've wanted to do for a long time now and I'm finally making the decision that it's going to happen. Starting on June 26th I'll be heading to Dublin, Ireland where I'll start my journey of exploring the world. I'm not going to restrict myself by setting a return date either. I'm going to simply travel around until I feel like coming back home.

The plan is to get to Dublin and to spend a few days there exploring the city. After that, I'm not going to have a real itinerary but simply go where things take me. I'll be staying at hostels and talking to fellow travelers to get insight and ideas on where to go next.

I feel like my adventures from the last couple of years have helped me get ready for this endeavor. A 2 week European vacation through Switzerland, France, Germany and Italy was my first time overseas. After that, a friend Eric and I spent a week in London and the surrounding area. It was nice to spend a lot of time in one place and really get to see and explore the city. The last major trip I did was with my buddy Ryan which was a 17 day, 5,700+ mile motorcycle tour through the western US and Canada in July 2012. We only spent 2 nights in hotels while the rest of the nights were spent camping.

I've built this site in an effort to keep a journal of all my travels while on this trip. I'll be keeping it updated with all the countries I visit as well as links to photo galleries from all the cool places I'll see. You can check out my Preparation page to see a list of what all I'm planning on bringing. The Map page will also be updated whenever I visit a new country.

What's making this trip possible? Well, I'm fortunate enough to be able to work anywhere there's an internet connection. As long as I have a wifi signal every couple of days I'll be fine. Also, thanks to my parents for watching my dog, Canyon, while I'm gone!

What's my next step? Booking the actual ticket to Dublin is next. I'll be doing that over the next couple of days. I also need to buy a new backpack and a few other new items for the trip.

Stay tuned!

Teaser photos:

Tower Bridge, London (2011)

Dover, England (2011)

Road side re-fueling (2012)

Redwoods National Forest (2012)

Posted from: United States