I hate to disappoint, but I’m not going to discuss the Colin Farrell movie much at all in this post. Especially since I’ve still never seen it. But a random guy at a bar convinced me that Bruges was a place I needed to go if I ever made it to Belgium (these types of conversations happen to me a lot). Then add in my family ties to Flanders and a trip where I’ll already be in the area, and you have yourself a: “what the hell? Bruges it is.”

In our plan, however, Bruges was simply a day trip/layover type of destination in between two separate stays in Belgium; Brussels and Ghent.

We had just come from a horrible experience in Brussels. To put it lightly, the city was generally unsettling. My distaste for Brussels is so genuine that when people ask “what was your least favorite place you visited?” it’s on my tongue before they can even get the question out. And that was the unofficial capitol of Europe! So what expectations did I have for Bruges; the medieval town in Belgium that a guy in a bar told me was worth seeing? Little to none.

Nevertheless, we went under the impression that we could always catch an earlier train to Ghent if we so desired. We were staying there for two nights, after all, and were mainly doing this Bruges day-trip to eat up some time.

It’s safe to say I wouldn’t be writing this had we caught an “earlier train for Ghent.”

Considering how tiny the city of Bruges is, we walked 9 miles during that day-trip; on cobbled streets, each carrying 40 lb backpacks, without a map, itinerary or much to go on at all.

Maybe it was the 13^th and 14^th century castles, drawbridges, and picturesque canals that made us fall in love. Maybe it was stumbling upon windmills, or a high school band’s live performance of Pirates of the Caribbean, or doing so much walking (in the cold) that we actually felt warm. Or maybe it had to do with spending only the day there, and ­­­trying our best to make the most of it. Whatever it was, Bruges led us to explore again. It took us back in time. It did to us what’s supposed to happen when you travel, and sometimes, many times, does not.

Bruges was quiet and beautiful and fascinating, and at the same time bustling with people and culture. And only being there for the day did require us to wear our backpacks the whole time, and therefore take it slow. It allowed us to notice all the small details and take in the idiosyncrasies easily missed when only trying to hit everything on TripAdvisor’s “Must-See in ___”. It let us forget about where we had come from, where we were going next, and simply enjoy where we were and who we were there with.

I’m not going to tell you that you need to visit Bruges; though I think it’s worth it and you’ll most likely love it. What I’m telling you is to leave room for these types of days in your planning. Leave room for the places in between, where you are forced to wear your backpack and slow down. Which in turn forces you to see all the details, hear the music, smell the tulips, and discover, wander, and explore.

My grandfather is one of my favorite people to discuss our trip with. To describe him as a man of habit and simplicity is an understatement. The thought of stepping out of his routine at all is difficult enough; let alone grasping our decision to drop everything and backpack around the world.

“When we got married, we went to New York. New York! That was a big deal for us– and you’re going all over the world! It’s unthinkable!”

The entire idea of our trip [and the process of planning it] to him was unthinkable. Before we left, he wanted to know how we were accomplishing all of this. “How are you getting to these places? How do you know where to go or where to stay? How can you possibly plan it all? *eyes closed, arms out* How?” 

I always kind of laughed to myself at the question of ‘how?’ The Internet, of course! But it’s not a bad question at all, nor should I laugh. In retrospect, planning and executing it all is a LOT. The process of planning a trip across 3 continents and 10 weeks can and should make a person ask “how?” Even myself.

Though it may be a lot of work, it is quite simple. My best advice is to start with the “big picture.” Use Pinterest, travel blogs, travel books, Instagram, etc. Look at a map and think about everywhere you’ve ever wanted to be. Break it down by city or by general region, and work your way inward. Read reviews. Lots and lots of reviews. And utilize your friends and family’s past experiences and suggestions- these will help the most!

Once you decide where you want to go, you’re then able to start connecting the dots. There are countless “XX days in Europe” travel itineraries that you can follow and/or modify to fit your preferences. Having a rail pass makes this exponentially easier. Something to take into consideration for your route, however, is when you will be travelling. Compare the time(s) you’re able to go with reviews of when to go for the areas you’re planning to visit. It helps to consider the average temperatures and general weather conditions for all of this, as well.

For example; we were planning a stretch of time between mid-October and Christmas, and wanted to visit Europe, Australia, Singapore, and Hawaii. Where do we go first?  What route makes the most sense? Our deciding factor for us was the weather, which led us to begin in the UK and then migrate south as the temperatures dropped– right before winter hit the majority of the EU. It was still colder than we would have liked in much of Germany, Prague, and Vienna, but the time of year did provide for less crowds, some lower prices, and in many cases a better experience.

This trend continued for us as we travelled through Asia and Australia. At that point in December, we were experiencing the intensity of Summer down under. It was HOT. In Cairns, unbearably hot. So hot that I would never recommend going there at the time that we did, but we still accomplished everything we wanted to and more, and with lower prices.

If you are wondering where to start with planning, I’d say first and foremost, getting your route down is key. Again—always leaving room for adjustments. It helps to be flexible when it comes to backpacking, as budgets and availability often are not.

Once the rough draft of your itinerary is created, researching the big-ticket items, like flights or rail passes, is next. You’re going to spend 1/3 or more of your budget on these, and the further in advance they are purchased, the better off you are with your selection (both available times and varying prices). Use a mix of travel sites– Kayak, fly.com, Travelzoo — but also compare to airlines’ official sites as sometimes they are more reliable. Truthfully, I spent days searching every combination of ways to get from point A to point B to point Z.  An entire post on searching flights is in the works, but for now just remember to use private browsing and open a new page every time you start a search.  

Once these larger scale factors are pinpointed, you can begin working inward and actually planning the details. Based on what you want to see or do in each place and how much money you have to spend, you can decide on the amount of time you’ll need [and are able] to stay in each city.  Hence, your itinerary is planning itself.

So yes– it can sound like a lot of work and from the surface can be intimidating and overwhelming.  To my grandfather it absolutely was and still is. But the “how” is a labor of love, and genuinely the most important part of making your dream of travel possible. With every search you complete and conversation you have with another seasoned traveller, you’re working toward a well-devised and on-budget plan (with room for adjustments of course), and igniting the anticipation that you are surely already feeling.  In a way, the “how” is the real start to your adventure.  You are making the most of your time, money, and journey before you even get to the airport– and that is exhilarating, second only to the trip itself.