TRAVEL | planning europe

As much as I would like to have a romantic and spontaneous trip to Europe as seen in all those sappy love films, it just does not seem very plausible to me. Despite being a naturally messy person (my room never seems to stay organized for very long), I usually organize my daily schedule to it's all detail (and that includes down time too). So just the thought of trekking around Europe without a schedule on hand turns me into a nervous wreck. I know most people say it is much more liberating to travel without a schedule, but come the day when I'm actually in the city I realize I end up wasting a good chunk of time deciding what to do next anyways--not to mention I would probably have a panic attack if a hostel ran out of rooms or if I happened to miss the last train to wherever I was going. So this time I decided to meet in the middle: all the bigger bookings (airfare, train tickets, hostels) have been finalized, but I will keep my day to day schedule more flexible, only making sure I hit the places I absolutely cannot miss, everything else is free exploring time.

I finally got to put my Muji notebook to good use. I've had it since Japan but had no idea what to use it for so it's been sitting blank on my table for months now. Turns out its the perfect size to be a travel handbook: big enough to keep lots of notes and small enough so it doesn't weigh down a purse. I have my whole schedule written down in a easy-to-read format. Rummaging through all my airline and train ticket confirmation emails was just getting too confusing. I feel much better now that everythings all organized; I know exactly where I'm going and when. I'm a bit of a perfectionist if you cannot already tell.

Anyways, I'm preparing to leave in a couple of hours. I'll be overseas for a little over two months but I'll have my laptop with me the whole trip so hopefully I can find some time and energy to do some blogging during my travels. I'll be documenting my trip through { instagram } in between posts, so find me there!

First stop: Edinburgh, Scotland. See you guys in 20~ hours