A Backpackers Guide to the Wine Regions of Europe: The Beginning
The evolution of the wine world has seen it become not only a sphere for the uber-sophisticated older crowd but now copious amounts of 20 something’s, like myself have immersed themselves in this fascinating world. The only difference between the two groups comes down to the amount of dosh you have to invest in the lovely liquid. Unfortunately I am on the bottom end of that scale with no real assets to my name except for a lovely student loan, which the IRD is slowly draining out of me.
So between my love for wine and my love for travel I have decided to overcome boundaries and help out those in the same boat by sharing my experiences. My goal is to experience the wine side of Europe as much as possible throughout 2011 and 2012 on a backpacker’s budget.
The departure date is set for the 1st of June 2011 and so far on the agenda the only set in stone plans are; a week in Egypt to do some diving in the Red Sea, Oktoberfest in Germany and Finland for Christmas. Of course my wish list is HUGE and covers everything from Tokaj in Hungary to the steep terraced vines of Cinq Terre in Italy. The possibilities are endless.
With some work here and there the length of the trip basically depends on how far we can stretch our savings and how much work we can get.
So here is my ever-growing checklist of what I need to do over the next 56 days (yes it’s down to counting the days now!!!):
- ? The most important tool – the Travelling Corkscrew
- ? Tasting journal
- ? The best travelling companion – My man, Morgan
- ? Resignation handed in (scary!! Unemployment here i come!)
- ? Deuter 55l backpack
- ? Passport
- ? Lonely Planet ‘Europe on a shoestring’ guide
- ? Visa card / Euro cash
- ? Microfibre travel towel
- ? Super comfy walking shoes
- ? Camera + spare batt
- ? First Aid kit
- ? Money belt
- ? MacBook
- ? iPhone + some sort of backup charging device
- ? Membership to workaway.com
- ? Travel health insurance
- ? Flight tickets
- ? Europe GPS application for iPhone
- ? UK Working Holiday Visa
I know there is plenty more… so expect a few add-ons over the next 56 days…
