Jennifer Graves

Europe & Eurail Traveler

When did you go on your Europe trip?
December 2002 - December 2002
How old were you when you took this trip?
22
Including your air ticket and other expenses (incl. air ticket, rail passes, etc.), about how much did your trip cost?
about US$1200
Nationality
USA
Where do you live now?
Massachusetts, USA
Did you buy a rail pass?
Yes
What pass(es) did you buy?
Britrail youth classic
Occupation

Before your trip: research coordinator
Now: research coordinator

How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
They had a positive impact, in that I wanted to be open to greater diversity in my work as I was exsposed to on my trip. The negative aspect in relation to my work, I wanted to travel more and not be sitting at work.

What is the route you took/places you visited?
We started in London and traveled out to the countryside. We then took the rail all the way up to Scotland and back down to London again.

Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
My friend and I decided to take this trip for many resons. Mainly it was because the both of us are "wanna be" avid travelers (if only we were rich). We were also visiting a college friend who is attending grad school in England.

What did your family, friends, co-workers, etc. think of your trip? Were they supportive of you? What is their opinion of your traveling and railing around Europe?
Everyone was extremely jealous of our trip. They were all very supportive and wished that they were traveling as well.
Out of all your experiences traveling around Europe, what was the:
- Best Moment
  Actually stepping outside when we first arrived in London, it is so refreshing to see different cultures and ways of life.
- Worst Moment
  Standing on top of Stirling Castle in Scotland with a wind chill of about negative 10.
- Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
  The cold weather for the time of year, not good for the outdoors.
- Biggest surprise?
  The ease of traveling around the UK. It was so remarkable that everywhere you wanted to go was so easily excessible.
Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
The most memorible person we met on our trip was our friend's school mate. He was from the area and he gave us Americans great exposure to the people of the UK and things that tourists normally bypass.

How much planning and preparing did you do?
Just Enough

What was your favorite piece of gear?
My BIG HUGE BACKPACK with this cool yellow trim, even though I do not know how but my friend's was even bigger.

What did you bring, that in hindsight you could've left at home?
I brought too many shoes (hey, what can I say?). Keep them comfortable.

How did your trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
I had previously traveled to Europe before this trip, but I was with a large group of students and teachers, and everything was more or less planned for us. This trip was just my good friend and I traveling around with broad ideas of what we wanted to do along with inexperience of the geography. We ended up discovering a great deal about who we are as travelers and also as individuals. How the most important thing was that we had great hopes and ideas about what we wanted to see and do, and being on our own. The fact that we were on our own meant that we got to do everything on our own.

If you had to sum up your trip in one sentence, what would it be?
A moment in time when I was discovering life in my own terms.

Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another trip to Europe?
I am always planning in my head. Getting into reality takes a little more than that, but YES.

Why do you think people should take longer trips like this? Why not just take a regular old one- or two-week vacation instead?
Hopping on a packaged tour is like entering a movie theater. You can see what is going on and hear all of the facts behind the story, but I prefer being the actor who makes it all happen.

What is the most valuable thing you learned?
Keep tabs on the exchange rate. You can totally lose track of how much money you are spending, especially in London.

What is the biggest myth that people have about traveling Europe by rail?
I am not sure, but I would think that there are myths about waiting times being awful. This is entirely not so.

Why do you like to travel?
Like I said before, I feel like I can truly find myself when I am traveling. I am completely happy when I am having an adventure.

What is your advice for people planning their own Europe trip?
Pack the necessary and have a good game plan, but try not to get tied down with a strict regimen. Relax, have fun, and take it all in.

What is a tip about Eurailing you would have, that would help other travelers who are using train travel in Europe?
Know the different trains that are going to your destination. Sometimes you can get on a train that takes double the amount of time because of continuous stops.

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