Adventures

howtoprepare 1024x862 - How To Prepare For A Backpacking Trip

Deciding to go on a backpacking trip is an accomplishment in itself. I had been thinking of traveling for over a year and finally saying yes was both exciting and nerve-wracking. Preparing and planning for a trip like this takes a long time, so I didn’t want to wait until the last minute to get things done!

I thought I’d put together some important “to do’s” that I’ve made sure to cross off my checklist so that you can get a sense of what to think about while planning your own trip!

Register Your Trip

Once you know the places you’ll be traveling to, register your trip with the Department of State. This allows you to be able to receive important information from the Embassy about safety conditions in the countries you are visiting. Registering your trip also helps the U.S. Embassy contact you in an emergency, whether it’s a natural disaster, civil unrest, or even a family emergency. The program is called the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program and takes just a few minutes to set up!

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Adventures

plane 1024x768 - My Biggest Adventure Yet

Growing up I had the privilege of traveling to many places, but of course usually had a schedule and about 2-3 weeks of time to explore. Itineraries were made, flights and day trips were booked, and my eating pants were packed. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good planned out vacation- you get to research everything you look forward to seeing and then you actually get to see it and it’s a million times better than you thought it would be.

But because I was born with the desire to never stop exploring, I’ve always dreamt of traveling for more than just 2-3 weeks somewhere. To be able to really immerse myself into a culture and “live life on the open road” as we like to say.

Well, I finally said ‘yes’. I said yes to fulfilling a lifelong dream, to having more adventures, to meeting new people and to getting a new perspective. So as of August 22, I’ll be headed to Thailand where I’ll start my 4 month journey around Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand!

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Adventures, USA

If you haven’t been to Lake George…go there, now! I keep daydreaming about the views, the lake and the wonderful people I spent it with. Nothing like escaping the city for a weekend filled with hiking and boating in the beautiful summer weather.

My godfather, Stasiek, and his wife, Hania, have a house right on the lake, so it was a total treat to spend this long weekend with them and their kids, Kris and Annette. Saturday was spent kayaking in the early morning with Kris and then relaxing on the dock. Of course I spent it playing with their dog Tasia; she LOVES the water. We had a lovely bonfire at night, grilling kielbasa and hanging out with neighbors and watching the stars.


[images src="http://www.theadventurescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/DSC00490.jpg" title="image title" caption="Kris and Jacek relaxing on the dock"]
[images src="http://www.theadventurescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/DSC00443.jpg" title="image title" caption="Jacek determined to catch a monster fish"]
[images src="http://www.theadventurescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/DSC00524.jpg" title="image title" caption="Perfect little dock"]
[images src="http://www.theadventurescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/DSC00467.jpg" title="image title" caption="Tasia loves nothing more than fetching the ball from the water"]
[images src="http://www.theadventurescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/DSC00489.jpg" title="image title" caption="Tasia seriously could live in the water!"]
[images src="http://www.theadventurescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/DSC00481.jpg" title="image title" caption="Shake it off, Tasia!"]
[images src="http://www.theadventurescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/DSC00556.jpg" title="image title" caption="Jacek testing out how cold the water is"]
[images src="http://www.theadventurescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/LG.jpg" title="image title" caption="Jacek and Kris fishing and swimming"]
[images src="http://www.theadventurescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/DSC00423.jpg" title="image title" caption="Getting ready for a boat ride"]
[images src="http://www.theadventurescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/DSC00618.jpg" title="image title" caption="Nothing like a summertime bonfire"]
[images src="http://www.theadventurescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/DSC00619.jpg" title="image title" caption="Getting the fire hot for prime kielbasa grilling!"]
[images src="http://www.theadventurescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/DSC00628.jpg" title="image title" caption="The Grajny's!"]

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Adventures, USA

Growing up my Mom always asked for help in the garden. Whether it was pulling the seemingly endless amount of weeds, tilling the dry, hard soil or planting seeds that I would always end up accidentally dumping all in one spot, it felt like a chore.

I always seemed more interested in digging around for worms or playing in the woods. Having two older brothers, this didn’t come as a surprise.

I didn’t understand why she bothered putting so much work into something that the deer, birds and other animals would end up eating half of anyways. You know, because who loves eating fresh peach pies, having the kitchen counter covered in cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes, or spreading fresh black currant and raspberry jam on that perfect piece of toast?

Yeah, let me go ahead smack myself upside the head. Gardening is awesome and there is nothing like seeing your hard work turned into something that many people can enjoy. It’s incredibly therapeutic and get’s you outside to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. No matter how many times those birds have eaten all cherries off my Mom’s cherry trees, she is so resilient and excited to start the new season of preparing and planting.

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