Hosteling Amsterdam

I'm kind of getting nervous for my first hostel experience. I tend to be such a private person, even in my own home, so I have no idea what I'm going to do when sharing a room at 7 other people. I really hope that I meet fun people to go out with. I'm not the party alone type of girl, so if I don't meet others to go with, I might end up missing out on part of the young person's experience in Amsterdam. Apparently my hostel is next to The Hash museum and a sex show... not so sure about the sex show (awkward) but I definitely will go to The Hash.

I've been obsessing over reading reviews for the Heart of Amsterdam. Nothing too scary so far, just the room sharing. Apparently the noise is a problem, but I'll have my ipod with me, ear plugs, and an eye mask. If those things fail, I'll go to a "coffee shop" and indulge in a natural sedative that happens to be legal in Amsterdam.

Back to the hostel experience. The only experience with sleeping in a room with strangers was at camp when I was in 7th grade.... I remember I did pretty well then, but we all were forced to become quick friends. I'm only staying in the hostel for two nights, so maybe it won't be as easy?

No matter what, I'm going to have a good time. I can't let my loneliness get to me and ruin my experience, I just don't have time for that. I'll chalk it all up to the experience of it all. If it goes well-- and if it doesn't-- I'll continue to use hostels. I imagine that in every city it's a different experience. I think I might be staying in some when I go to China, not quite sure on the plans yet, but I'll know soon enough. That experience will be different because I'll be with a couple of my friends when I'm there, but still an experience.

I'm just ranting now. It's 4:30AM and I'm just trying to find something to write about.

3 More days until my trek begins! :)

Hemp Museum

I will definitely be doing this in Amsterdam! I'm not into the pot scene, but I think this could be really interesting.

http://hashmuseum.com/

Suprise, you're going to Amsterdam!

Ok so, I haven't made any of those big trips to NYC or anything yet, mostly because I've been really busy trying to purchase a home-- not a topic for this blog.

I have been given an opportunity to accompany my step-mother (a flight attendant) on her upcoming trip to Amsterdam. She presented me with this opportunity about a week ago and I've been quickly arranging everything. Just another awesome, and spontaneous, perk of being a standby traveler.

Becky is only going to be there for 24 hours, but I'm going to stay for 2.5 extra days. :) I'm going to be staying in the Heart of Amsterdam hostel, which is a Hollywood themed hostel--apparently there's a Star Wars themed room; AWESOME!

My preliminary plans for Amsterdam are:
- Anne Frank House
- Red Light District Tour
- Visit a "coffee shop," if you know what I mean. This will probably be at night so I can go back to the hostel and fall asleep.
- Something involving night life. They have a Pub Crawl and a Red Light Distric Crawl... I'll only do these if I meet good people to go with me.
-Heinekin Brewry Tour
- Van Gogh Museum
- Canal tours (of course!)

That's all I will probably have time for. Luckily a lot of the stuff is at night.

I'm so excited! :) I will post when I come up with more plans/begin my travels.


Edit: 3:10AM May 29
I have to go here too: http://condomerie.com/

Condoms anyone?

The plans

On May 7, 2011, I graduated from UCF with my Bachelors degree in Political Science, Pre-Law. Although I love the law, and I desperately want to attend law school, I have other priorities in life that I need to tend to right now. My life long dream has been to travel. I feel as if the world is there for my taking and if I don't embrace this opportunity, I'll miss out.

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A little bit of a background on How:

My father is a pilot for an American airline (not the actual airline,) which gives me the opportunity until I'm 23 to travel the world, essentially free, with standby passes. I have a new camera, a netbook, the funds, and the free time to travel, so I'm going to.

Places I want to visit internationally:

-China

-Japan

-India

-Australia

-U.K.

-France

-Italy

Places I want to visit domestically:

-NYC

-Boston

-San Fransisco

-L.A.

-Chicago

-New Orleans

-Atlanta

-Seattle

-Hawaii

My goals for this blog are:

1) I want to write about something other than politics and school-related subjects. 2) I want my family and friends to know where I am. With standby flying, plans my change last minute. 3) I want to remember my experiences well enough to translate them into a book of some sort.

This Summer:

Already for this summer I have a few plans falling into place. The first week of July, I will be visiting a dear friend of mine in China for a few weeks. China is definitely not a place I thought I would ever visit, at least for now, but it's happening. It's a huge opportunity for me to be able to go, so I'm taking it!

My other plans will involve a little more standby drama. Next week, I'm thinking about just getting on an airplane and heading to NYC for a few days. This will be my first shot at traveling on a long trip alone-- not including my Mexico trips. If I do end up in NYC, I will most likely be doing the hostel thing just to see what it's like. I'm nervous, but I think it'll turn out fine. In NYC, I will visit the Natural History Museum, do the NYC Duck Boat Tour, maybe go see a show on Broadway, hangout in China own, and go to the Empire State Building. I'm pretty sure I can pack most of that into one trip... maybe?