Jenni & Joe
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Just a few weeks before returning home, we are feeling enriched and emboldened by our experience but also physically exhausted at times and a little homesick. With five months of traveling under our backpacks, we look once again at the practical side of traveling around Europe.

BUDGETING
JOE: While sometimes it feels like we have won the lottery, our bank account, sadly, does not reflect any huge recent deposits. Yes, we saved our money for three years, but our money is limited, and that's why we continue to budget a daily limit (believe me, I only understand this concept because Jenni has had to explain it to me many times). But we have made an attitude adjustment that, I believe, is a sea change. Unlike the beginning of the trip, If it turns out that one day we decide we are having fun and need to spend more money, we now usually decide to go ahead and spend the money. If we go over our daily budget that one day, we just make it up over the next several days. This way we never go to bed hungry and we don't feel like we've cheated ourselves out of a unique experience.

It also helps that we saved a lot of money in Eastern Europe and Turkey where everything turned out to be cheap, cheap, cheap! We had many days where, no matter how hard we tried, we just couldn't spend our entire daily budget, which ranged from $42 a day in Bulgaria to $75 in Turkey. Jenni continues to be the keeper of the cash. How she keeps up with the exchange rates of each different country is beyond my capacity of understanding. The Turkish lira has so many zeroes, for example, that our budget nearly doesn't fit on the calculator.

JENNI: The debut of the European Euro is January 1, just days after we return home, and I've been reading about that keenly. The Euro, a single currency throughout much of Europe - including some of the countries we've visited - will smooth out the currency confusion for travelers rather well. For locals, it could be another story!

The inexpensive traveling we'd become accustomed to ended abruptly in Greece. By the time we arrived in Santorini, sometimes called a "budget destination", the prices seemed outrageously expensive! It wasn't really, but our expectations made it seem so. And the further west we went, the more expensive (and understandable) prices became. Hotels were back into the double-digits per person, and we had to start counting our lira, drachma, francs, whatever, a little more carefully.

As to the status of the budget, we're ahead. Joe's stint for NBC in Adana added to our bottom line, and while we haven't squandered anything away, we are splurging a bit on things we never could have considered before, like renting a car, taking a hot-air balloon ride or signing up for Spanish classes in Spain. Our daily budget now is about $100, but upped that to $150 in Italy since we quickly saw we were going over every day and we didn't want that struggle hanging over our heads - it was Joe's idea. And even then, we still didn't succeed at staying within the target range. But I take heart - I read a survey in The Economist that most American travelers spend around $680 per day. In that light, we are way ahead of the game!

We'll have a big expense coming up right before we come home since I lost the train tickets on the way to Spain and will have to buy passage to get to Paris. And I'm starting to wonder about the $1.25 ATM fees attached to each withdrawal and what they'll add up to. But it's not worrisome at all…we are near the end of our trip and the financial picture is clearer than when we were one month into it. If we overspend one day or many days, no matter. We're sound.

PACKING
JENNI: I'm still happy with what we chose to take and why. We've used most of it, and in regards to the other stuff we haven't used much, I firmly believe we would have needed it desperately if I hadn't packed it along. Like blister stuff for the feet.

And I'm sick of my clothes. They have served me well, but just today I went shopping and bought some new stuff that I don't really need, I just WANT. In Turkey I had to buy a lipstick (yes, I HAD to) just to perk myself up a little. I don't see it as a weakness…rather, I think I'm lucky that such a small thing as a lipstick can have a drastic change on my outlook! We will need to buy some warmer clothes, too. Probably in Spain, since the weather sites say Paris is a little too cold for what we've brought along. It will load us down a little more, but we've already sent home seven boxes of stuff. With the last two I mailed home some shorts that I haven't worn in weeks because of the weather. Mostly what we mail is stuff we accumulate along the way, and don't have room for in our packs.

JOE: I honestly think Jenni's packing was superb. My original doubts about bringing too much stuff have long since disappeared. I continue to be impressed at how well equipped we are: from the sturdiness of the backpacks to the Tupperware bowls and plates to the allergy medicine. We have had to replenish some of our socks and underwear, and also buy sweaters as the weather got colder. But those purchases were expected. (By the way, I, too, have come to hate everything I wear. And, get this: twice now I have been turned away at nightclubs because I was wearing tennis shoes. Excuse me, but these Nikes cost me $135!)

JENNI: We've had to buy some replacements when our old stuff disappears or gives out, and we've tried to stock up on some warmer clothes as we move into colder weather. Finding a "sock store" in cities where there are no equivalents to Wal-Mart or Target is a challenge…and our guidebooks don't say anything about where you can buy socks. We've stumbled across some department stores that are a godsend; otherwise, we find a boutique and pay too much.

EATING
JOE: Eating will always be one of my favorite pastimes, and it has been one of the most rewarding parts of the trip to have had a chance to eat the dozens of different dishes throughout our tour. I am still fascinated by the fact that millions of Europeans go to different little markets, usually every day, to buy their food. They buy bread in one store and meat in another and sometimes even cheese in yet another different store; all without leaving their block. While big supermarkets have slowly begun to move in, Kroger's has not yet destroyed the sense of neighborhood to most European neighborhoods. But I have grown very tired of eating out at restaurants. We grew accustomed to dining out in the evenings while spending so much time in cheap eateries in Eastern Europe and Turkey. But by the time we got to Greece, I was starting to get anxiety attacks about having to wait for a waiter or waitress to bring me a menu in a timely manner, then spend an hour waiting for my food. And now picnics are just not as interesting to me as they were when we started. Anybody have any peanut butter and jelly?

JENNI: We've not picnicked as much recently, for several reasons: 1) eating out in the eastern and southern countries has not been prohibitively expensive; 2) the food is unique and interesting, as in Turkey and Greece; and 3) it's getting too cold and rainy to park it somewhere outside and it's boring to picnic in the hotel room. A few times we've had a refrigerator or even a little kitchen at our disposal and we've used both, but using them seemed to be more trouble than it was worth. We burned up our little hot-water heating device in Greece - forgot about the 110 vs. 220-electricity thing! In Spain we are renting a room in an apartment that has a kitchen, so maybe we will make more use of it there. But really, some good ol' Tex-Mex will do our tummies good.

LAUNDRY
JENNI: There is nothing that feels as good as clean socks and underwear. I knew that before we left in July, but now I really, really, mean it. Sink washing is still fine and doable, but the wonder of machine-washed and dried clothing is fabulous. The cooler weather had worked miracles for the longevity of clean clothes…we don't sweat, so they aren't smelly. But it takes twice as long to dry them on a line outdoors after washing when there's no sun beating down on them. I won't say how long I'll wear what because that's my business, but suffice it to say we do laundry a lot less often these days.

JOE: I stink. I admit it. I can't ever seem to keep my clothes clean enough even though we do laundry about once every ten days. To try and wash our clothes more would be either too expensive or too much trouble. Luckily, I stink like secondhand cigarette smoke just like everybody else in Europe.

HEALTH AND EXERCISE
JENNI: For the last month or so, we've been feeling tired, both physically and "touristically." It took me longer to reach the Museum Limit than it did Joe, but even my taste for seeing the sights was waning by the time we got to Florence. Some of the "pinch me, please!" excitement has worn off as we get used to seeing what used to seem foreign to us…even the language barriers have been relegated to environmental noise. It's sad to know that we're becoming used to seeing some of the most interesting architecture, lifestyles, customs, whatever that we might ever see in our lives. It's time to go home, not because we are homesick, but because we need to replant the wanderlust in our hearts.

As for exercise, Joe is much better at keeping a regime than I, and I am grateful that he drags me along. Stretching is one of those activities that you forget how good it feels, and it always feels great. The last exercise routine we kept up was in Athens, and that stopped when it got cold and rainy. And then it stayed cold and rainy through Italy. Maybe in Spain we can pick it back up again. But with all the walking we do with and without our packs, I think I'm getting plenty of exercise…definitely more than when I was at home!

JOE: The way I feel right now, if I never saw another museum in my life, I'd have no regrets. Turkey, Greece and then Italy were so incredibly beautiful. And the wealth of culture we have experienced is priceless. But I have, by now, fully overdosed on sightseeing. By Tuscany and then Venice I just didn't care if I went days without seeing a single sight. It's okay, I would tell myself, because I just don't have to see anything. Jenni pushed herself and ended up going to more museums than I did. And she was kind enough not to make me feel guilty about it, for which I am very grateful. Besides, I quite enjoy just having a cup of coffee and striking up conversations with people from other countries. I hope I never tire of that kind of sightseeing. As tired as we are, however, neither of us is ready to go home quite yet. But we are ready to put our backpacks down for awhile, especially because my upper back muscles and neck are just killing me.

We are definitely healthier from all the walking and stretching we've been doing and we've absolutely caught up on our sleep. But did I mention I stink? I smell bad. I manage to take showers just about every other day, but the showers are abysmal. It is rare to find a good shower with any sort of water pressure. Also, the concept of a shower curtain is apparently a foreign one. Luckily, most toilets are modern. But we did find some hole-in-the-floor prehistoric toilets in Bulgaria, Turkey and even Italy. See that picture? (well, it's a much cleaner toilet than normal!) It's had to visualize, but you basically put your feet on both sides of the hole and squat. Oh, and don't forget YOUR OWN toilet paper. Eeeeeeeeeeew, you say? Well, at least they usually have a bucket of water next to the toilet so you can wash yourself. Um, I don't think so. I'll wait for the terrible lukewarm shower. At least I know where THAT water has been. (I know, I know. This whining makes me sound very American. Just get me to an American shower!)

JENNI: They're not that bad.

LANGUAGE
JOE: We continue to learn key phrases just before we visit a new country although we are finding English to be very commonly spoken. We are rarely in a helpless situation because, eventually, somebody will surface who speaks at least a little English. The extreme exception was Bulgaria where virtually nobody knew any English. Their first language is Bulgarian, followed by Russian and German (because of the plethora of German tourists.) Still, we continue to teach ourselves some key phrases before we enter a new country. It's just common decency to be able to say, "hello" and "thank you" in THEIR language. It also makes it look we're trying … if ever so feebly. Here's an example of how we usually begin a conversation: "Merhaba (Turkish for "hello") - do you speak English?" After they say, "yes," we usually continue our discussion in English. And they usually understand.

JENNI: I at least try to learn how to say, "Do you speak English" in their language, but more often than not I botch it up and they don't understand my attempt. I'm really looking forward to the Spanish classes in Spain, where perhaps I can salve my pride and speak clearly with the locals. Maybe…

Once in Rome, I was washing our cups when I looked a bit more closely at the sticker that never did come completely off. And I could read every word on it! It was all in English, touting the physical aspects of the cup that prompted me to buy it in the first place…I was shocked and impressed that I could read it all, after spending months in countries in which I felt illiterate. It was an epiphany, and for the first time I began to wonder what it would be like to be home, where I could understand conversations I overheard, and read signs! I'm starting to imagine that more and more lately.

TRANSPORTATION
JOE: Equipped only with a series of train passes we bought before we left, we originally promised to try only to ride public transportation. But, by now, we have traversed Europe by 15 different modes of transportation:

JENNI: Clearly we've changed our rules about sticking only to the cheapest forms public transportation…in some cases it was more logical, and in others (like the hot-air balloon ride) it was just more interesting. We discovered in short time that the $1000 train pass I bought for the Balkans, which included Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece, was nearly useless. Train information was hard to come by, and buses were far better in terms of timetables and comfort level. Lesson learned on that one. The glaring exceptions to our rule were the plane rides, but when faced with rocky seas and 12-hour ferry passages, it just made more sense. One other thing…as we ventured further west through Greece and Italy via both plane and train, we saw the first examples of tighter security as a result of September 11 as Joe was detained at each crossing point. His bag was searched thoroughly each time, and I was allowed to breeze right through. It gave me pause to wonder what it's like at home, and how many other people go through the same thing. I hope they see it as Joe does, as a necessary evil to combat worse evil.

TECHNOLOGY
JENNI: Ever since September 11, we usually make a stop at an Internet café a daily trip to keep up with the news. Usually, it's inexpensive, around $2-$3 per hour except in Venice, where the hourly charge was an unbelievable $7.50! Usually they are easy to find, sometimes not. Speeds have gotten faster the further west we come, and some of them are quite sophisticated. The one in Athens is my favorite, with super-fast speeds, huge monitors, and quiet environment. The worst was in Vicenza, which was intermittent connection and filled with hyped-up teenaged boys playing games against each other and screaming. We had to pay in advance for that one. We broke the trackball mouse on our computer in Turkey, and now have to lug around an external mouse in a shocking green color. It makes using the computer in portable environments a drag, and we usually use it only in the room now. All the parts of all our equipment are still in working order (knock on wood) albeit a bit more scuffed and scratched.

JOE: I'm constantly amazed at the fact that we've found Internet cafes everywhere we've visited. That's been especially helpful to me because it's my job to do research on the places we're going to visit, to book reservations for hotels and arrange transportation. Without the Internet it would have been much more difficult and time-consuming. Being able to keep up with the news and e-mails of friends and families has been one of the greatest joys of the trip. I just can't fathom what it would have been like to have to rely on phone calls and post cards to communicate with everyone. It's been such a thrill putting together the Web site and getting e-mails back that say, "we feel like we are traveling along with you!" We have literally received thousands of e-mails since we left on July 2nd, including some from people we've never met! We've heard from old friends we haven't seen since high school and we've been able to stay in better touch with some family members, even though we're halfway around the world, because of the magic of the Internet. We could never thank everyone enough for all the love and support we've received.