Balam at Loch Ness

I am approaching the benchmark that society has been telling me to fear. The big 3-0. The era of the end of youth rates for travelling, and being grilled at every potluck by women twice my age why I don’t have a husband/kids/house.

That was never my goal for 30.

Instead I have been in the search for an adventure. An epic tale where I fall off the earth and into the stories most only read about/watch on TV. I want to be the Josh Gates from expedition unknown (hey josh, if you need an assistant, I come with a degree in archaeology, and masters in museums.)

I’ve been chasing the latest dream since I moved back to the US 3 years ago; to have traveled to 30 countries by the time I’m 30. In these 3 years I’ve done the grow-up thing, went to open houses for places for sale, been shaping my career, and paying student loans.

I’ve also been putting money aside for my 30-by-30.

With six months till my 30th, I bought myself a 13 country Contiki tour of Europe. I know- I know… almost every other country I’ve been to has been a solo excursion of mishappening and heartfelt realisation. But this spring I will be on a time crunch. I only need 8 more countries.

I work 2 jobs that have both been amazingly good to me, and I’m lucky that I will be getting 3 weeks off to whirlwind through Europe.

I feel guilty that in these last three years I’ve save up content to write on, from practicing my French in Quebec to drinking a “Funky Monkey” on a beach in Mexico eating fish tacos and visiting Mayan ruins. I sat on swings drinking margaritas with the girls, and (tried and failed to) run up a mountain in Tuscon. I have explored more of the US from DC to Seattle with some of the key people in my life.

The Braid bunch

I’ve realised THAT is the kind of travel most get to experience. That is the family weekend trip, the get away with the girls, the short epic adventure that feeds the soul.

Now comes the “how do you do it!?” list:

1. SkyScanner

The App that finds every deal, sale and transfer that makes the flight a little cheaper.

2. Plan ahead, but adapt

I research the best time to buy tickets and book tours. I plan when work is slow enough to take 3 weeks off. I plan when to have my planning sessions. It keeps costs down. But when you’re travelling, there is the stand by- even the best laid plans often go astray. Go with the flow, think on your feet, plan two steps ahead so whichever direction the next step makes you, you’ll be ready.

3. Time is money

Staying in a hotel or a hostel, each day costs. Plan a per a diem. The tour of Europe I will be on has pretty much everything planned out with a few meals and excursions that I’m on my own. With being busy with that “adulting” thing I’m trying out, a tour is a good option for me. A few countries on the tour I’ve been to before so instead of the tours that I’ve done before I might go see another part of the city. But having the plan in place has saved me a lot of time at home. Now I can plan things like…

4. International Sim Card

I’m going to post on social media. I want to send photos and brag about the delicious food. And I don’t want to be constrained to the hostel wifi. Check out simoptions.com, I’ll let you know how my experience is once I get to use the sim I bought about 2 hours ago.

5.Pack light

I have been living by the Pinterest boards for “Europe in a carry on” and other packing tips that has me already planning my full 3 weeks from biking the Netherlands to a nice birthday dinner in Italy. All in a duffle carryon with room for souvenirs.

There is much more where this came from, keep an eye out for more updates as I get ready, and especially as I embark on epic adventures.

After Bergen we needed to make our way to Flam, where our reservation was for the night. We needed to make the trains that the previous day we were told were booked out.

Arriving at the train station early, a Bergen-Oslo train was leaving in a few hours, and it was a train that didn’t require a booking. We booked our onward tickets, strapped on our bags and began the next leg of our journey.

The journey is the most scenic I have ever taken. Waterfalls around every corner and the flora in multiple shades of green around the still lakes, lined with fishing cottages. Avalanche shelters shield the winding tracks from the steep mountainsides which in winter become slick with snow.

It snowed in the western highlands.

From Myrdal we ran onto the Flam railway which was leaving a few minutes later. Tip: when booking tickets, leave some time between connections. The Flam railway is very popular and fills up quick, so arriving early for a window seat is recommended.

The Flam railway runs from Myrdal to Flam, and boasts being the steepest railway in the world with a 1 to 18 slope along the side of the mountains, into a valley, ending at the beginning of the Fjord. Flam, the small town at the end of the line, is a tourist destination that caters for fjord cruises, and the railway. If you want to get out of town, the Brekke Guard Hostel is a quite series of cottages about a half a kilometre out of town. The cottages provide shared or private rooms with a communal kitchen. If on a budget you can get groceries at the local store in the town, or if you feel like treating yourself, the local restaurant and brewery is made to look like a viking lodge.

Switchback and waterfall in Flam

The old town of Flam as seen by the Flam railway.

For the adventurers out there, I highly recommend taking a Kayaking tour on the fjord. Before arriving, I had my heart set on getting out paddling around the fjord. The smaller trip (3 hours) was already sold out, and the longer (4 hour) tour included a hike, which was even more appealing to me. The morning started clear, but some rain moved in, and thinking ‘well, were going to be in Kayaks on the water’, rain didn’t change our decision to go on an epic adventure. And Epic it was. Our guide, Marta, was full of wonderful local tales and knowledge about the area. We Kayaked to a small beach and began the hike to a waterfall, the trail lined with wild raspberries and edible mushrooms. Just above the beach along the cliff face are small rock mounds amongst the bright green moss. The boulder on the side of the trail hosted a small sign that points out that these mounds are part of a UNESCO world heritage site. The mounds are the remnants of burials of prominent vikings of the time. The seven mounds ran along the ridge, with the boulder separating 2 from the other 5. Automatically the archaeologist in me asks if the boulder may have always been there, or if it was a recent addition, and if there may have been a grave under it. Its unsure if there is another grave, but if there was, it would be squished by the 4mX4mx4m boulder.

Viking burial mound and the waterfall we hiked to.

Mum all geared up for our adventure!

Even with the rain, the small group we were in had an amazing time. we ate a snack by the Viking graves, swapping stories of our travels, and looking out at the scenery of the surrounding fjord. On the way back into the town, a seal made an appearance bobbing around the harbour.