Top 3 Travel Tips for Post-College Backpackers

Prior to my trip in Europe I took a quick trip to the local Columbia Outfitters store at the outlets near my hometown. There, I stumbled upon a BOGO deal for the foldable backpack I came there to get. With it, I hastily grabbed a Columbia water bottle which turned out to be the most important item I had in Europe. Unlike the US, Europe has an extensive water fountain network and anywhere you go there ought to be a water fountain at least half a mile away. Instead of paying $5 every time you need water I saved over $200 by just bringing a cheap water bottle that I could refill at any water station around me. An added bonus was I got to taste the true city water and feel a little more enshrined in the culture.

Bonus tip: Bring a carabiner to attach to the water bottle so it doesn't fall out of your bag while you run around Europe.

Now this tip I was a bit hesitant to give away as I'm worried that these airlines will start catching on. But, it was too great a hack not to share. If, and only if you have a backpack like the one I had (the osprey far point 40L) you can get away with not buying the additional carry-on and save yourself a hundred bucks each flight. Now, I tried this hack over 5 times and not once have I been stopped. However, I have seen others try this with actual rolling carry-ons and they get stopped every time. So, even more reason to have a backpack.

So this tip can vary depending on how extroverted you are. Personally, I am super extroverted and tend to talk to anyone and everyone whenever I'm traveling. Usually this is a great thing but when you embark on this journey to "find yourself" (bleh) you want to get sometime to yourself to reflect on what really matters. In order to do this you need to make it intentional to do an activity by yourself whether that be a hike, a swim at the lake, or even a dinner by yourself. These events helped me personally reflect on what mattered to me and were some of the most core memories from my trip to Europe.