It's done. The world's greatest holiday itinerary. Twenty-four countries in thirteen days. Phineas Fogg has nothing on you. In less than two weeks, you'll return home with photographs and stories from more places than most of your mates see in a lifetime.
So what?
What are those photographs going to say? What kind of stories will you be able to tell? Chances are you won't get any pics that a hundred other snappers haven't posted on the net already, and the stories? Who wants to hear about the customs officials in Switzerland...the appalling public transport in Melbourne...the endless queues at Heathrow? Oh...but look at the souvenirs!!! Souvenirs of what? Souvenir shops? Where are the real souvenirs? The tales of romance, of near-misses, of the murderous-looking locals who took you home and gave you a great meal and a bed for a night. Oh, but the hotels were great, weren't they? They had brass taps and everything. Great conversationalists, those brass taps. Brilliant company.
Not much of a holiday after all was it. More like hard work. A race from bus to train to plane to luxury, lonely, five-star suite. Here's an idea. Got two weeks up your sleeve? Pick one or two countries. Do a bit of research. What do you REALLY need to see? Barcelona: Sagrada Familia. London: the Tate Modern.
Or whatever.
Just make sure you leave yourself time to wander the streets a bit...to get lost...to ask directions from a local. Feel the city, not the pressure of a schedule. Give yourself a chance to wander into the wrong neighbourhood...to SENSE it...then get the hell out. Talk to the homeless about the city they live in...they'll give you a different perspective than a tour-guide who's so busy trying to scrape a living from her tours, she couldn't recommend a single decent bar.
Coming across a bit preachy, aren't I? What about those of us who get stuck in one place and never leave, trapped to nocturnal life by daily hangovers. You're right. Night after night, people spend upwards of seven hours at the hostel bar. Sure...it's a cool place to hang out for a while (and we love to sell drinks), but to be honest, we'd rather see you getting out there a bit more. We know how much the city has to offer. The nightlife's great, but there are some wicked galleries, churches, beaches, bike-rides, buskers, markets and bad-news alleys to experience.
The upshot of all this? Plan a little, but not too much. Identify a few of the city's most interesting sights, and make sure you see them, but leave yourself time for exploration, for random encounters...for adventure.
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