Thursday, June 19, 2014
T-Minus 13 days!!!
We have only thirteen days until my brothers and I depart for the trip of a lifetime. May I add, we are still waiting for the middle brother John and his first post...
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
T-minus 28 days
Youngest Brother here, 16 years old, getting psyched for this amazing trip we are so close to. This trip has been in the planning stages since Oct. '13 and its amazing how it has all come together. My eldest brother Jason has been a vital role in convincing our parents to let us go on this trip of a life time. Personally I have never been out of the country besides one time going to Vancouver B.C. for a short weekend. This trip to me makes me feel as when you are young and when you are simply thrown into a pool and its time to either sink or swim. Europe will be an awesome experience.
I have told many of the teachers and elder people about my trip and the most common response I've gotten is " 50 days?!" (truly only 48). This then is quickly followed up with the bewilderment of how its my brothers and I only. Anyone who knows us well knows, we will be able to handle ourselves, and will get the most out of this trip. A couple people I have talked too have themselves gone to Europe while they were younger, and they said it was one of the best trips of their lives, for many reasons. The most common reason being, the people of Europe don't rush their lives, and the culture over there takes time to stop and smell the roses. This opportunity would have been IMPOSSIBLE without my parents supporting me throughout the entirety of it. Thank you so much!
Any way there will be more to come!
I have told many of the teachers and elder people about my trip and the most common response I've gotten is " 50 days?!" (truly only 48). This then is quickly followed up with the bewilderment of how its my brothers and I only. Anyone who knows us well knows, we will be able to handle ourselves, and will get the most out of this trip. A couple people I have talked too have themselves gone to Europe while they were younger, and they said it was one of the best trips of their lives, for many reasons. The most common reason being, the people of Europe don't rush their lives, and the culture over there takes time to stop and smell the roses. This opportunity would have been IMPOSSIBLE without my parents supporting me throughout the entirety of it. Thank you so much!
Any way there will be more to come!
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Less than 30 days until departure. We're Pumped!
In October of 2013, the three of us decided a brother's "Euro trip" was in order for the summer of 2014. After months of planning, earning, and saving, we are less than 30 days away from our dream trip: 52 days backpacking through Europe. We will be hitting five countries: Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, and Spain. We'll be travelling by a combination of plane, bus, train, rental car, and even bike (and maybe some hitch-hiking - just kidding Dad).
With just a backpack each, our mantra is to travel light, avoid touristy areas, and go off the beaten path.
It also happens to be a World Cup year. As passionate soccer fans, we know that, besides actually being at the game, there is no better place to be during a World Cup than in Europe.
Before our adventure begins, its important to explain how we made it all happen and acknowledge those who have helped us along the way. It's safe to say that this trip would not be possible without our parents' support. Not only have they contributed to the trip financially, they've supported us from day one when Josh casually said, "We're planning a trip to Europe next summer." There are not many parents out there that would support this kind of trip, and we are truly lucky to have them behind us. Thank you Mom and Dad.
After the trip was conceived, we began brainstorming how we were going to earn the money. I had just quit my full-time job to go back to law school, and John and Josh were high school students with an extensive list of extra-curricular activities keeping them busy (plus we all had girlfriends on top of that!).
The answer: Craigslist. First, we sold everything around the house that Mom and Dad would allow us to sell. They were quite generous in letting go of some big ticket items, allowing us to put 100% of the money toward our trip. With a few thousand in the bank, we were motivated and eager to keep the money coming in.
Once we ran out of things to sell, we began selling ourselves on Craigslist (our labor that is). A quick Craigslist post for odd-jobs yielded us more work than we could handle. The problem was, we were only available on weekends. Almost every time I scheduled work for us on a Saturday or Sunday morning, the three of us woke up pissed-off wondering why we were pulling weeds at 7am, when we'd rather be home sleeping or playing FIFA. Each day, we had to remind ourselves it was for the EUROTRIP. This vision of laying on white sandy beaches on the Mediterranean kept us motivated.
After a few weeks, we became more organized, founding "Polen Brother's Work Crew," and even ordered business cards.
At this point, we've nearly reached our goal. With less than 30 days remaining, we're lining up as many jobs as we can before departure.
Stay tuned for more pictures, videos, and blog entries form our trip!
Jason, John, Josh
With just a backpack each, our mantra is to travel light, avoid touristy areas, and go off the beaten path.
It also happens to be a World Cup year. As passionate soccer fans, we know that, besides actually being at the game, there is no better place to be during a World Cup than in Europe.
Before our adventure begins, its important to explain how we made it all happen and acknowledge those who have helped us along the way. It's safe to say that this trip would not be possible without our parents' support. Not only have they contributed to the trip financially, they've supported us from day one when Josh casually said, "We're planning a trip to Europe next summer." There are not many parents out there that would support this kind of trip, and we are truly lucky to have them behind us. Thank you Mom and Dad.
After the trip was conceived, we began brainstorming how we were going to earn the money. I had just quit my full-time job to go back to law school, and John and Josh were high school students with an extensive list of extra-curricular activities keeping them busy (plus we all had girlfriends on top of that!).
The answer: Craigslist. First, we sold everything around the house that Mom and Dad would allow us to sell. They were quite generous in letting go of some big ticket items, allowing us to put 100% of the money toward our trip. With a few thousand in the bank, we were motivated and eager to keep the money coming in.
Once we ran out of things to sell, we began selling ourselves on Craigslist (our labor that is). A quick Craigslist post for odd-jobs yielded us more work than we could handle. The problem was, we were only available on weekends. Almost every time I scheduled work for us on a Saturday or Sunday morning, the three of us woke up pissed-off wondering why we were pulling weeds at 7am, when we'd rather be home sleeping or playing FIFA. Each day, we had to remind ourselves it was for the EUROTRIP. This vision of laying on white sandy beaches on the Mediterranean kept us motivated.
After a few weeks, we became more organized, founding "Polen Brother's Work Crew," and even ordered business cards.
Stay tuned for more pictures, videos, and blog entries form our trip!
Jason, John, Josh
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