One anecdote which exemplifies ancient Roman wisdom is the advice that "victory likes careful preparation" -- paratus, to be exact. Paratus for travel shares this wisdom, if only as "an enjoyable holiday likes careful preparation".
I recently crossed paths with a Austrian-German couple about to embark on a 5-week bicycle tour of the Danube River -- from a location near its source, all the way to the Black Sea. I was amazed by how carefully they had planned and prepared for their trip, with the anticipation of encountering weather's impact on their progress, as well as finding reasonable accommodations for any given day. One couple, two bikes, and airline tickets to return from Bucharest. Every day an adventure, with a new set of opportunities to explore and problems to solve.
As I am preparing for another European excursion, I'm newly inspired to take a different cultural approach to travel. We Americans tend to travel differently, unafraid to cast about an excess of funds for assured amenities and convenience. And we tend to drag along robust baggage trains with a variety of accoutrement -- we take "home" along with us.
This time, inspired by today's economic climate and my European friends, it's me and my backpack.
