Eurotrip 2007

Ron Beckwith was in a good mood. He was finally going to live out his dream – going on a lengthy trip across his favourite continent, the home continent of his people – Europe. Nowhere else was there so much history, so much culture. Most of the great events of the world happened there; indeed it was the cradle of Western Civilization. So many white cultures live so close together, creating a dynamic seen nowhere else.
Ron was 37 and living in the small city of Saint John, in the province of New Brunswick in Eastern Canada. This city, while it had great history and great potential, was self-destructing. Young people were leaving due to the lack of good-paying jobs, bad roads, high taxes and the fact that you needed to speak French to get a decent job, even though most of the city spoke only English. Ron was in this category, although he knew some French from the constant exposure the language of France got in New Brunswick, as well as several courses he had taken in French over his years in grade school and university. Although an intelligent man who did well in school, the title of “bilingual” stubbornly eluded him. He ended up being a Data Analysis major, sort of math and computer science combined. History and fantasy were his real loves, however, along with travelling.
Saint John was “The Loyalist City”, named after Americans fleeing that country after its revolution from Britain to remain loyal to the British king. It was the first incorporated city in what is now Canada, getting its charter from King George III in 1785. It had a few attractions, including an 1876 City Market and a Martello Tower, very near where Ron lived. Benedict Arnold had once lived there, and the famous Reversing Falls were there. The famous ship the Marco Polo was built in Saint John, and he was hoping they’d make a replica of it soon, to attract tourists. He also wanted them to properly reconstruct the old French Fort LaTour.
Ron had longish red hair, a potbelly, and blue eyes, being of English, Irish and German descent. He had done his genealogy and was proud to be 99% white, as far as he could tell. Ron was very unfit, getting exhausted just walking around the block. He hadn’t had much success in the world and was poor, which meant he had little travel experience. He had been through the northeastern USA as far as North Carolina, thanks to his parents, and recently visited Cape Breton Island in neighbouring Nova Scotia, as well as the provinces of Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island. When he was young he visited British Columbia and Alberta, Canada with his parents, as well as the American state of Florida. Those seemed distant memories now and anyway, his heart was with Europe.
Everything changed last Oct. 18, when he won 3.5 million dollars in the lottery. It was considerably less after Canada’s high taxes came out. Plus, it was a larger jackpot originally, but he had to share it with two other people, who were much richer than he to begin with. Ron thought of investing it to be set for life, but he didn’t know how to do that. Just banking it and living off the interest was good enough for now. The first major thing he wanted to live his dream and take a trip to Europe. It was finally possible, and he was going to do it. That thought excited him. All the places Ron had read about he was finally going to see and experience.
Now it was spring. He had spent the winter planning his trip in great detail. He had a grand plan. He was going to visit every country in Europe, including Iceland, Russia, Turkey and the Caucasus nations. He even thought for a while to include Greenland, a Danish territory, but decided against it, since it was technically in North America and its earliest natives were Eskimoes, not whites. The Faroe and Canary Islands were last-minute additions.
He was even going to include Israel. That nation was in Asia, the Middle East to be exact, but didn’t fit in with the other countries in the area. It was a Jewish democracy, instead of a crazy Islamic dictatorship. Most of the Arab countries nearby hated it, and wouldn’t let you enter if you had been to Israel. So fitting it in as part of a European trip seemed easier than doing it later as part of an Asian trip, if he was so inclined in the future. Though no fan of the Jews for their nefarious plot to eradicate his race and religion by championing non-white immigration, multiculturalism and “diversity” in white countries, Ron was a devout Christian and wanted to see the Holy Land.
The planning process brought Europe to light in fascinating detail, and it felt as if he were already there. Indeed in some ways the virtual tourist way was better, since you’re spared the trouble of collecting visas, paying hotel, meal and transportation costs, robbers, corrupt guards, late busses and fatigue. The sights and sounds were what he was missing, and thrill of saying “I was there!” Travel was an enriching experience, and a challenge. Ron felt he was up to that challenge, and needed a break from his meaningless existence in little Saint John.
To plan the trip, Ron relied heavily on the internet and Lonely Planet guidebooks, some of which he was going to take with him. He planned to cross the Atlantic with Icelandair, the national airline of Iceland. He would stop in that nation to explore it, and then continue via Air Iceland to the Faroes, from where he would board a plane to Scotland en route to Ireland, the third nation on his agenda. He would try not to fly again until he headed home, only by land or sea. It was a more authentic experience that way, and he would see more.
The problem was that Icelandair didn’t fly out of Saint John, or anywhere in Canada, for that matter. He nearest place they flew to was Boston, in the United States. Therefore, it was there that he needed to go first.
He exercised over the winter and spring. He’d need to be in better shape to walk the streets of European cities, as well as malls and ruins and cobblestone steps. He could now afford a private coach. He also tried using Rosetta Stone to learn some important European languages like French, Spanish, German, Italian and Russian. That program wasn’t cheap, but it was used by the US army to teach its soldiers, and Ron found it quite effective for him as well. He didn’t have as much time to learn languages as he would have liked, due to fatigue, getting in shape and planning, but he did manage to get some degree of proficiency in French, Spanish and German.
He would likely be gone a long time, years maybe, but Ron didn’t need to worry about his stuff; he lived with his parents. They often left to go on cruises and such, and in the past Ron usually minded the house for them, now he couldn’t. Ron wasn’t too worried, though. A neighbour would mind it well enough (he hoped) if they took another trip.
Living with his parents in his 30’s was a bit of an embarrassment to Ron, but let’s face it, moving out was expensive, and Ron had always been poor and rarely held a job for long, despite his education. There weren’t many jobs in Saint John. He had been on welfare most of his adult life. Ron smiled; finally someone won the lottery that actually needs it. Now he could finally afford to move out and after his trip, he would likely do so. He would stay officially moved in with his parents during the trip, so that his stuff would be taken care of.
Ron made a photocopy of his passport, and kept it in a place separate from the original. He also gave a copy to his parents that would stay home. He did the same thing with other important documents.
He also purchased travel insurance, although he hated insurance in general. It was, however, well worth the peace of mind and could cover him for lost luggage, flight or rental cancellations, life insurance, and medical evacuation. He notified his credit and debit card company (Royal Bank) that he would be using his card overseas so they didn't automatically suspect fraud and freeze access to it.
He organized his lengthy trip information into a small lightweight notebook to carry with him. This included hotel names and numbers, taxi numbers, etc. He made a section of the notebook what he wanted to see and do in each location—for example, specific museums he wanted to see, what their closing day is, and their hours of operation. Also, he noted recommendations for restaurants or other ideas he read about.
As the day of his departure approached, he began to pack. He resolved to pack as lightly as possible. He packed his basic essentials (clean underwear, medications, and a change of clothes) in his carry-on bag. He knew he’d be glad he did if his luggage was delayed. He remembered that everything he packed, he’d have to transport from place to place.
Since he’d be travelling by train, it was absolutely essential to minimize his luggage. He wanted to limit his luggage to a small rolling bag and a manageable carry-on bag. He’d have to get his luggage on and off the train (a steep step up and down) and find a place to stow it on board. He may have very little time to get on or off a train.
Ron would bring half the clothes he thought he'd need (he didn’t have a large wardrobe anyway) and bring (or have access to) twice as much money as he needed.
He packed a few things in a carry-on duffel bag, his Bible, razor, cell phone and charger and his passport, along with his phrase books and Lonely Planet guidebooks Europe on a Shoestring and Iceland. He wasn’t sure if he should bring a camera, because he didn’t want to look wealthy in areas of high crime. He decided he needed to take lots of pictures in Europe, so he brought a small, inconspicuous digital camera with some backup memory chips.
In a large, water-proof backpack, he took just two changes of clothes, a down travel pillow, sunglasses, travel size nail kit, travel first-aid kit, medical insurance card, airline tickets, itinerary book, copies of everything and a medium to large fold-up nylon "extra" bag with handles for carrying things he picked up, like tourist literature or purchases.
He kept in his wallet approximately €300 exchanged prior to departure.
Ron was dressed in shabby, poor-fitting clothes, and his hair turned messy minutes after combing it, so he was confident he wouldn’t look too wealthy. Indeed, he was sure he’d have to work to look less like a bum for border crossings. He got some cash out of the bank, but left most in there. He would withdraw cash when needed at ATM’s in Europe (damn service fees would eat him alive, but there was no help for it, he couldn’t risk carrying big wads of cash and getting robbed). He also had a credit card in case of emergencies (He paid off a $5000 debt when he won the money).
On the days before his departure, Ron bade goodbye to his few friends, who wished him a good trip and gave him advice. One friend thought Ron was crazy, and maybe he was, but he was living his dream. Most thought he was damn lucky. On the day before he left, he dipped his bare feet in the Bay of Fundy, an offshoot of the Atlantic Ocean that abutted the city. He planned to do this in every major body of water he came across as a symbolic thing.
He planned to take it slow and not just sightsee and rush around checking things off a list. He would take time to experience new cultures, foods and people, his white kin.
For the most part, he would eat at restaurants not available home, like McDonald’s (although he loved McDonald’s). In the same way, he would avoid American chain hotels. A Holiday Inn or Sheraton is the same everywhere. Why travel that far to stay in another one? He would stick to quirkier restaurants and hotels recommended by Lonely Planet.
He knew to expect smallness. Small hotel rooms with tiny bathrooms are the norm. Beds are narrower; space between the bed and the rest of the room will be practically non-existent. European hotels are often very old. They may be quirky: he would marvel at the tiny sinks and very tiny showers (if you have one) in his bathroom. He would admire the cleverness of European compact kitchen designs.
He had wanted to leave in April, to maximize the travelling time he would have in Europe before things closed again in fall. However, his first stop, Iceland, didn’t really open until June, so he had to wait until then. It gave him more time to get into shape. It seemed to be paying off, his back hurt less, and he was spending less time in bed.Les mer