Greetings from the Italian mainland!

I’m currently in the hills overlooking Naples and making the final preparations for the 10-hour transatlantic flight coming up tomorrow  this morning. Yes, I should really be asleep by now because it’s a long day coming up, as jet-lag will probably remind me all too soon. But of course, the blog awaits. As do the bags waiting to be re-packed, the US paperwork waiting to be organised for my upcoming interrogation, and the hosting arrangements waiting to be confirmed.

More about where I’m at right now in another post though (this should really be one of the last times I’m saying this – I’m almost done with the intro to this blog and will bring you up to date soon !)  For now, as promised, I will give a brief overview of where I’m heading and what’s to come for those of you following this blog for the next few months.

This trip started to take shape after I was accepted for a Semester Abroad in Los Angeles. I had been thinking about the US as a destination for a while, but never really had the time or money to make it happen. Now, thanks to University College Maastricht, UCLA, and of course my providers of budget flights Meridiana, Spirit Airlines and Ryanair, it’s all booked and confirmed. I’m actually in Los Angeles from the end of September until mid-December for one quarter. This is, in itself, a really short time to spend on a so-called ‘semester’ abroad, so I wanted to extend my trip, see more of the US and simply make the most of being in a new part of the world!

Besides that, I’m also be travelling in Europe for around a week before and after each transatlantic flight. Airline ticket prices varied greatly from €1000 one-way to under €300 depending on the exact dates and airports. And with getting around in Europe so quick and cheap (thanks Ryanair!) I was not too specific about my departure and arrival destinations, as long as the flights did not set my budget back too much. All in all, I got a round-trip transatlantic package from Naples-New York and back from New York-Stockholm five months later for around €550. Not too bad at all. This still, of course, leaves getting to Naples, to Los Angeles, and eventually back to Maastricht, but that just adds to the adventure.

So, for the itinerary!

I started off in Malta a few days ago. Sorted out the (ridiculous amount of) US paperwork, packed the essentials, shipped the rest off to LA, said all the emotional see-you-soons, and hopped on a 40-minute Ryanair flight to Trapani, Sicily. Ironically the shortest possible flight from Malta was to begin the longest trip so far. I had a few days till my departure for the US from Naples on the Italian mainland, giving me time to see some of Sicily, Calabria and of course Naples itself.

From Naples I fly directly into JFK, New York. I’ll spend a few days there, and then head south towards Miami, stopping for a few days each time in Washington DC, Knoxville, Atlanta, and Orlando.

[If all this is nothing more than a list of place names to you, my apologies! There’s a map of my rough route further down on this post.]

At the end of July I leave from Fort Lauderdale for a month’s side-trip to Central America. I’ll be starting off in Panama, visiting Panama City, El Valle, David and Bocas del Toro. Next country on the list is Costa Rica, with stops in Cahuita, San Jose, Jaco, La Fortuna and Tamarindo. The third and final Central American country on the list is Nicaragua; visiting San Juan del Sur, Isla Ometepe, Granada, Matagalpa and Managua. Exactly one month after my flight to Panama, I return to the US and continue where I would have left off in Fort Lauderdale.

From there I finally head westwards, stopping in Mobile, New Orleans, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, and Phoenix. Provided that all goes according to plan, I reach Los Angeles on the 21^st September, giving me a few days of rest before jumping into university life. For the next few months I’ll probably slow down on the travelling to keep up with the UCLA workload and also make the most of the City of Angels. I’ve got a few weekend side-trips in mind to Sacramento, San Francisco, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, but nothing confirmed till now.

My time at UCLA will come to an end by the second week of December, after which I’ll begin the journey eastwards back towards New York. Once again nothing’s set in stone yet, but I’m thinking of flying from Los Angeles to Chicago and seeing a few more places (possibly Detroit and Pittsburgh) before returning to Europe. I fly out of JFK to Stockholm on the 25^th of December, losing most of Christmas Day paying back my time zone debt. I’ll probably spend a few days in Stockholm (white Christmas sounds tempting!) and then fly back directly to Charleroi, Maastricht or Eindhoven in time for UCM’s Project Period.

By the time I return to Europe, I’d have counted 160 days, four countries, and more kilometres than it’s worth calculating. I’m expecting it to be a great adventure all the way there and back, and if you’re still reading it’s great that you’ve decided to join in and be part of it too!

I should be posting again before very much doubt I will have time to post again before flying to the US, to go into the amazing last few days in Italy. Nevertheless, update coming up soon!

Just a side note – I’ve been adding on some features here. I’m still testing them out and might not receive all messages, but it should now be possible to like posts and share directly on Facebook, Google+ and most other social networks. You can also subscribe to the blog to receive updates by email by filling in the fields on the right sidebar. 1-3 updates a week, instant un-subscription at your request and no spam, promise!

Over and out from Europe,
Chris