Backpacking Europe: England Pt 1 Manchester

posted by Brett

So now that we've gone over the reasons for my adventure over the Atlantic to Europe, it's time to get down to the nitty gritty; into the details of what I actually did and where I actually went.

Starting at the beginning seems to make the most sense, so where did I start?  The home of the Gallagher brothers, The Smiths, Joy Division and seemingly endless amounts of influential rock 'n roll bands: Manchester England.  And why did I start there? Simply because it was the cheapest flight I could find! 285 dollars from Alberta to England?  Yes please!  (Seriously, check out http://www.canadianaffair.ca// if you're looking to fly from my homeland to the Queen's.)

Weekending in Jasper

posted by Ali

Last weekend Brett and I went to Jasper courtesy of his work, who treated the entire staff to the weekend getaway for their Christmas party. Now, there's not a whole lot to do in Jasper in the winter if you don't ski or snowboard, which I don't, or if you don't feel like indulging in a spa day, which Brett didn't. Despite this, we still found ways to amuse ourselves in the small mountain town. 

Planning Europe: The Why and the How

Posted by Brett

Ali has been bitching at me that its time to post something on here, which is probably true, so here we go.

I've combined her first two entries on South America into one on Europe for one simple reason:  I didn't put nearly as much forethought into my adventure as she did.  Especially when talking about The Why:

Why did I go backpacking through Europe??  Well that answer is simple, I was laid off from my job, unemployed, and uncertain of what to do next, soooo why not disappear for a bit while I try to figure it out?!?  (I didn't.)

I know, kinda cliche to go backpacking to Europe to "discover" ones self, but why the hell not, I had no job no direction and a little bit of money.

So next up, is the How part...

Planning South America: The How

Posted by Ali

So I had decided to go backpacking, and I had chosen South America as my destination. Then what? When would I go? For how long would I go? What would it cost? What countries did I want to visit? These were my first questions, and with a bit of research and my trusty sidekick, Lonely Planet, I began to find my answers.

Planning South America: The Why

Posted by Ali

While planning our trip to South East Asia, it has been impossible not to think of my last big backpacking trip. That was my first time, so the whole planning experience was new, and overwhelming. This time, it may not be new, but it still feels overwhelming! Looking back at how much I planned, and what I actually did, I know that a lot of it was wishful thinking. But by re-evaluating my planning process, hopefully I’ll be able to apply what worked and what didn’t this second time around.

 So why did I choose to go backpacking, and why South America?

Hello, Bonjour, Hola

Our names are Ali and Brett, we're a Canadian couple from the wonderful suburb of Sherwood Park, Alberta, which has lead us to a life of desires outside the bubble. Mostly backpacking, within the last year or so each of us have gone on separate trips; Brett across Europe and Ali through South America, along with short stints to Mexico, the US and South Korea. We are now in the process of  saving like mad to prepare for the next journey.  This time together, and the destination: South East Asia.  The exact route has yet to be planned, but we might actually keep it that way.

As we get set to fatten up our backpacks once again we've created this blog to share some of our experiences, and pass along some useful info to anyone looking to adventure to the same parts of the world as us.  We'll be sharing stories and tips from past excursions, as well as some travel fund saving tips we've picked up  as well. Example, couponing, couponing rules.  Then come the spring we'll be taking off and filling this space up with everything S. E. Asia.

You can hit us both up on twitter @brettslinger and @aligoesabroad or follow our blog twitter page @bigfatbackpack, and Ali on instagram @aliroundtheworld

Talk to you soon... Well type at you soon anyways.

Brett and Ali