The Farms

March Farm#1 Pisa, Tuscany, Italy.

This farm is situated in territory known as Alta Val d'Era. They specialize in olive oil and tourism, renting out apartments to travelers and visitors. When the weather is nice the focus will be on olive tree pruning and on the not so nice days I'll be helping out with apartment renos (there's a first time for everything, right?) I am lucky enough to stay in one of these lovely apartments during my stay.

April Farm#2 Piedmonte, Italy

My second farm is in Aramengo, Asti in the Piedmonte region, located in Northern Italy. It's a small (but very impressive!) family run Farm where the main focus is beekeeping and the production of honey and propolis. But that's not all they do. These people know how to keep busy. They also bake bread, work with wood, restore furniture, make ceramics, make candles from beeswax and even spin wool when they have time. But wait... That's not all they do! They organize activities for children, they run courses of meditative dance, yoga and painting. They also, of course, have a vegetable garden and fruit orchard.

May Farm#3 Targu Mures, Transylvania, Romania

I am almost certain this will be the hardest working farm of my trip. I'll be doing every single farm related job you can think (including ploughing, harrowing, hoeing, raking, digging, planting, mulching, weeding, watering, clearing fields and pasture, making or repairing fences, hedges, ditches and compost frames, various jobs of decoration, construction, renovation, maintenance and generally getting dirty) They require you to work 6-8 hours 5-6 days a week. But that being said, I am really exited about this farm!

The farm is owned by an English man (a London rocker turned Romanian farmer) and his Romanian partner. Along side the constant flow of WWOOFers, they are also helped out by the local community, whom they sell their surplus to. They are known for their brandies, liqueurs, jams and preserves.They are big into the local music scene and festivals (which seem to be a plenty in Transylvania, where there Moonshine is 50-60% percent alcohol might I add. Thankful for the warning!) Where they work hard, they play hard. Bring it on Romania!

June Farm#4 Skerries, County Dublin, Ireland

At last I will have arrived to the lush rolling hills of Ireland, where I will be lost in a sea of Irishmen... and chickens.

This farm specializes in egg farming, being home of 500 chickens and 80 ducks situated on a 15 acre farmland that overlooks the Irish sea. They also specialize in preserves and chutneys. Most of my time there will be focused on picking strawberries and making jam. Sounds like just a lovely way to spend my June!

Farms #5 and #6 TBA

Tips for the Oversea Traveler

Over the last couple of months of my travel planning and research I have discovered some very handy sites that I thought I would share.

Canadianaffair.com This an excellent site for flights to the UK and Ireland from Canada

Skyscanner.net It's basically the Flight Center of budget airlines in Europe. As romantic as the train is, in Europe flying tends to be the cheapest way around!

Volunteercard.com Volunteering overseas? (This includes WWOOFing.) Go here for amazing, dirt cheap Travel insurance.

Women-on-the-road.com This is a great site for any woman making solo travel plans. It's full of advise on how to stay safe, what to pack and loads of inspiration and encouragement!

Tips for Backpack shopping

I was completely at a loss when I first started looking into backpacks for my trip. There are so many to choose! First off, don't cheap out. I'm not saying get the most expensive bag on the market, but a well made pack means a comfortable pack. I bought a Gregory Jade 50 on sale (ah the perks of buying off season!). It's specifically made for women and comes in sizes XS-L. And when they say it wears like a dream, they're not lying!

While you're travelling, your pack is your life. Make sure you get one that is right for your body and that it is fitted properly. Your back and body will thank you. Also, don't go too big. I recommend making sure it is small enough to take as a carry on. As I said, your pack is your life and you're going to want to with as much as possible. Also most budget airlines charge you for checked baggage, so you'll be saving yourself some money there as well.

As for packing.... I'll let you know how that goes!

London Calling

For anyone doubting my plans for Europe (Because lets face it. I've been talking about going over to Europe since I was 17) My flight has been booked. I fly into London on February 29th. Stay for a night or two then hop on a plane, train or some type of automobile and head on over to Italy (still working out the farms). Then in May with a tambourine in hand it's Hello Transylvania to work my butt off doing just about everything farm related. After that it's picking strawberries and making jam in Ireland and then who knows what in Cornwall. Sweet mother of pearl! So this is actually, really, truly happening? For real?! For real! AH! I have honestly never been so excited and never been so sure about the direction I'm taking in my life. Just me, a big ol' backpack and the open roads of Europe. And a whole lot of farms. In just two months I will be walking on concrete and soil that I have never walked before and under skies I've never seen. You have no idea how happy this makes me. Oh the thrill of discovery! Every corner I turn will be a new adventure. Don't you wish you were doing this too? So do it then! Life is too short for sitting around in the waiting room.

‎"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." - St. Augustine