A Week-In-The-Life of Andrea & John: Inspiring Travellers

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John and Andrea (of Inspiring Travellers) are a couple of nomadic thirty-somethings currently travelling the world on a one year-sabbatical. When they’re not on the road, they usually live as expats and have done stints both together and apart in Paris, Reading, Aberdeen and the US. Please enjoy a week-in-the-life of Andrea and John in England, Austria, and Slovenia.

This post was originally published in 2011. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.

We chose this week because it’s action-packed. This year is more whirlwind than usual for us. Our nomadic life tends to see us as expats rather than jet-setters. Come along with us as we traverse three countries in one week!

Day One: Friday

10 am. Alarm goes off. John leaps out of bed while Andrea struggles (we change places in this regard all the time). Have coffee while we check emails and have a look at our flights and accommodation details for tomorrow. This is our last day in London.

11.34 am. Not happy with the accommodation we booked for Vienna back in March. The rooms sound too small and wireless internet only works in the lobby. Andrea cancels the booking and looks for something else online while John takes a shower.

1.25 pm. We are finally out the door! Off to the area around Camden Market for a look around.

4.40 pm. Take the tube to London Bridge where we stand for half an hour taking photos and waving to people on the boats passing underneath. Watch the hordes leaving work on a Friday afternoon. We certainly don’t miss that!

5.25 pm. It’s happy hour. Half-priced bottles of wine? Pinot Grigio please…

6.25 pm. We reckon we could eat curry every day. Back on the tube to make our reservation at a place on Brick Lane.

7.50 pm. Head back to our hotel to pack and relax for the evening.

Day Two: Saturday

5 am. Wake-up call. Coffee.

7.40 am. After tube ride to Heathrow we are checked-in, hanging out, checking emails, attempting to get through blog reader, etc.

10.30 am. Flight to Vienna takes off (40 minutes late).

2 pm. Have to wait 20 minutes for bus from airport to take us to the part of the city where we’re staying.

2.50 pm. All checked-in and loving our hotel!

3.30 pm. Nap time.

7 pm. Showers and out to dinner in the Juden area. We eat Wiener Schnitzel and spare ribs, washed down with some delicious Austrian beer.

10.30 pm. Plan our next two days in Vienna, review photographs, work on blog.

1 am. Bed time.

Day Three: Sunday

10.40 am. Breakfast.

11.30 am. Work on blog, check emails, etc.

1.30 pm. Organize train tickets for Tuesday, tickets for a show on Monday night, visit Hundertwasser museum and apartments. Hop on the circle tram to the museum district on our way back from Hundertwasser.

6 pm. End up at the Rathausplatz film festival for beer and dinner. This is a must-visit if you’re in Vienna in July or August – yummy international food and films of classical music and dance performances are shown on a giant screen in front of the Rathaus.

9 pm. Return to hotel and relax, use internet.

Day Four: Monday

11.30 am. Wake up. It’s a public holiday here in Vienna today and most places we would like to visit are closed or closing early <sigh>. Good excuse to sleep in though! We drink coffee and work on the blog, check emails, shower, etc.

1.30 pm. Skype video call with our immediate family in Perth (John’s side). We plan these about once a month.

2.30 pm. More work, online banking, look up address and location of hostel tomorrow. Happy to learn that we’ve booked three nights in Ljubljana instead of only two as it’s the only place we have time to visit in the country this trip.

4 pm. Out the door to eat lunch and visit the Hotel Sacher for a taste of their famous torte. Rainstorm hits and we duck into a craft brewery for a couple of beers before the show.

8 pm. Classical music concert at the Beethovenplatz Hall.

10 pm. Taxi back to area near our hotel so John can get a quick bite.

10.50 pm. Return home to relax and get some sleep.

Day Five: Tuesday

6 am. Wake up and eat breakfast.

7.10 am. Check out of hotel and take the underground to the train station.

8.02 am. Catch train to Ljubljana, Slovenia. On the train we review and edit photos from the UK and write.

11.45 am. Chaos ensues as our train is no longer going to Ljubljana. Mad rush to change trains in Maribor.

2.06 pm. Arrive in Ljubljana. Eat lunch before checking into hostel.

3.15 pm. Head out to see the Ljubljana castle. After that we head into the Old Town for a look around.

8 pm. Have a drink by the river. Afterwards we search for a place to have dinner. We notice a poster advertising the Interpol concert, which happens to be on tonight. Not long after we discover the location of the concert – it’s a theatre and you can hear everything from the street.

9.45 pm. Finally settle on a pizza place for dinner. We eat and take our leftovers.

10.30 pm. Walk out of restaurant and can still hear the concert. John says if they play Rosemary (‘Evil’) we’ll sit and have a drink at the bar across the street. A moment later we smile as the song comes on. We have a couple of beers outside amongst the rest of the Slovenians – the streets are packed with people tonight as if it were a Saturday. Every bar seems full.

Day Six: Wednesday

12 pm. We’re awake. Have coffee at the hostel, have showers and get some work done this afternoon.

4 pm. A few days ago we contacted a local guy who John hung out with nine years ago when he was travelling in Slovenia. They’d kept in touch over the years and he’s come to pick us up for a BBQ at his place this evening. We spend the rest of the night catching up with him and his friends.

Day Seven: Thursday

11 am. We wake up and get dressed. Coffee.

12 pm. Were supposed to meet the friend from last night for lunch but he’s overslept as we had a big one last night.

1 pm. Shopping around town. We haven’t been in summer weather much this year and Andrea realizes she needs a few items for summer. Also to finally replace a pair of shoes that have been over-worn and finally bit the dust on a rainy day in Vienna.

4.30 pm. We return to our room to do some work.

8 pm. We head out into the city again to locate a music festival the guys told us about last night. When we find it we see that it’s actually an animation screening, which is great but it’s really crowded and we move on to find a place to eat dinner.

11 pm. Return home to pack and sleep – we have to catch a 6.30am train in the morning.

After spending the last few months in Europe, Andrea and John are headed for the Middle East. They continue to document their story (as well as the stories of other interesting travellers) on their blog: Inspiring Travellers.com. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter @InspiringTrvlrs and @BungasBeer.

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