masck dot com | home

Traveling is more than an activity, it is a mindset, an understanding that you don't know very much. It puts you out there, beyond your comfort zone, in contact with the good the bad and the different that make up this crazy world. It is a bug that gets into your system and affects who you are, every day.

My own travel journeys are just beginning. In the fall of 2001 I made a solo two month backpacking trip to Italy, I left New York City two weeks after September 11th, not really speaking Italian and having never been in a foreign country (Ontario is in a different country not but not foreign.) It was an amazing experience, indescribable and irreplaceable.

The fall of 2002 brought a 7 week trip to Spain, Denmark and England.

2003 brought a return trip to Spain, with a slightly random week in Amsterdam.

2004 there was only a brief weekend in Paris, when I had perfect weather and a blissful time in the city of lights.

2005 is winding down without much besides an October trip to San Francisco, very nearly a foreign place. I have high hopes for 2006. After all, I live in New York City, and more than 100 airlines fly out of JFK.

I intend for this page to host the records of my travels and to have information about my destinations and traveling in general. It will be both a resource for me, and a site for other like-minded travelers.

The Albaicin barrio, seen from within La Alhambra. Granada, Espana.

La Alhambra, Granada

Online Travel Journals:

2005 San Francisco.
Photoset on Flickr.

2004 Paris.
A quick October weekend.

2003 Europe.
25 November - 17 December 2003


2002 Europe.
Volume 1. 23 October - 31 October 2002
Volume 2. 1 November - 24 November 24 2002
Volume 3. 25 November - 12 December 2002

2001 Italian Journey.
The Map. Note: the map is an experiment in advanced javascript. Since it has a lot of limitations, I ask for your patience. I'm not particularly happy with this yet, I hate the way the rollovers don't restore.

My Italian Journal is complete with 147 photographs. It is still available without using the map.

Italian Journal 1 30 September- 5 October 2001
Italian Journal 2 6 October - 12 October
Italian Journal 3 13 October - 20 October
Italian Journal 4 21 October - 27 October
Italian Journal 5 28 October - 3 November
Italian Journal 6 4 November - 10 November
Italian Journal 7 11 November - 18 November
  Travel Links:

BUG Europe. My favorite. The backpacker's Ultimate Guide.
Eurotrip.com Home Guide to Backpacking Europe.
Hostelling International. The largest collection of Hostels in the world.
Travel Punk.
All important: Guide to Sleeping in Airports.
Hostels.com A huge collection.
Hostelz.com Slightly different spelling, better site.
The Backpacker.net. European urban backpacking.
AirTreks.com Travel agency specializing in Round-the-World Trips.
Go-today. Last minute travel.
Lonely Planet.The increasingly upscale classic budget travel guide.
Rick Steves Filling Europe's undiscovered places with ugly Americans.
Airhitch homepage Sort of like hitchiking the Atlantic.

Cheap Airlines in Europe:
Flybudget. A clearinghouse.
Air Berlin.
Volare.
SkyEurope.
Meridiana.
Transavia (formerly Basiqair )
Be. british european
Easyjet From the people behind EasyInternetCafe
RyanAir
Virgin Express
BMI Baby
last updated:
7 December 2005
webmaster at masck dot com
Some Rights Reserved. 2006 Paul Masck.