Why I started a hiking and camping trip in Europe？

Hello! My name is Inosho.
I would like to talk about my hiking field trip (explained below) in Europe, and the events that led to it, along with photos taken during the hike.

What is a hiking field trip?

I first started hiking and camping when I was in Madrid, the capital of Spain.

As the name implies, you hike during the day (and sometimes at night), and at night you camp in the open with a sleeping bag on a hiking trail or in a deserted part of town.

I started in Spain, and then went hiking and camping in France, England, and Montenegro for about 3 months.

So we were hiking and camping in various countries in Europe. To tell the truth, however, I had no plans to go hiking and camping in Europe.

So, as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I would like to explain why I decided to go on a hiking and camping trip in Europe.

How did I get into the field?

I will start by telling you why I was forced to stay in the wild. Before coming to Madrid, I traveled in India and Southeast Asia.

Since I was traveling in relatively inexpensive countries, I did not have to worry about my budget.

In contrast, when I came to the expensive city of Madrid, I didn’t have enough money in my budget at that time, especially for lodging.

It is a problem that makes you want to scratch your head, isn’t it? At the time I was also quite depressed by the lack of money.

And then the day came. I was staying in Madrid for a week. I tried to book a budget hostel for backpackers as usual on the weekend. I was surprised to find that the price had jumped up to about three times the usual price.

I guess Madrid attracts more tourists on weekends, so the hostel prices went up accordingly.

To tell the truth, I had already researched this “weekend price hike phenomenon” during my stay in India.

However, I really wanted to go to Spain, so I flew from Kerala, India to Madrid, knowing that my budget was not enough.

Hiking trails and camping out in the field

Finally, I could no longer stay in a hostel due to lack of budget, so I thought about it a lot. As a result, I came to the conclusion that I would stay in the wild for the time being. I thought it would be a good idea to stay in an unpopular place.

I thought about where I could find a place in Madrid that was not popular, and I found a huge hiking trail in the suburbs that had been built in the middle of the nature. We decided to spend the night on the hiking trail.

At the time, it was July, close to midsummer, and the temperature during the day was scorching hot, reaching nearly 40°C. So I thought I would have enough time to stay in the open because it was reasonably warm during the night. I thought that I would be able to stay in the open because it would be reasonably warm even at night.

However, when I opened my eyes, I found that the nights in Madrid were as cold as midwinter in Japan. The temperature itself is around 20 degrees Celsius even in the middle of the night.

I remember I could not sleep properly because I was wearing only short sleeves and short pants.

Buy a sleeping bag

Knowing that it was cold at night in Madrid, I felt the need to buy a sleeping bag. So I spent 15 euros of my meager budget to buy a sleeping bag. I was ready to spend the night in the open air.

On the day I bought the sleeping bag, I tried it again. It was more comfortable than I had expected, and I felt the appeal of sleeping outside in the wilderness. The sleeping bag was a cheap one with a thin thickness, but it did a great job of protecting me from the wind and cold.

After confirming that I could stay in the field without any problems, I did not return to the hostel. And so began my life in the wild in Europe.

Beginning of hiking field trip

For the first few days after I bought my sleeping bag, I camped out in the wild around Madrid. We slept on hiking trails on the outskirts of the city, and sometimes in unpopular places in the city.

But after a few days. I was gradually getting used to living in the wild in Madrid. I felt bored.

I also felt a little uncomfortable about the fact that I, as an Asian, was sleeping in a field in Europe.

One day, as usual, I was sleeping in a sleeping bag on a hiking trail outside of Madrid.

I suddenly thought to myself, “What will happen if I keep going along this hiking trail? I wondered what would happen if I kept on going along this hiking trail.

And I decided. I decided to just keep going along this hiking trail.

Hiking and camping trip summary

When I couldn’t pay my hostel bill in Madrid, I started camping in the wild and discovered hiking trails, and that’s how my hiking and camping trip started.

I am currently staying in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. The cost of living is low here, so camping is not a necessity. So I stay in hostels and sometimes do hiking and camping.

Also, I can’t say that I am traveling because I am staying in one city for a long period of time. In other words, I am no longer on a hiking trip.

To be honest, it was quite tough to travel hiking and camping in a foreign country. I am sure you can imagine what I mean without having to explain it.

At the same time, however, hiking and camping in a foreign country gave me the confidence that I could make it in life, and I think it helped me to grow in a certain way.

If you are relatively young (around 27 years old), have a lot of energy and free time on your hands, and no money like me, it is worth a try.

However, Europe is a tough place to start, so it might be a good idea to start with Southeast Asia!

Please refer to another article about “Montenegro“

See you tomorrow.