Es.Ca.Pade: Here’s to Local Flair, Cultural Identity, and Backpacking!
Look, I love travel. Which, I know, is about as shocking a revelation as announcing that I loved kittens or, I don’t know, Diet Coke. I get it: pretty much every normal human being with a pulse loves to travel.
We’ve all got an allotted number of far flung countries and enchanting places waiting to be checked off of our own personal bucket list. I’ll spare you the trouble of sharing my list because it could, quite literally, take several hours to finish. But, needless to say, there is nearly nothing on the planet that I can find more exciting than hopping one plane after the next, doing nothing but exploring endlessly wild and fascinating cultures and settings.
And you know no globe-trotting, culture-loving travel bucket list is ever complete without a nod to pretty much all of Europe.
I mean, its seriously one of my life’s biggest and dearest dreams to visit Illiers-Combray: a small commune in north central France which inspired the setting for my favorite book by my favorite author of all time: Marcel Proust’s ‘Swann’s Way.’ I also think I may shed a few tears if I ever find myself standing at 102 Boulevard Haussmann, Paris: the apartment where Proust actually lived as he worked on his timeless masterpieces.
If any of you would like to finance a trip to Paris in the near future, I am on board!
So I was honestly beyond excited and intrigued when I got to attend the Es.Ca.Pade event which the Pink Coffee marketing and PR team held a few days ago. If you don’t know about Es.Ca.Pade, its basically an annual trip which takes a few lucky individuals (I believe the number is close to 20) on a specific and rather unique journey every year for about three weeks time. The first trip was to Goa, India, the second was a trip around the US, and this year is going to be a backpacking trip across Europe.
That’s right: a trip which spans all the way from Barcelona, Spain to Saint Petersburg, Russia. So, basically, the whole freaking continent. And, considering that this is a backpacking trip, you’ll be having more culture-delving, local-schmoozing experiences rather than the mind-numbing, month long shopping sprees most people are used to.
You’ll stay at hostels, mingle with the local communities, and take part in everything that makes these cities unique and worthwhile on a cultural and personal level, all while carrying your precious worldly belongings on your back (Hello! Backpacking!). So expect to be on your feet and on the go most of the time, and expect to score some major fitness points!
Now, I’ve never been one of those girls that likes to live inside malls and shopping centers ESPECIALLY when I travel. I’m all about soaking in the local flair and exploring all the hidden secrets that make every city special. So, if you ask me, this is about as perfect as any trip can possibly get. Seriously: if time constraints and big, adult life things didn’t get in the way, I would sign up for this trip in a freaking heartbeat!
If you enjoy travel (so, again, if you have a pulse) and want to do more than just make your wallet cry, I definitely recommend you check this year’s Es.Ca.Pade trip out! Based on what I’ve heard from people who have joined their previous trips, the Es.Ca.Pade team is very organized, hospitable, and knows what to do and where to go in order to make sure that you get every penny’s (or fils?) worth of good times and even better memories.
If you’d like to contact Es.Ca.Pade you can find them on Twitter and Instagram @escapadeq8 or apply for the trip online at their website.
All my love!
