Budapest update: Making basic plans

Plans are starting to solidify for this trip.

I haven't quite figured out the dates yet, but it'll most likely be close to this.

April 4th: Fly to Budapest
April 5th: Arrive in Budapest
April 6th: Take train to Ljubljana, arrive in Ljubljana
April 8th: God Is An Astronaut
April 13th: Take train to Budapest, arrive in Budapest
April 17th: Képzelt Város/Our Ceasing Voice
April 21st: Depart Budapest

Of course, everything is subject to change. But that's a general idea of what the trip will look like. I'm going to try to go there with minimal plans and do everything on the fly. There are a few things I'd like to do, but it's generally hanging out with friends and meeting some musicians I admire. Other than that everything is fair game. I'll be going there as a virgin to Hungary and Slovenia and just letting her take advantage of me.

Now, of course, this is all dependent on a job I will be working on starting January. If it gets extended or if it finishes considerably early then my trip plans may be in jeopardy. We will see as the months pass.

Step one is finished, though. Passport application sent in, I just have to wait 4-5 weeks to receive it.


No new updates with the 2014 roadtrip, just trying to save up for it.


-Bob

Bobapalooza 2011: Budapest

There isn't anything new going on with the 2014 preparations.
However, I just started to make recent plans for a new trip. After a conversation with a friend, Gábor of marionette ID, I have decided that I have said, "I want to see you guys live SO BAD," to Képzelt Város and marionette ID for too long and I'm going to start planning on doing it. I'm not sure when. There are several things that have to line in place for me to throw down for a plane ticket to Hungary. Of course, this trip depends on my erratic work schedule as well as both mID's and KV's concert schedule. While I'll probably be there for about two weeks to experience Budapest as much as I can, the number one goal is to see these two bands. Crazy? Probably. But hey, some people go around the world on vacation just to go to the beach? Why not go around the world just to experience a band?

This will definitely be the furthest I'll travel just to see some bands. So far my record is 1000 miles from Oklahoma City for Jónsi in Atlanta (Oct. 31st, 2010), and before that was 720 miles from Seymour, TN for Caspian in New York City (Aug. 23rd, 2008 [my birthday]).


-Bob


Marionette ID ([last.fm] [myspace] [facebook])


Képzelt Város ([last.fm] [myspace] [facebook])

Three years of planning ahead

So, to give a background to "Bobapalooza," my first big road trip was my 21st Birthday Road Trip. I drove a total of 4000 miles from Oklahoma City to Baltimore, MD; New York City; Chicago, IL; Madison, WI; "Twin Cities," MN; Orr, MN; and back to OKC. Since then I have been hooked on road trips. After another large, 4000 mile, and a couple smaller road trips one of my best friends nicknamed my trips "Bobapalooza." It stuck.

It has been a while since I had a trip I could nickname "Bobapalooza." Lately my road trips have been work related. One day I thought about how neat it would be to visit all 50 states. The idea evolved into Bobapalooza 2014. Here are the objectives:

•Spend one day in all 50 state capitals

•CouchSurf in each city

•Experience the local scene in each city, eat at local restaurants, etc.

•Drive through the 48 continental states using the very first, and only, car I have owned ('97 Lumina, currently at 800 miles shy of 200k)

•Fly to Alaska and Hawaii (of course)

•Spend my 30th Birthday (August 23rd) in Hawaii

•Blog about every state capital

•Tweet everything else in between (gas stations, restaurants, scenic sites, etc)

Map of the road trip phase:

Map: Part 1

Map: Part 2

The hardest part of planning this trip will be the attempt to get 50 Couch Hosters to stay with. I have already figured 50 hosters would not be feasible, but it's a goal none-the-less. I have always been interested in the whole CouchSurfing scene since some of my European friends had mentioned it a while ago. I admit that having this plan to do this road trip was what kicked me into creating the profile, but for some time I have wanted to check out this whole CouchSurfing thing. My prior girlfriend and her friends were big into it and the stories she told me about the people she has met were really interesting, so that sparked a huge interest.

If anyone reading this blog would be interested in hosting me for this trip, I would be greatly appreciative.

If worse comes to worst, though, I can do what I usually do, be a bum and sleep in my car or book a hotel room when I need a normal sleeping facilities and a shower.

This concludes my first entry. In the next 3 years before I commence the road trip I will occasionally update this blog with more information and change up the design to something more road-trip-esque.

-Bob