(Posted July 30, 2015)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
Fresh off of what most would consider the trip of a lifetime, young Mitchell Devore is already thinking about his next adventure.
The South Charleston resident will share photos, stories, and travel tips he gleaned from an 80-day backpacking trip through Europe. His presentation is set for 1 p.m. Aug. 18 at Houston Library, 5 W. Jamestown St., South Charleston.
Devore, a junior majoring in linguistics and anthropology at Eastern Michigan University, organized the solo tour himself, his first trip outside the United States. He visited 19 countries between May 3 and July 21.
“As an anthropology major, it’s important to experience other countries and cultures,” he said. “I chose Europe because it is the most westernized. English is spoken in about half of the countries. So, it was the best place to start for someone who hadn’t traveled before.”
Devore’s modes of transport ranged from trains to hitchhiking. He stayed in hostels and, in some cases, “couch surfed,” staying in the homes of locals who open their doors to travelers. One of the main travel tips he came away with involved the trip’s logistics.
“When you’re coordinating 80 days of transportation and housing, lots can go wrong. You have to be flexible and roll with the punches,” he said.
The unforgettable experiences far outweighed any travel challenges he encountered. Among the trip’s many highlights, Devore said, was exploring the Scottish Highlands.
“Of all of the places I went—and all of them were amazing and beautiful—the Highlands were the one place that wasn’t industrialized in any way,” he said. “You could go for kilometers and kilometers and not come across anything but mountains, streams and fog. It was almost like being on a different planet.”
Istanbul, Turkey, is another destination that stood out as unique among the countries he visited, Devore said. As the gateway to the Middle East and Asia, Turkey is a center for a variety of different religions and cultures.
“The architecture, food and people were totally different than anywhere else,” he said.
During the course of his adventure, Devore snapped over 4,000 photos, which he pared down to 1,800 unique shots. He has selected 100 photos to share during his library presentation.
As for where he hopes to travel next, Devore said his sights are set on South Asia—Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Phillipines.
“I’ve heard it’s good for backpackers,” he said.
Have backpack, will travel.
For more information about Devore’s upcoming presentation, call Houston Library at (937) 462-8047.
Other upcoming library events
– Movie. Watch “The Pagemaster” (G) at 1 p.m. Aug. 6. All ages welcome. The library will provide popcorn.
– Summer Reading Wrap-up. The last day to spend summer reading program coins is Aug. 7. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
– Lego Club. Aug. 10, 3:30-4:30 p.m. For school-aged children
– Emerald Ash Borer. Aug. 13 at 6:30 p.m. Bonnie Martens from the Master Gardeners of Clark County Speakers Bureau is the guest speaker.
