January 17, 2003 | 10:00 AM

From Josh and Debbie�s emails it sounds as though they are having a fabulous time in Europe.

I love hearing other folks� travel stories. I�m one of those people that doesn�t mind the three hour slide show of someone�s continental vacation, complete with an entire roll of a film taken at various airports. In fact I relish it.

In my 25 years, I have most definitely not traveled enough. I�ve been up and down the Eastern Seaboard, to California (once), and to Colorado (once). I�ve been to Canada (many times� Toronto, Quebec, Montreal, the Niagara Falls area, and Lake George) and I�ve been all over France (but not since I was sixteen.), and Colombia (The island of San Andreas off the coast of Costa Rica, which is truly beautiful)

But I haven�t done the backpacking thing and this must be remedied.

Luckily, my sister Bethy is studying abroad next year most likely in Florence, Italy. And if so, I�m gonna scoot out there for a few weeks. I also have a cousin who�s a barrister in London and an Aunt and Uncle, both of whom are professors at Leeds College in Yorkshire, so I could easily spend a great deal of time in the UK.

I�ve been looking at plane fares and at my calendar and my budget, trying to figure out when to take the three week jaunt around Italy and Britain, and possibly a little side trek to the Netherlands.

In other news, here�s a plug for tonight�s event at The Milky Way. Directly quoting from the website:

Tonight
Venus Factor III
Bring out the mesh and neon, it's a totally 80s show with resident DJ Dali and other selectresses spinning 80s new wave, hip hop and electro music. come down to learn more about The Venus Factor, Boston's only urban collective promoting women's artistic expression. We'll inform you with our future plans, and how you can get involved. This show is a benefit for What's Up Magazine and the Haley House for the Homeless.

Time: 9 PM
Cost: $8

If you haven�t heard Dali spin, you really ought to go because she�s pretty damned good. It�s sure to be a grand ole� time and your eight dollars will go to a couple of important causes, so you can feel like a humanitarian while you�re shakin it on the dance floor.

Tomorrow night Bethy and I are throwing a party at my abode. It�s my very first party at this apartment (well, besides intimate dinner parties consisting of three or four people) and I am highly looking forward to it.

The weekend is looking dandy so far�