Thursday, June 18, 2009

You're doing what?

That’s the question I’d get asked most often when I’d tell friends or colleagues that instead of getting a new job or contract, I was going to take time off to travel instead. Then, when they found out I meant international travel by myself, they were really thrown off.


But I’d give more details. Tell them that I wanted to be able to go to the places I’d been dreaming about for years. That I didn’t just want to take a vacation. I want to work, volunteer or learn something new – in every country I visit. Yes, of course I want to see some of the same things that other tourists go to see, but more than that I want to go off the beaten track, meet people who actually live in the areas that I’m visiting.


It didn’t take long for everyone I spoke to to come around. Soon, they were almost as excited as I was about the prospect of a year long trip around the world. I heard the phrase “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” more than once. People began to insist that I had to do it. As thrilled as I was by this newfound dream of mine, I was also scared. I needed a dose of reality.


So I went to dear ol’ dad with my plan. I figured if anyone was going to snap me out of it, it would be him. I prepared myself and fully expected that he’d say it was too dangerous, too foolish, too expensive, too everything else, and just not a good idea in general. Of course, I was still gonna go anyway! And then, surprise surprise, Dad was all for it. He said I should definitely do it if I had the chance and that it was something he wished he could do. Instead of a dose of reality, I ended up even more excited. I knew that if it really was a bad idea (for whatever reason), my dad would definitely not be shy about telling me so. Since he didn’t try to talk me out of it, it had to be a good idea.


The next question people would ask is “How do you plan a trip like that?”


That’s what I was about to find out. . .

3 comments:

  1. I don't know what I am more excited about at the moment. Your pending trip or that you finally started a Blog. (-:

    Do report on that "test-drive" you mentioned last night.

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  2. Look for the "test-drive" report in a couple of days!

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  3. Good for you!!! I'm so happy for you. You are going to meet so many new people and have such wonderful adventures. Just make sure you have great travel health insurance.

    Godspeed my friend!!

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