I am a month away from beginning my 7 months of travel. I am feeling…about 1,000 different things. First let me give you context for what the next month will look like. DeeDee and I are selling our house, buying a new one AND moving all before I leave on June 2. I am writing this sitting in Breckenridge, Colorado enjoying a long weekend away and wondering why the hell am I taking a long weekend away when we have so much to do. Oh yeah we also get to drive to Lawrence, KS to pick up the offspring after his first year at the University of Kansas. Work. There is also work. I need to prepare everything so all the people who will be working harder so I can gallivant around the world will be set up for success while I am gone. I am sure this is shocking but I am struggling to focus at work as well. So this month is going to be a whirlwind of excitement and stress.
So how do I feel? I feel excited, stressed, guilty, giddy, uncertain, grateful, scared out of my mind, joyous, satisfied, like I might be losing my mind and I am sure a few other things as well. That is a lot to hold and sometimes I feel like it all might just come out at once like when a star dies and forms a black hole…I know that is really dramatic, but I mean in terms of a metaphor I do think it is a winner.
Travel planning is both stressful and fun. I experience a great amount of satisfaction when I book a flight, a room or an activity. I also experience stress about whether I got the best price and whether I am maximizing my loyalty points. I am a novice travel hacker and I always have a nagging voice in the back of my head asking if I did it right. I mean, I am fortunate enough to be able to travel for 7 months so really how wrong can I get it. That being said the voice in my head telling me I screwed up is very strong and persistent.
I do know a few things about my trip so let me share them with you. I fly to Frankfurt Germany on Sunday June 2nd and arrive on the morning of June 3rd. I decided to use some Hilton Honors points and stay 3 nights in the Hilton Garden Inn that is connected to the airport. I have never been to Germany so why not explore. On June 6th I fly to Tirana, Albania and have an Airbnb booked until the 13th. My goal is to explore as much as I can. From June 13th-24th I was supposed to be working at a hostel in Sarande in exchange for free room and board. I found this using the Workaway site. This morning I found out that the workaway fell through so I have a week and a half to explore Albania. This was a good reminder that when travelling flexibility is important. I am bummed out but not discouraged. DeeDee and Jared will fly to Dubrovnik, Croatia on June 25th and we will spend some time exploring Croatia and then Greece. That is what I know for now and it seems like a enough. I have some planning done for Asia in the fall but that is another blog. Just a little spoiler to let you know I am doing a River Cruise in Myanmar with Kara & Nate (if you don’t know who they are go to YouTube right now and find out). Mostly I wanted to share that because there is still room on the cruise and I am sure YOU should join us.
So as Michael Stipe once said about the end of the world…this is the beginning of my new world and I feel fine!
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To infinity and beyond!!! So excited for you. Thanks for starting a blog so we can all follow.
So excited for you!
only one (real) rule to follow….safety first, my friend. Godspeed. Peace.
Oh my goodness your to do list in this last month!!! Having been in semi-similar shoes before my little stunt in Albania 🙂 here’s my hindsight advice/comfort….. the things on your list that are absolute must-dos will get done. They simply will. And things that only seemed like absolute must-dos will start to take on new identities like “delegated to-dos” and “will be nice if I get to them to-dos” and “welp, that’s not a to-dos”. And to draw from your title and a little Jason Mraz “details in the fabric” inspiration….. everything will be fine.
You Got This Lance!!! I am beyond thrilled for you.
Rruge te mbare! Albanian/Shqip for safe travels/may the road be good to you!!
This is exciting. Safe travels to you!
Remember the genesis of your desire to travel; let those desires be your guide as you continue to unravel your next steps. Kick out that midlife crisis BS, you are not in crisis, you just knew what you wanted to do and are executing like a BOSS! Safe travels LEW, hope I see you on the road.
Thank you my friend! I certainly hope I do see you on the road at some point.
If riding make sure of your roads and having proper tires on the bike to make it more comfortable/safer. You may also want to bring a sat phone depending on where you are going through. Depending on your bike we were lucky and had a small trailer so we kelp a cooler to keep drink and snack cost down. The trailer was a last minute addition but was great to have as we had a tent and backup of a lot of the parts that we might have needed. Be safe!
Only biking at this point is a day riding during the Myanmar River Cruise. Who knows maybe I will end up doing more.
Well, this sure beats a motorcycle if you ask me! I am so thrilled for you and your family! I cannot wait for the sneak peeks as I keep an eager eye on your blog and new adventure!
Safe travels, my friend!
A few weeks to go – very exciting. This time last year we were counting down, packing up a house and finishing up work. Good luck and enjoy your travels.