The first time I hopped around the world in 2019/2020 visiting 17 countries before Covid sent me … well, packing, I learned a lot of what I needed, didn’t need, and wish I had while traveling. I bought many things along the way and gave away some as well. This time, I am faced with…
It’s that part of when two magnets are attracted to each other and you slowly begin to pull them apart. The magnets pull each other in and resist separation. With just a little more effort guiding in opposite directions, the bond is broken and each magnet is released from each other. This is how I…
Lists are great and all but the reality of the situation is: I have an 80L backpack (I had to get a new backpack as my previous large backpack at 50L was too small) and a 35L daypack and all the “Simplified Life” stuff needs to fit into these two bags. Not to mention I…
Appropriate picture? Comic relief. It’s the best way I deal with stress. There are so many little things that need to be taken care of before one leaves home for a year; it can be very overwhelming. How will you pay the bills? Set up automatic payments as much as possible. Do you have a…
I’m not a very touchy feely kind of person. Logic dominates my brain. But Charlotte’s Web, any dog movie where he passes away, or most of Nicholas Sparks novels will have me sobbing uncontrollably. Whatever. I don’t get it. Emotions are sticky and gross. For the past month I have been saying a lot of…
How will you remember your trip? So many creative ways to capture moments to remember: *travel journal: paper or phone notes *photography using a professional camera, mid-grade or Smartphone *scrapbook *send/collect postcards from the places you visit *scetchbook of specific scenes you encounter *memorabilia collections (magnets, mugs, spoons, rocks, bells, tickets, etc.) *Instagram – what’s…
I’ve always been a pretty healthy person so when someone suggested I get a check up before I leave, I shrugged it off. I hadn’t been to see a general practitioner in years and only went then because I moved cities and needed to get a local doctor – just in case. It is a…
Bank fees. Why? I worked in a bank for 10 years and every moment I spent conversing with a customer over their monthly service fee, I empathized. My job was to justify the charges. You can see how this was a catch 22. My goal since then has been to carry my currency with those…
If you know me, you will know this is a challenge that I will either overcome or end up lugging a 500lb backpack around with me and eventually end up looking like the Terminator. Thirteen months of travel means approximately 390 days of clothing. My wardrobe can handle about this, my shoulders cannot. In my…
The question is seldom asked, out of politeness, but on the minds of many: “How much is this trip around the world costing you?” An honest question with sincere intent but I am not a fortune teller. I can’t tell you how much I will spend in 13 months of travelling the globe. I can…
There are 195 countries to daydream about but not all of them are as open to receiving as you are to explore. Like a dog jumping at the door excited to see you, welcome you, and shower you with kisses, there are some places that will give the look of pure uncensored disgust. Or worse.…
So. You have decided that you are going to risk it all and take the trip around the globe that has played with desire on your mind where every excuse, year by year, has pushed it farther and farther to the back. Leaving your job, friends, family, pets, volunteer activities, extracurricular activities, comforts and responsibilities of…