28andChange

I have left the country twice:

• Once to Canada for a soccer tournament when I was 12
• Once to Costa Rica for a week’s vacation about 2 years ago

World traveler I am not. Frankly, I’ve never really had much of an urge to travel. For me, sight seeing is usually exhausting and museums are not really my thing. I don’t check in on four square, and so hitting up a destination, just to say “been there” is not for me either.

I generally enjoy people and relationships; places are secondary. And so, I’ve concluded that if I am going to travel, it’s going to need to be about shared experiences. I’ll need two things:

1. A traveling companion
2. Time enough in a place to meet and enjoy people

Fortunately, after my previous gig conluded, I found myself in that very situation. I had some extended time to travel and great traveling companion was available (my gf is on summer break from her graduate stusdies).

And so, I have headed East, way East, for the next 40 days.

What (not) to bring

Before I left though, I had to make a couple of important decisions as to what all I would (and would not) bring. I decided that if this trip really is going to be not just about places but also relationships, then I will need to be present in my new surroundings. Therefore, I left a few things behind, namely my laptop and my blackberry.

I am not a complete gadget freak or a total technophile. That said, I do spend just about every waking hour connected to one (or the other) of the two aformentioned contraptions. Thus, my decision to leave them behind certainly presents me with a new reality as I travel. It’ll be interesting to see what it’s like.

Are you nervous?

About being unplugged?

Not really. I am actually genuinely looking forward to leaving work behind and having a good excuse for not responding to personal emails in a timely fashion. As well, I’ll have internet connectivity in most of the places that I travel. I’ll be able to send out the occassional email shout out and hopefully blog real time.

About traveling?

A little bit. I am headed to some very different cultures. That doesn’t leave me panicked, but I have some small fears that I won’t know exactly what to do in various situations. As well, I think I’m a little self-conscious about being a rude American. It’ll be interesting to see if that is the case or if I just end up over-compensating, which may be equally as annoying.

Where are you going?

That’s classified information. You’ll just have to stay tuned for updates. I’ll reveal my destinations one by one as I travel.

Time to get my globe trot on…

posted: 10 May 25
under: Travel