Off the Couch and On the Road

It’s funny how so many people have amazing travel stories that you never hear about until you mention you are going travelling. I resigned from work last week and suddenly everyone was recounting anecdotes from their yesterdays – volcanic thermal pools in Turkey, a stint as a factory worker in London, rooftop bars in Croatia, nannying in the USA – I’m kind of sick of talking about my trip by now, but hearing about everyone else’s adventures is wonderful.

In a way it confirms my belief that everyone should ‘sail away from the safe harbour’ at one point during their life, even if it’s only to gather some great stories. As Victoria from Europe on an Alphabet said:

“Life is too short and the world is too big to sit still for too long. After all, I may be hit by a number 57 bus tomorrow, and it’d suck if my tombstone read something like: “Did nothing, travelled nowhere, let her continue to rest in peace.”

There are still a few things I need to do – I have my pack, a fleece, trekking shoes, a new camera and enough asthma medication to bribe a Columbian drug lord, but still need to get some more clothes and other bits and pieces. My arms are constantly sore from all my immunisations and I am just finalising visas and looking at my car despondently wondering if there is a soul naive enough to actually buy it. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

-Sarah

“I’m going everywhere,” I’d tell people that asked – and it wasn’t too far from the truth. To resolve my problem of deciding which continents to visit, I decided to take the plunge and visit them all. After all, who knows when I will have another chance to become a jobless, friendless, poor, globe-trotting wanderer? I know, enticing.

So, keeping in mind that things may change (depending on how soon I run out of money), here is the basic, original plan:

March: Indochina – Thailanad, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia
April: Everest Base Camp and hopefully volunteering for a week or two at the recently established Dhaulagiri orphanage (see www.nextgenerationnepal.org or http://blogs.bootsnall.com/conor)
May: Europe – hopefully just laying on a beach somewhere for a while. Then after I get a tan, maybe UK, France, Italy, Croatia, Greece and Turkey
August: Africa (Nairobi to Victoria Falls) as well as Egypt
October: Up to Canada to maybe get some work, and utilise the 90 USA visa where I can (Christmas in New York?) – hopefully the sister can join me at this point
February: South America (Rio to Lima) including Machu Piccu trek
March: Back up to Canada and either work and travel for another few months, or come home
 
Eight weeks to go!

-Sarah