Outline of a great journey

It’s incredibly exciting to have an opportunity to fulfill a dream and travel for an extended amount of time soon. I’ve done a ton of research on destinations, marquee events, weather, cost, etc., and now, one month out, I feel I’m about as prepared as I need to be for the first stage. Despite the fact that I’ll be on the road for about 2 years, there really is so much out there to experience and so little time.

Over the course of this year, I’ve slowly gone from a long, crazy wish list of places I’d love to visit and events I want to partake in, to a far more realistic expectation of what I can comfortably accomplish on this trip and actually enjoy, because that’s the key. There’s no point in trying to see/do/eat it all because it’d be ridiculously exhausting, expensive, and, well, impossible. I’m not out to amass as many passports stamps as I can just to say “I’ve been there;” not trying to impress anyone. I’d rather take my time and appreciate places, not just check things off a list and move on. Quality over quantity.

In essence, I don’t have a rigid plan to which I’ll adhere. It’s more of a solid outline. While I have a route in mind, I want to let the journey take me, and I can’t do that if everything is planned. Besides, nothing ever goes according to plan, anyway, so flexibility is a big plus.

I’ll be traveling with whatever I can fit into my trusty 50L REI backpack, and staying mostly at hostels & AirBnBs, with the occasional CouchSurf. I’m also going to Workaway and help others while picking up interesting new skills along the way.

I’ve booked 3 flights (LAS-MEX, CUN-SCL, and LAX-JNB), and that’s it.

So, here’s the outline of a great journey:

• Roadie from Seattle to Vegas – November 21st to November 24th-ish.
  • It was tempting to stick around for the Seahawks vs 49ers game, but not at the expense of hitting terrible Thanksgiving traffic. I’ll be shooting down the coast in my tightly-packed VW Rabbit, stopping in the Bay Area, passing through LA, and trying to make it to Vegas before Wednesday.
• Mexico – December 1st to February 1st, starting in Mexico City.
  • Lost of family time with some solo side trips. Monterrey, Oaxaca, and Cancún are for sure in. A Baja roadie may be, too.
• South America – February 1st to July 10th or so, starting in Santiago, Chile.
  • going south to north (Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia) is the idea, but if I end up spending 4 months in one place, so be it. I’m most excited about Argentina, Ecuador, and Colombia, but that may change once I hit the ground.
• Vegas/LA – July 11-July 18th.
  •  I have important ring-bearer duties to perform at my sister’s wedding July 15th, and I don’t want to be jet-lagged. Leaving from LA was cheaper & paid off with a killer business class flight on miles!
• Africa – July 20th through March 2017.
  • This is the part of the journey that I’m most excited about! I absolutely fell in love with South Africa and I’m really looking forward to going overland (mostly) from Cape Town to Cairo via Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Or maybe I’ll only make it halfway. Not on an organized tour, but on my own, by foot, bus, and train. Wish me luck.
• Eastern Europe – April 2017 to mid June 2017
  • Turkey (maybe), Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland.
• Russia – Late June and July 2017
  • St. Petersburg & Moscow are my anchors, so hopefully Mexico plays there during the Confederations Cup. After that, I’ll get on the TransMongolian rail route and work my way to Beijing, stopping at a few places in Russia and Mongolia.
• China – August 2017
  • Humongous country, sticking mostly to whatever’s around Beijing & X’ian

After this point, it’s either come home because I’m out of money, steam, or both. Or keep it going and maybe close out the trip in New Zealand. Which would be fitting, since Hobbiton is there.

I’m sure places and dates will change, and I’m good with that.

If this all sounds crazy, it’s probably because it is a little crazy and unconventional. But I’m excited and looking forward to going on this adventure. Live vicariously if you’d like, but, by all means, if you want to join me at any point for whatever amount of time, friends and family, please do. Or if my journey will take me near yours, let me know, and perhaps our paths will cross (right, Mallori & Josh?)