Well, after much research (on countries of interest, cost of living, transportation, starting points, weather, routes, soccer league schedules in Mexico & Argentina, flights available on low miles, holidays, and some other factors I’m forgetting at the moment), internal debate, a postponement of my resignation date at Golazo, and some nerves, I finally did it: I booked my flight out of the US and will begin my long-awaited, ’round-the-world trip on December 1st in Mexico City!
Now, it’s not the first flight I’ve booked for this trip. That actually happened a few weeks ago, when I couldn’t pass up an absolutely perfect flight on Delta for the 2nd leg of the trip (meaning after my sister’s wedding in Vegas, for which I’m coming home July 10th-ish next year). But today I booked the first flight I’ll be boarding to kick off a great journey. It was a step I couldn’t put off much longer.
I got to this point by finally deciding to spend the first part of my trip exclusively in Mexico & South America. This wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right one for me.
New Zealand, Australia, China, Russia, France, and Spain were all part of the original rough draft of stops for leg one. But the killer fare from Santiago to Auckland to Sydney to Shanghai ($800, with stopovers as long as I wanted!), an epic rail trip on the TransMongolian, Euro 2016 in France, the Running of the Bulls in Spain, Hobbiton, and Shanghai Disney will all have to wait.
It’s either go wide and shallow or stay narrow and a dig a little deeper into each place you visit on these kinds of trips. And while two to eight weeks in any country will barely allow you to scratch the surface, it is better than trying to see/do too many things, travel too fast, spend too much, and simply cross things off a bucket list instead of enjoying the journey. I’m quite looking forward to to savoring places a little more, getting lost, not worrying about missing a connection, and having flexible plans.
So, the plan is to hit the homeland for six to eight weeks and finally see places I’ve never been, spend time with my sister who is studying abroad in Mexico City, enjoy the holidays with the family, get a game in at the beautiful new stadium in Monterrey, and try not to get fat as hell doing so.
Nothing ever goes according to plan, but even if it doesn’t, I can’t wait to start this trip!