Im leaving the country and scared witless; care to help with the particulars?
I was 20 when I left the country of my birth for the first time, alone, with only $600 to my name, and boarded a boat to Venice, Italy for “an open ended trip”, without knowing what I’ll do or what I’ll find or how I’ll survive or what I’ll become… This was the best move I’ve ever taken in my life. It was in June 0f ’73. Since then, I lived in almost 50 addresses, changed a few careers, learned to speak 4 additional languages & acquired many skills, I’ve transformed my life at least a dozen radical times, and most importantly, I stayed young & open-minded. I attribute much of it to being away from the comfortable surroundings of the familiar. Don’t be afraid. The chances that something good will happen to you, if you want it, are very high.
Your story is very like mine, 15 or so years ago. Travel-lust and a Big Thirst. Here’s a rough outline of my travel thing (repurposed from a comment made recently elsewhere because I’m lazy): I’ve travelled almost nonstop from university graduation until… well, until now (I still live overseas). That’s 17 years, if you’re counting. I left the first time, to Europe, with a copy of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to Europe in hand, and a few grand left over from my student loans. I lived on the cheap in a major way, sleeping rough where I could, got some jobs under the table where I could, and came back to Canada a year later, after an irate boss in Greece threated to sic immigration on me. I taught high school in my hometown for 6 months on a temp contract, paid off my loans (only about 8 grand — I worked in the sawmills during summer vacations to pay for my education, with some top-ups from my folks), and hit the road again, back to Europe.
Wow! Thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement. It makes me feel exponentially better to hear so many people tell me this is do-able, and to hear from so many who have already done the same thing. Also, thanks for all the links, tips and offers for coffee. I’ll look you up when I get there, syzygy! fshgrl: The bike question was something I needed to ask, but forgot. I’ve got a pretty new Trek that I purchased for commuting / exercise / fun, and was wondering if it would be worth it to take it along. I’m also saddened by the fact that my guitar is a pretty hefty bit of luggage, and will probably have to be left in the States.
