Let the Adventure Begin!

Welcome to my blog!

I've never made one of these before and since I will be travelling for the next six months doing a bit of adventuring, I figured there's no better time to start than right now.

Over the last few years, I've come to love solo-travel, not because I like being alone, but because it makes me feel slightly uncomfortable. This twinge of discomfort pushes me to trust my own competence, practice a certain balance between decisiveness and flexibility, and learn to ask for help when truly necessary.

The first time I did a solo-adventure, I travelled by way of tent and bicycle up the west coast of Ireland and over to the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, and France. That trip — although shorter (1 month) — certainly introduced me to the ups and downs of solo-travel. While I thoroughly enjoyed the unique experience of that journey, loneliness set in pretty quickly. This time around, I'm travelling for a much longer period and aiming for a much more social experience. I've chosen to forgo camping for hosteling and work exchange programs, which will allow me to meet lots of different people along the way.

The locations and the specific things that I will do on this trip are —for the most part— up in the air. I do know, however, that I will be in Spain for the better part of the coming month and Portugal for a few weeks after that. Everything through August and September is in yet-to-be-determined locations in Europe, and everything from October through December is in yet-to-be-determined areas of Latin America. I like to think that my plans are left wide open because I'm meant to meet idly wealthy people with nothing better to do than take me out to 5-star meals and shower me with offers of employment. No, wait, that's not right...I mean, I keep my plans flexible so I can meet dynamic, passionate people who will inspire me to follow my true path (whatever that may be). But let's be honest, either would be fantastic.

Whichever way the wind blows, please stick with me during my journey and I promise to keep you updated and send pictures and stories whenever possible (as long as there's something interesting to report). Fortunately (or perhaps, unfortunately) for you, this blog, my diary, and my budding Pulitzer novel are my primary thinking spaces during this journey, but I'll try to keep those contents separate...cuz let's be serious...you don't even want to know what goes down in that diary. 

A couple of highlights to look forward to: working reception at a naked lodge on the southern coast of Portugal (gettin that tan on), sheep-herding in the Austrian Alps, and learning to surf in Central America! Let's get started...