Thoughts on life

I've spent the last month or so continually looking at different travel blogs to get a good idea of what's out there to see and do in different parts of the world. A very common theme I've stumbled across is many people going on a trip of the sort that I'm planning and they've either yet to return or they nearly immediately departed on a subsequent trip that has yet to finish. “Two years, one circumnavigation of the planet, one backpack, and still going” or “10 years and counting,” or “I left home on a three month trip to Asia that has yet to end” and even “Ran away from home at the age of sixteen and have travelled the last 8 years.” These are all things I've seen again and again on various travel blogs.

This is the lifestyle I've always wanted to do. I've always wished to find a way to travel from place to place without needing a trust fund or some sort of magical money tree. It seems that there's an availability to do all of this, albeit as long as you're willing to put the effort into it.

Things that I want to look into include teaching english, farm stays, WWOOFing, and various other things that can keep me going, traveling, seeing the real world that's out there. My reasons for doing this are because, basically, it's something I want to do. Why not? I want to find a sustainable way to be a modern nomad. Too many people sit at home and never go anywhere or do anything because they're either a) Afraid, or b) Think that they can't do it.

I don't want to be the “typical American” that listens to everything their Gov't tells them, watches TV like jersey shore and other stupid things, drinks the Kool-Aid, etc. etc. I'm not that, I wish I could say that I've never been that, but I used to be pretty closed minded, Mostly due to religion dictating how I thought, acted, etc. Since then though, I've been able to make significant progress in search of my “essential self.”

For example: Growing up, I was the kid that moved a lot. I was repeatedly the new kid. In addition to that, I was the kid that didn't have any good “grandparent stories.” you know the ones, your friends (or maybe even you, yourself) all talk of the times spent visiting the grandparents, getting outrageous jealousy inspiring gifts, and having an altogether good time.

I never had that in my life, and yet I'm better for it as I take much less for granted. What I've come to realize about myself is the uniqueness of my life isn't a bad thing. I was the kid with the not so nice grandparents, the new kid in town (or state), and the “weird kid” quite often as I tend to enjoy things based on whether or not I like them.

Moving on to adulthood, I've tried thinking quite long about where I'm supposed to fit in-

I really don't know yet.

I honestly have no idea where I belong in the world. Though I do know where I don't want to be. I don't want to be a typical 9-5er, or work in a cubicle and not go anywhere. My fear is getting trapped somewhere and not able to get out. I'm fairly certain this has something to do with my decision to take this trip.

Mostly this was a post on ideas that turned into thoughts on where I want to be. I'm trying to discover what I want to be/do with my life.

Budgeting, Gear, and Preparations

Last saturday, 8/6, I received my passport in the mail! So on that front I'm all set. I'm going to be planning out a proper itinerary once I work out my final budget and then get visa's, flight costs, and insurance figured.

Budgeting:

As it stands, part of the plan was to use whatever school money would be left after paying for classes, housing, etc. as well as every bit of money from my normal pay since housing will be paid for, will go towards my trip. I was hoping that would equal out to about $2k-$3k as a pretty good starter.

I found out that after all of the other things are paid for (to a degree) I'll have maybe $1500 from remaining grant money. Though the up-side is that pays for the flight and insurance (rough estimates) and if I can save $100 or more per week I can have about $4000 to work with in general.

Leaving myself $1000 in hold for emergencies/alternate transport etc., I'll have $3k to work with for the duration. I may wait an extra month and leave mid-june to give myself an extra $500 or so to work with towards fun things like diving, snorkeling, tubing, etc.

According to most people I've talked to, If I keep to a very minimum budget and keep from drinking a lot all the time (which I don't do anyway. The whole 'heart' thing and all) I can easily live comfortably off of $600-700. So if I have 3k to work with, a 3 month trip is pretty feasible. Add to that if I can do volunteer work in exchange for housing and maybe food I'll have more funds available to travel longer if desired, or to do more things, or even to come home with and save for the next adventure.

Gear:

Now that I know this trip can happen, it's time to think about gear. I'm going to start with backpacks and footwear since those are pretty much the main items any backpacker will need.

Packs:

What I'm looking for in a pack is one that can carry what I need to take, can fit as a carry on luggage, is small enough not to be too bulky and still be able to put in on my lap for taxi's, tuk-tuks, etc.

I actually began my search at the local Alpine Shop since I guessed there would be people working there that have actually used some of their own products or could even point me in the right direction if its something they don't sell.

Osprey: The first packs I tried out were from Osprey which are on the more expensive side of things.

• Atmos 50: The first pack I looked at and actually the top of my list as far as comfort and size.

Pros:

• Very comfortable. Breathable mesh in the back
• Stayed cool during a quick walk during a tryout with sand-bags inside it.
• Has pockets on each side of the belt that can hold things like a camera etc.
• It's large enough at 50 liters to hold whatever I need while still being small enough to use
  as a carry-on.
• Nearly unlimited lifetime guarantee. Seriously, they call it the “All Mighty Guarantee.” I could pick up an old pack that was torn up and send it off to get repaired and only pay shipping.
• Cons:
  • Pockets on belt are mesh and thereby not waterproof.
  • Bag doesn't seem to have any kind of attachment for a locking mechanism.
  • Doesn't lock.

Lafuma: More affordable than the Osprey, but not by much.

• Mont Blanc 60L
  • Pro's
    • It has an “easy adjust” back system that seems to work ~okay.
    • Can store up to 65 Liters and also pack down to the size of a 35L pack if not loaded fully.
    • Comes with a rain-cover that is packed into its own pocket
  • Con's
    • Back adjustment system felt like it didn't fit my back like it should have, even after adjusting
    • Seemed kinda heavy even when empty.
    • Not very vented, Good for winter backpacking, Not so much for tropical areas?

High Sierra: Much cheaper packs, Mostly on the larger side of life. I wasnt too impressed with these packs overall. I was able to find 3 different ones locally, and they all seemed to have the same issues.

While I'll admit these are probably very nice packs and they had decent pocket layouts etc, I just couldn't seem to get the 45L comfortable at all and the other two are too large.

• Long Trail 90L
• Sentinal 65L
• Summit 45L
  • Non-adjustable back on some models.
  • No Belt pockets
  • Hip belt seemed overly large and bulky on every model.

-OVERALL: Though there are more packs available in town (Kelty and Gregory are two) I think I'm pretty much sold on the Osprey Atmos 50 pack. It's by far the most comfortable especially with weight in it. It seems to fit my back and hips better than the other packs I've tried, though I will be going out to look at the Kelty and Gregory packs soon.

As far as shoes go, I bought a pair of Merrell Chameleon 3 hybrid hikers. I've been wearing them for work currently and they're great thus far. I'm considering a pair of fivefingers shoes as something to wear in the rain, but I may just go with some decent sandals/flip-flops since that seems to be what most people suggest.

Preparations:

As of about 2 weeks ago I've been on a new diet and exercise regime to get back into shape and be more ready to handle this kind of trip. My goal is to lose at least 30 lbs (puts me at 200) and ideally 50 lbs (which puts me at 180.) Included in this goal is to hopefully get my heart in check and not have it as a worry or issue in the back of my mind. To get to this goal I am exercising every day, cutting out all sodas, caffeine, and nearly all of the sweets (not all because you need something to look forward to.) I've changed over to almond and coconut milk instead of regular dairy, and I'm starting to lay out a proper diet meal plan.

So with luck, I'll be in much better shape and feeling pretty good, Healthy enough to stay healthy, and have a pretty good time for the beginning of my world travels.

My Official Destination for Summer 2012

I know that I've changed my mind a few times about what destination I'll be headed to for my big trip. First it was Australia, then it was Europe, until I realized that not only was I leaving out the area of the world I want to see the most, I was leaving it out because I thought it was somewhere I couldn't go.

Once I started to seriously look into south east Asia as a viable option, it became clear that not only is it an amazing alternative, it's also VERY within my budget. My reasoning that it wasn't an option were as follows:

1: An airline ticket to south east asia is MUCH more expensive than to Europe:

FALSE -Airline tickets on the same day (May 21, 2012, my estimated departure date) from St Louis cost nearly the same! $700 to London and $850 to Bangkok. If you're looking for the cheapest airfare, you need to take into account which airports are most commonly flown to, or can handle the large airliner traffic. Flying into Vietnam or Italy directly can cost much more. The easiest way I found to pick somewhere was to take a look at what stopovers there are in the area. Set your flight to where you're wanting to go and look at the stopovers. From the US to EU the most common one I found was London. To SE Asia, it was Hong Kong and Bangkok. Since China isn't on my itinerary at the moment, though it may change since I can stop in Hong Kong and check out a little of China on my way back home, I chose to fly into Bangkok even though where I want to go is Cambodia, Vietnam, and possibly Bali.

2: SE Asia will be more expensive than Europe:

FALSE -This was a pretty ridiculous notion in the first place. SE Asia contains many nations that are considered third world and as such have MUCH lower costs of living as well as some VERY cheap options for housing. As I started looking at the options for budgeting I was given average statistics:

For Europe I was suggested a bare bones budget of €50 (or about $75 USD) per day. Thats staying at the cheapest hostels, eating two small meals a day either from the cheapest restaurants or going to a market and living off food I make myself. Not using any private transit unless its a bicycle and not taking taxi's pretty much at all. This includes paying for very cheap activities if any and limiting any kind of museum visits. Add into this that I'd be traveling during the peak tourist season and it can be more expensive since I've been told that the cheaper hostels can fill up quickly. Even more so, the 2012 summer olympics are in London so that will be something else that has the possibility to stretch my budget even thinner. Though my budget can make it at that level, its not the most ideal situation.

For SE Asia I was suggested a budget of around 1000 Thai Baht ($33-35 USD) per day. This includes staying at hostels, guest houses, though in some areas can include low end hotels (though still not your expensive rooms). Eating food from vendors and cheaper restaurants, taking public or some minor cheap private transportation. So with the budget I have in mind, This is a MUCH better alternative, I can leave open the option for the occasional treat or if I really need a good night a decent hotel, I can spring for it. Plus it leaves open options for cheap domestic flights around the area if needed or desired (some are around $70 or less). This all adds up to being able to do much more with the same budget, more flexibility, and all around ease of mind.

3: SE Asia is dangerous to travel through. Especially for Americans

FALSE: -The Vietnam war is over. Its cliché for me to go to that as my argument, but it is something that came to mind. I've been reading and getting information from people traveling in the same areas right now. They've been saying that its a pretty amazing locale that isn't nearly as dangerous as other areas they'd been to (ex: south africa, areas of south america, etc) and that I should “definitely make the trip.” Another person suggested “As an american traveling with some aussies, I've noticed that people can pick you out simply by the gear you wear. Avoid North Face like the plague, it tags you as an american.”

Now that I've fully decided on SE Asia as my official destination, I'm working out what to take, where to go, and what to do once I get there. Look out for upcoming posts on Gear, Itineraries, as well as Ideas on what I'm going to do. For now though, 300 more days until the big trip!

-Greg

Travel 2

The second facebook note/post to be reposted here.

Alright, on monday I went to the post office and sent off for a passport. So step one for next summer's trip is in process. Currently my travel plans are up in the air, after running the numbers it came to light that a trip to europe would be more financially accessible as well as the fact that northern hemisphere summer is southern hemisphere winter. Traveling to australia in the middle of winter doesn’t seem like the most genius idea ever to me.

So once it was decided that the new destination would be europe, I wanted to look into what I'm going to need to take, where to go, what I want to see, etc. I was advised to sit and think about what it is that I'm looking for out of this trip. It's a good question to ask ones self when working out a potentially life changing event. I sat down to think after work the other day and what came to me was:

I want adventure.

I know people will see that and immediately think of every Indiana Jones movie or something of the sort. That's not what I mean though, I want adventure in the form of new experiences. I actually look forward to missing a bus or connection because it throws a wrench into the mix. It causes you to think on your feet and change your plans at a moments notice. That's the art of travel, realizing that you can always change your mind or change what you're doing. Up there with adventure, I want to see the world. I want spontaneity.

What really made me understand that this is what I want to do was thinking back to all those times a teacher asked me "in an ideal world, what would you do for a living?" the existential question that is supposed to help you find what career you should look into. Well, I generally answered either "I don't know" or "Travel. I would travel all the time and write about it"

of course one teacher said "well, pick something else" and another "I don't think thats a feasible goal." Hey, you're the ones that asked the question and said "in an ideal world" not me. But in all brutal honesty, My dream is to start traveling and never stop. If I could find a way to make it work and make some kind of living off of it, I would.

I realize that this is a dream of many a person. "what makes you any different?" I hear you cry. I don't think my ideal makes me any different than anyone else. I'm an optimist to a fault and I'm willing to work for what I want. If someone wanted me to travel to vietnam in the peak of the rainy season just to see if there’s a way to make a trip out of it. I'm there. Go through the middle east even when there’s a war on? You know I'd be there and write about it. "Oh, there’s a little possibility that you could be captured and killed" my response: when does my flight leave and what specifics do you want when I get there? Honestly there’s more of a chance of getting hit by lightning or any number of things. No matter the statistic, Its all chance. If it happens, it happens. It'll buff out one way or another. I don't necessarily think "everything happens for a reason" more so "everything happens."

Variety is the spice of life and I want to try as much of it as I can. I believe that there’s a certain element to people across the globe. I want to find it and experience it. I might not be the most fit, good looking, intelligent, street smart, or even dumbest guy ever, but I like to think that I can convey an idea through words on a page. So despite my possible delusions of grandeur, I'm an optimist. If there’s a possibility there, I'm going to take it.

next in my "Travel" series: gear and my minimalist packing goal. but that's another time.

Travel

Originally posted on my facebook account, Reposting here because this will be the new home of my pre-travel and travel writings

Travel:

I've long said that I desire travel and new experience like most people desire stability and normalcy. I've recently been thinking more and more on travel, be it local, mid-range (within the US) and long range (abroad).

This desire to travel stems from a lifetime (thus far) of constant change and flux, moving from place to place and not staying anywhere more than a couple years at most. Additionally I realized that it also comes from my pre/post graduation present to myself where I travelled to Canada and back to see a good friend. Taking that trip is/was one of the greatest experiences of my life due to the vast amount of experiences involved. I spent a grand total of 100+ hours on greyhound buses and stations, met dozens of new people that I wish I had stayed in contact with, and gained a story that not many other people have to tell.

Thinking back to swapping music with a budding businessman on the StL-Chicago leg, to the girl that started giving birth 3 seats behind me in the middle of ohio. Sharing food with the other bus-goers at the US/Canada border and having them pool together and pay for a replacement for my lost connection ticket. Watching bootleg movies with a young woman in Buffalo to playing guitar at a hot-dog vendor's stall in Toronto during layovers. Talking to a Soldier on his way to Korea and another on his way home from Afghanistan. Being questioned by border patrol and having my bags searched at EVERY SINGLE BORDER (and most of the bus stations) to having the very weird (kidding) man sitting next to me be detained for being oddly radioactive (not kidding) and then only JUST making it home in time to make it to my graduation. Good or bad, ALL of these things are fond memories of what constituted a summer after high-school. That's only the time spent in transit too. I had even more experiences once I'd reached my destination.

Now, since that time I've been pretty stagnant in my travels. There haven't been any "life changing" trips or really any trips for that matter. I've lived in the same area of the country for the longest in my life. In that time though I've held various jobs, lived in a few houses, had various room-mates, relationships, etc. I started college and tried out a year at a university, gained new friends and lost others, learned what its like to have and have-not. Overall though, I still think back to that time spent traveling The new people, places, things, ideas, experiences. They've all made a difference in my life for better or worse. I miss it those experiences and options. I miss wondering what's going to happen in the next minute, hour, day, week, month, etc. or what the next bus change will bring. Who will be sitting next to me on the next flight, will they be sociable or will I have to find ways to occupy myself.

I desire travel like most people desire new gadgets or phones or pretty much anything desirable. I began questioning myself: "what's keeping me from doing it? why haven't I gone anywhere in a LONG time?" It isn't like the trip was horrifyingly expensive, I worked on a horse farm for a bit and made money to do things. As well as some amazing generosity of my hosts, which I am forever grateful for. When I actually got down to thinking about it, I realized what was holding me back: nothing.

So I've decided to see what there is to see, what I can do on my very very limited budget. The plan in no uncertain terms is to travel next summer. No exceptions. I'm giving up getting a car or finishing my motorcycle project for the time being. I have transportation as it is. I will be getting my passport as soon as possible and will begin planning through WWOOF, backpacking, and a few other things that were suggested to me by other travelers I've met along the way.

So for better or worse, I will travel with minimal amounts of junk, within my budget, and as far as I can go while still getting back for the following school year. Life is meant to be lived.

((EDIT: Apologies for the terrible formatting of the first two posts. They were constructed through the facebook notes app as well as in word. The formatting did not transfer well.))