Packing Up

There's an old traveler's joke about how to pack. Take all the stuff and money you think you need, and put it on your bed. Halve the stuff and double the money, and you'll be set for the trip.

On this couch is almost everything I'll have for the trip. It all fits in the backpack with room to spare.

The last few things I have left are mostly paperwork. I'm waiting for the "special" ballot I ordered from King County so that I can vote in the upcoming general election before I leave. The original plan was to have one of my Agros teammates pack my regular absentee ballot with them so that I could vote in Guatemala and have them bring it back home to drop off. But they're not sending out absentee ballots until the day my team arrives in Guatemala. So I had to change tactics.

Aside from that, I'm figuring things out like travel insurance and how to file my taxes from abroad. That and picking up a few final pieces of gear (like deciding between a thin regular towel or getting one of those "quick-dry travel towels" that feel like felt and purportedly start to stink after too much use, even after washing).

Five days until I leave Seattle. I'm taking a pit stop in Chicago to see friends and family, and then I'm starting for my first international destination: Mexico City. It'll be my first time in Mexico at all. A little embarrassing considering I'm from a neighboring country and have taken Spanish classes starting in kindergarten. Still, better late than never.

Let's Get Started

It's one week until my 22nd birthday. Half a month since I graduated from the University of Chicago and came back home to Seattle. Three months until my trip around the world begins.

I'm in the planning stages right now. My first and only commitment as of this post is in Guatemala in mid-October, when I will be volunteering in Belen with Agros. Beyond that, I expect to be deciding where and when to go next as I travel.

However, I've got a vague idea of how it's going to work: I'll start in Mexico and move down Central America, then South America. If I find a cheap way to do it, I'll make a stop near or on Antarctica, then comes the long journey west to Australia and New Zealand. I'll work my way up to East Asia by wintertime. By spring I'll be taking the trip across to Africa, followed by Europe in the summer. If I have a little time and money left over, I'll cross the Atlantic and spend a little time in the Caribbean before heading home (or wherever I end up). Once again, this is all very much up in the air and could change drastically.

Here's where you come in. If you want a piece of the action, I'd love for you to join me, either vicariously or in person. Some of you have actually talked about meeting me somewhere. Drop me a line. Now is the time for me to start planning where I will be exactly when, so if you want to meet me at a specific time and place, let me know and we can start planning together.

Everyone else can still follow what I do right here. I'll be posting pretty often; public internet access is becoming more common internationally and much less expensive than it used to be. I'll be posting regularly with stories and hopefully some good photos, maybe even some video.

In the meantime, I've got some work to do for the next couple of months preparing for the trip. Any and all tips are welcome.

Thank you very much for visiting, and I hope to hear from you soon!