When I first started to envision what my round the world trip itinerary would look like, a year on the road seemed like a very, very long time – more than enough to see and do everything I ever wanted.
As I began to put pen to paper and divvy up my precious days among the entire world, I realized that a year is just a wee sliver of time. Unless I sprint from place to place, seeing only the guidebook highlights, breezing through museums and grabbing fast food on the go, I don’t stand a chance of checking off everything on my list.
The thing is, I don’t want to sprint. That’s what I do now. I run from home to work to the gym to dinner to bed and then start all over the next morning, never ever catching my breath, and still never feeling physically or mentally in shape.
While this trip is obviously about traveling, it’s also about having the free time and mental space to try new things like… meandering. Oh, to meander! For me, it’s not just about seeing the monuments and taking the postcard shots. I want to experience the culture, walk the neighborhood streets and learn the languages of the places I’m visiting.
I won’t be able to do any of that if I’m trying to check off an ambitious destination-driven list, so eventually I accepted that my itinerary couldn’t possibly include all the places I ever dreamed of. Like many of you, I would love to go everywhere and see everything, but since my lotto dreams have yet to come true, this jaunt inevitably has to end before I check off 190+ countries.
Instead of trying to cram it all in, I’ve decided to pare down my checklist. Stay tuned for the list of chosen destinations!
