Three Month Recap

As shared and documented in past posts (see 'Whats the Plan?') there is a element of curiousity hardwired into my personality that produces an overwhelming desire to explore, seek to discover, and learn.   For many years I dreamed about the idea of taking one year to ''travel around the world'' to quench this innate desire and see what lie beyond the shores of familiarity.  Yet, it was not till one year ago that the idea evolved into an opportunity and the opportunity into the actions required to actually make it a reality.  If I close my eyes and bring myself back to last summer that voice inside my head sounded something like this:

''Well Nathan, here we are!  We are living a pretty comfortable life here on Kauai.  We have many friends... our loving family close by... some excellent career opportunities... and a lifestyle that affords us the chance to enjoy nature, socialize, and exercise nearly everyday through the medium of surfing!  We have some great routines.  We have fun.  We are healthy.  We are comfortable.  But, we are also curious!  Not completely content.  And, probably a bit underchallenged with this comfortable life we have created for ourselves.  NO, we are definitely underchallenged!  Our close friends are married.  Many growing their families or wıth different priorities than our own.  We turn 30 this year... we are getting old!  We are underchallenged.  There is a BIG world out there.  The economy is bad and there is no lucrative work.  Even if there was... we are getting old!  And, we are underchallenged.  Time to go away... leave comfortable behind and face some challenges and see what happens...''

With that, and completely against my nature, I shoved off with little more than a skeleton plan of linked one way tickets getting me from continent to continent around the world with little or no knowledge of my actual plans and, particularly, the foreign countries I had hoped to visit.  Figuring my path would be forged by information gained through contact with locals and other travelers along the way, I may have been a little overly optimistic!  Now... here I am... living what I had set out to do!  Traveling in such a way (while easily romaticized in our minds) is, as many of my fellow travelers would agree, no picinic.  As with anything there are up sides and down sides.  Good elements and... lets call them... 'more challenging' ones!  But through each challenge there lies a reward on the other side: the reward of growth.   At this juncture I share with you the following excerpt from my personal journal as I reflect on the ups, downs, and all arounds of my fırst three months on the road...

''From the beaches of home in Hawaii to the strip malls of California, California to the shores of the East Caost, the East Coast to the rolling green pastures of the UK, up from London to the mountains of the Scottish highlands, Edbinburgh to the Atlantic swells in Portugal, Portugal to the tapas of Spain, Spain to the city Paris, France to the streets of Amsterdam, The Netherlands to Munich, Germany thru the Alps to the land of the Romans in Italy, Italy across the Sea to the craddle of civilization in Greece, and now Greece to where East meets West in Turkey... I have covered a lot of ground in the time I have thus far been traveling!  Met many interesting people (expats, locals, and travelers alike).  Become profficient at traveling by plane/train/automobile/bus/ferry/donkey/etc.  And, learned enough of the languages of the countries I have visited to make it through (I've made it this far haven't I?).  Looking back there may have been better ways to have planned my route, spent my money, and managed my time... I could have probably done without Amsterdam, it would have been easier had I brought a computer, I may have had more Gelato than I should have,...but NO... no ''should haves'' or ''could haves'' or ''would haves''.  Ah, the paradox of choice: the impulse to lament over decisions of the past rather than look ahead at the future!  It is only now that I believe I am truly hitting my stride as a quote-unquote ''World Traveler.''  Finding my own pace and realizing what it takes not only to get from point A to point Z but, to enjoy everything inbetween.  To travel the world is one thing... to be a World Traveler is another;  that is a big tag that comes with time, experience, and maturity.'' 

It has been over three months now since I sold most of my possessions, took a sabatical from work, rented out my house, and left my island home on Kauai to set out and travel the world.  I've done my best to take full advantage of this ''once in a lifetime opportunity'' by embracing the chances to see many new places, meet many new faces, and partake in a host of various adventures along the way.  I have beheld some amazing sites and spent long hours in transit.  There has been much fun & excitement as well as  frustration and dissappointment.  Gained appreciation for culture and times were I felt disengaged from what ws going on.  Friendships rekindled and new friendships forged.  Challenges faced.  Challenges overcome.  Crossing of paths with many good people and a few bad apples.  Some opportunities that couldn't have been willed and circumstances that I would have not chosen to face.  It was been an interesting ride so far and, no doubt, I have gained much through my experiences already with much more waiting down the road.

This journey is just as much a trip through my mind and heart as it is around the globe.  While it is easy to see a photo of myself standing amongst a beautiful landscape or building it is the gained knowledge that I know is much more valuable.  This knowledge, I am confident, will resonate with me for a long time and, I believe, much of what I am learning will not manifest itself till later in life; thru a revisitation of one of these locales, re-acquaintance with a friend made along the way, or life circumstance that has yet to be foreseen.

Never give up stoking your curiosity.