Sunday, December 30th 2012. Ten days until liftoff. Thirty something hours until the new year. Have we given ourselves enough time to ready ourselves and say goodbye? Have I prepared for my imminent departure for a new world? These are the tough questions roaming through my anxious mind as our trip rapidly approaches. It seemed to be so far away until recently as the days have been whipping by faster and faster until, Bam! Only ten more days of mild coastal California weather, sleeping in my own bed and burritos!
I still remember these plans in their “someday” phase. The months of contemplating, weeks of planning and days of organizing and packing are finally culminating to the trip of a lifetime now just on the horizon. My catalyst for this trip was being laid off back in May of this year from a wonderful Santa Cruz business, greenspace. As greenspace evaluated its options for the future, so did I and my ever so significant other, Megan. We spent the end of summer fantasizing different trips around the world. After whittling down our fantasies down to a more realistic dream, we settled upon south east (SE) Asia as our primary destination. The concentrated diversity of peoples, geographies and food as well as the low prices helped make SE Asia our primary target for visiting. SE Asia has also been fairly well traveled by Aussies, Kiwis and Scandinavians for some time. The region as a whole seemingly has a laid back nature (and some surf) that I desperately crave. Finally, of all the areas of the world, I know laughingly little about Asia, especially the SE corner and the prospect of visiting places so foreign to me greatly excites me almost as much as it scares me.
But I want to be scared too; like the feeling of watching a horror film not knowing what to expect, except that freaking out is assured. And the more I tackle problems that arise, the less I freak out over frustrating situations and the stronger and more confident I become. Because sometimes the hard way is the only way to really learn a lesson. I digress.
Megan and I are eager to launch ourselves into new cultures, learning new customs, lifestyles and languages. We want to get the most out our stay in each country which is why we are going to attempt to arrange work stays in many of the cities on our itinerary. The basic concept behind this is that we contact hosts who offer a bed to sleep in and meals to eat (depending on agreement) in exchange for 4-6 hours of domestic, hospitality or farm work per day for 6 days a week. We find hosts via different networks (i.e. workaway, helpx, woof, etc.) and contact them a few weeks ahead of time to arrange for a stay. We gain an extremely low cost extended stay, local knowledge, immersion in a foreign household, meeting new people and possibly new skills while working for a welcoming host. I am very much looking forward to seeing how this pans out for us.
We may never get another chance like this ever again, which was the main reason behind starting this blog and for taking this trip to begin with! I am grateful for this opportunity to see the world and I know I have my friends and family to thank for all the moral and financial support. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I now get to share with you the sights, people, food, and lessons that Megan and I encounter. You will also get piece of mind knowing on a regular basis that I have not died of dysentery
So, armed with backpacks, a camera, a netbook, an excessive knowledge of common SE Asia scams and open minds, we prepare to embark on an unforgettable journey to far off lands. Hope you enjoy reading and see you on the road!
I still remember these plans in their “someday” phase. The months of contemplating, weeks of planning and days of organizing and packing are finally culminating to the trip of a lifetime now just on the horizon. My catalyst for this trip was being laid off back in May of this year from a wonderful Santa Cruz business, greenspace. As greenspace evaluated its options for the future, so did I and my ever so significant other, Megan. We spent the end of summer fantasizing different trips around the world. After whittling down our fantasies down to a more realistic dream, we settled upon south east (SE) Asia as our primary destination. The concentrated diversity of peoples, geographies and food as well as the low prices helped make SE Asia our primary target for visiting. SE Asia has also been fairly well traveled by Aussies, Kiwis and Scandinavians for some time. The region as a whole seemingly has a laid back nature (and some surf) that I desperately crave. Finally, of all the areas of the world, I know laughingly little about Asia, especially the SE corner and the prospect of visiting places so foreign to me greatly excites me almost as much as it scares me.
But I want to be scared too; like the feeling of watching a horror film not knowing what to expect, except that freaking out is assured. And the more I tackle problems that arise, the less I freak out over frustrating situations and the stronger and more confident I become. Because sometimes the hard way is the only way to really learn a lesson. I digress.
Megan and I are eager to launch ourselves into new cultures, learning new customs, lifestyles and languages. We want to get the most out our stay in each country which is why we are going to attempt to arrange work stays in many of the cities on our itinerary. The basic concept behind this is that we contact hosts who offer a bed to sleep in and meals to eat (depending on agreement) in exchange for 4-6 hours of domestic, hospitality or farm work per day for 6 days a week. We find hosts via different networks (i.e. workaway, helpx, woof, etc.) and contact them a few weeks ahead of time to arrange for a stay. We gain an extremely low cost extended stay, local knowledge, immersion in a foreign household, meeting new people and possibly new skills while working for a welcoming host. I am very much looking forward to seeing how this pans out for us.
We may never get another chance like this ever again, which was the main reason behind starting this blog and for taking this trip to begin with! I am grateful for this opportunity to see the world and I know I have my friends and family to thank for all the moral and financial support. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I now get to share with you the sights, people, food, and lessons that Megan and I encounter. You will also get piece of mind knowing on a regular basis that I have not died of dysentery
So, armed with backpacks, a camera, a netbook, an excessive knowledge of common SE Asia scams and open minds, we prepare to embark on an unforgettable journey to far off lands. Hope you enjoy reading and see you on the road!