road dawg...

As I mentioned before, our new puppy Vida will be joining us on our road trip this Fall...

The other day I decided to google "taking your dog on a long road trip" and my my, did I find some seriously useful links with tips and tricks to keeping your dog safe, happy, and healthy while on a road trip. Everything from bringing bottled water for the dog to drink, to researching animal hospitals along your route, to getting anti-anxiety medication for your dog in case they grow tired and anxious from being in a moving vehicle for days and weeks at a time.

Since Vida is a rescue and she has shown some anxiety issues, this last one sounds like it might not be a bad idea. But puppy valium? Not sure if I can do that to our girl.

It's really important to us that she has a good time, since she'll be our precious cargo and 3rd traveling companion on this trek across the country. We are already starting to research areas that allow dogs to be off-leash without a license, since Vida-Long-Legs LOVES to run!

If any dog owners out there have any advice on how to create a comfortable road-tripping environment for man's best friend, we definitely welcome it!

big things!

My boyfriend Doug was recently accepted into a Broadcasting Program, and finds out soon if he is able to get a loan and start being a studly scholar in the Spring!

We're hoping that once he finishes the 3-month program, we can use his newly minted skills on the road and make some things happen by way of a little "Video Travel Blog" action.

So excited about the possibilities!!!

why? why not!

"Why would you sell all your stuff and leave behind your family, friends, and everything you know to travel the country in a giant van?"

No, this is not a question one of my friends, family members, or co-workers have asked me recently, it's actually one that I often ask myself...

I certainly didn't have a "sheltered" upbringing by any means. I have an enormous and close-knit extended family, have always had a lot of friends, and have followed through (or at least put forth a really decent effort!) at anything I've willed myself to do. I haven't even spent much time thinking about living a life of travel until pretty recently, within the last couple years or so.

Besides what I feel is the somewhat obvious reason (this country is huge and filled with stuff I wanna see, so why not go see it?), there are definitely other things that are pushing me to go explore...

Reason to go #1: I've known quite a few people who have dropped everything they're doing to hit the open road, and their stories and experiences have done nothing short of completely blow my mind. The picture that gets painted in my head of how insanely fun and life-changing this will be is enough to make me daydream about it at least a dozen times a day.

Reason to go #2: I'm turning 30 in two months. I'd say the time is now, yes?

Reason to go #3: Lucky for me, I work in an industry that allows me to do what I do anywhere in the entire WORLD. And being that it's the only work I've ever done, I know I'm skilled enough to take some time off from it, and come back and pick up right where I left off.

Reason to go #4: I absolutely love my friends and family, and being so close to both has been something that's always been very important to me. But these are all people who believe in living your dreams and reaching your potential, and I'm blessed to be supported by every single one of them. Besides, there's always Skype, E-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Morse code, Messages in a Bottle, etc. etc. to keep us connected.

Reason to go #5: There's this really hot guy I live with who just happens to have the same goals and desires as me, and doesn't cringe at the thought of being in a moving vehicle with me 12+ hours a day. Doesn't come along very often!

Bottom line, I'm looking for a little adventure in my life. I'm not bored or tired or disconnected from where I am at this moment, but I am looking to stir things up a bit.

Nothing wrong with that, is there? :-)

inspiration...

From "Nicolas Rapp's Extreme Adventure Driving the World by Truck" on Huffington Post, Feb 21, 2011

Arriving back in the U.S. after a 37,000-mile trip around the world – most of it overland in a '96 Toyota Land Cruiser – I made a funny mistake. I'd survived landslides, jungles, breakdowns and accidents, monkeys stealing my breakfast, cops shaking me down, border guards turning me back, and desert thugs looking to take my precious water. Finally I got through customs in Los Angeles, flashed my colorful passport to the officers and expected to see friends who'd promised to meet me – but no one was there.

After asking someone what day it was, I realized my mistake. It was Saturday. I'd told them I was arriving Sunday. I'd forgotten I would cross the international dateline somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and go back in time a day.

As my travels came to an end, one reader asked if I'd found what I was looking for on the long road around the planet.

Well, I was not sure what I was looking for when I left, but I feel wiser about the state of the world. I may not be smarter or better, but I am stronger, and I have more stories to share than the average person. I've been away for 15 months and after seeing many places, I reckon New York City with its diversity is where I feel most at home. I intend to stick around and try to adjust to a sedentary life. My next adventure I will have in common with many American as I try to find a job. But I intend to stay in touch with those I met on my adventure, along with readers who followed me online, sent me a donation for gas or posted a comment. As I made my way around the world, you made me feel I was never alone.

are you sure...?

A couple people have said to me recently "that sounds so exciting, but aren't you scared you're going to get sick of eachother?"

Above is Doug and Vida. Boyfriend and Man's Best Friend. The two I'll be sharing my road trip adventures with. This has been a carefully planned, well-thought out course of action that we aren't taking lightly. Of course we have thought about the possibility of wanting to strangle eachother somewhere between Louisiana and Colorado, but what better way for us to solidify how much we love and respect eachother than by hitting the road and seeing where it leads?

It'll all be fine as long as Vida doesn't demand shotgun.

endlessly changing horizons...

The movie "Into the Wild", although with what some would consider a not-so-happy ending, has been a huge source of inspiration and motivation for us. Although we don't plan to burn our money, lose our cell phones and cut up our credit cards, the things Chris McCandless stood for are hugely important to us; straying from the norm, seeing the world from different perspectives, taking risks. Isn't that truly what life is all about?

       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."

~ Chris McCandless

inspiration...

quote of the day...

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.  Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."

~Mark Twain

cash is king...

We've been brainstorming ways we can make some money while on the road, so that we can do it for as long as possible, with enough money to eat, gas up, and enjoy ourselves...

Cash Flow Idea #1 - Advertising local businesses with magnets on the side of the van/RV/whatever we find to haul across the country. We would periodically post pics of our travels, as well as directly email the businesses, so they can see where their name has gotten exposure.

Cash Flow Idea #2 - Selling things on E-Bay. Visit various garage/yard/estate sales, purchase what we think would gain a profit, and post the item on E-Bay for sale.

Cash Flow Idea #3 - Selling Scenery Photographs. Stop and take beautiful photos and attempt to sell them to travel magazines, card companies, or iStockphoto.com. Also try to sell them to local tourist attractions, rest stops, restaurants, and rv parks.

Cash Flow Idea #4 - Offer professional services on Craigslist - odd jobs, per diem catering shifts, etc.

Cash Flow Idea #5 - Work at Fairs, Festivals, Concerts, Tradeshows.

P.S. - Before we leave, we will be graciously accepting large sums of money, personal checks, or any other monetary donations...

:-)

inspiration...

along the way...

I want driving across the country to be as long and as satisfying a trip as possible. Since I've never done it before, and there are so many places I haven't been, I am starting a laundry list of "must see's" for us to visit on our trek...

In no particular order, but definitely particular:

1) Washington D.C - I've been once, but didn't see nearly enough of it. I need to get my historical fix. It would make my Mom so proud :)

2) Niagara Falls, NY - Maybe this will be not-so-exciting? I don't know, I like big giant waterfalls.

3) New Orleans, LA - Must see the French Quarter. Must eat at Antoine's, because Anthony Bourdain told me to, and I trust him.

4) Estes Park, CO - Lots of my friends have been here (also the headquarters of Rocky Mountain National Park), and said it's stunning. I wouldn't mind also checking out the Stanley Hotel, which was Stephen King's inspiration for "The Shining".

5) Yellowstone National Park, WY - I will not drive across the country without seeing Yellowstone!

6) Grand Canyon, AZ - I think this is a pretty obvious choice. I can't wait to see something so vast and beautiful up close. I hear that if you hit it at just the right time near sunset/dusk, it's breathtaking.

7) Vegas, baby!

8) ANY SUGGESTIONS? - I am very open to them...

Some great sites for anyone out there looking to go on a RT adventure:

www.roadtripamerica.com (more traditional road trip website)

www.roadtripusa.com (less traditional road trip website)

www.eccentricamerica.com (weird, bizzarre, and strange places)

my thoughts exactly...

“As we speed along this endless road to the destination called "who we hope to be", I can't help but whine, 'Are we there yet?'”

~Carrie Bradshaw

road trippin...

The obvious thing to do before uprooting your life to another part of the country is to find out how much you really like the spots you are considering.

Enter: Road Trip planning! We are now in stage one: SAVING MONEY. This is definitely not the most desirable stage, but it must be done to ensure a) fun is had, b) length of road trip is optimal, and c) safety is maintained.

We really can't wait to tour this beautiful country and determine where we'll end up laying our heads after this crazy ride is over...

inspiration...

the inevitable "Pros and Cons" list...

There are pros and cons to living ANYWHERE.

I realize that no matter how "Pro" it will be to wake up in a land of sun and fun, there will always be one or two "Cons" rearing their ugly head.

I've been devising a list (mostly in my head) of the places I'm considering re-locating to, and the subsequent pros and cons of each seemingly perfect paradise:

Miami, FL
Pros: Beautiful beaches, beautiful weather, beautiful people, culture, endless things to do, etc. etc. What's not to love after a Winter in the Northeast?!
Cons: I would have to learn Spanish or Portuguese like, STAT, if I want any chance of getting a good paying job down there. High population of "fake" people. $$. Traffic is a nightmare. Hurricanes. Summers are blistering, sweltering, fry an egg on the sidewalk HOT. If you want to live near the beach, it's pricey.

San Diego, CA
Pros: Please see above.
Cons: It's a much more expensive and much further plane ride to get home and see my family. The time difference. $$$. Wages not comparable to housing costs. Earthquakes. Crappy job market, recently bombed by recession. TRAFFIC.

Virginia Beach, VA
Pros: It does have a "Winter" so it'll still feel a little like home. 3.5-hour drive to Washington, DC. Short plane ride back home to N.E.
Cons: Swamped by tourists every Summer. Huge military presence (meh). Recent steady rise in crime and gang violence (eek!). Expensive to live anywhere near the beach.

Honolulu, HI
Pros: It's HAWAII. Need I say more?
Cons: Might feel remote and detached. You're hours behind everything. $$$$$$$$. Lots of familiar and home-y things don't exist in Hawaii. 14 hour flight to visit back home.

Lots to think about...

listening to the little voice inside your head...

Are you one of those people who cares a lot about what other people think? You always listen to outside voices because you feel like certain things are expected of you, but you seldom trust or listen to your own? You do what's "right" or what you "should" do, because that's just "the way things are"?

I'm someone who has always done and said what others expect and want for me. That's not to say I've based every single life decision on other people, but I definitely factor in "what will this person think" a lot when I'm about to make a big choice in my life.

I'm at a point where I'm FINALLY about to do something I really, truly want. Something for ME. I'm living life in the moment and not contemplating the "what ifs". And I couldn't be more ready...

"Many great ideas have been lost because the people who had them could not stand being laughed at." ~Author Unknown

"Progress always involves risks. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first." ~Frederick B. Wilcox

"Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?" ~Frank Scully

"You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take." ~Wayne Gretzky

inspiration...