I have had two major dreams my entire life. One, to find my biological father. I eventually found him when I was 25 years old, didn’t work out. Two, travel all around the world. Now with this second dream, this is no simple or ordinary dream, and it takes a lot of planning! With this dream, there are smaller dreams in it. I can’t just travel around the world right now! I need to brake it up a little bit. “What am I going to do first?” “How long can I give myself?” “How much money will I have?” These are a few questions I have asked myself.
The problem is, I want to see everything, right now! Unfortunately, that is not possible. Plus, I don’t want to just see something. I don’t want to take a picture of the Great Wall of China, I want to walk most of it. I don’t want to spend two weeks in Europe. I want to spend four months in Europe. I encourage myself to absorb the culture and to have enough extra time to add a few unplanned events to my trip. I want to breathe through the experience, not rush my way through the touristy areas.
So here I am about to embark on my journey that hopefully never ends. I can not live this life I am living anymore! It’s so monotonous. I feel like I am not growing anymore. It’s the “same shit different day” feel, and its wearing on me.
First step. What is going to be my first adventure? I want to see so much! Well, I have a car lease right now, so lets stay in the states first, then when your lease runs out, go to New Zealand, go to Norway, go wherever you want!
I am not rich, and far from it. I owe thousands and thousands of dollars in student loans. People say they can’t travel because they don’t have money. I don’t either, but I am going to do everything I can to make it happen. I may fail. But if I do, I know I tried my damn hardest!
Anyway, where am I going? West! I grew up on the East Coast so it only makes sense. I’ve been out west before, but I have only seen a small fraction of what I want to see. I did most of my sightseeing in the Southwest, so this trip is primarily in the Northwest. Plus, this trip takes place in the summer, so geographically it makes sense.
I’m on the (no plan plan), if that makes sense. I see it as, I have a rough draft. I have a general idea of what I want to see, but at any point if my ideas change, or I want to stay someplace longer or another opportunity arises, I can always alter it, if I want.
Here is my rough draft, and let me just say, its EPIC!
I’m planning on giving myself four months, just for this trip out west. It will last from May 30th to the end of September, 2016. After that, my money will pretty much be gone, so I’ll have to find a seasonal job somewhere (Southern California, Arizona, New Zealand, wherever.) We’ll, see. I have no idea. I just want to be somewhere warm.
May 30th! Lets Go! (From Buffalo, NY)
- Rocky Mountain NP (National Park)- Colorado
- Grand Teton NP – Wyoming
- Yellowstone NP- Wyoming
- Sawtooth NF (National Forest)- Idaho
- Glacier NP – Montana
- Palouse Falls State Park – Washington
- Orcas Island – Washington
- North Cascades NP- Washington
- Olympic NP- Washington
- Mount Rainier NP- Washington
- Saddle Mountain – Oregon
- Columbia River Gorge, 2nd largest waterfall in United States – Oregon
- Three Sisters Wilderness- Oregon
- Crater Lake NP- Oregon
- Lassen Volcanic NP- California
- Mount Tallac, Lake Tahoe – California
- Yosemite National Park- California
- Bodega Bay, coastal trail- California
- Marin County (waterfalls, trail loop)- California
- Coastal Trail, San Francisco – California
- Marin Headlands, Pacific Ocean coast trail- California
- Julia Pfeiffer State Park- California
- Kings Canyon National Park- California
- Sequoia National Park- California
My Rough Draft of the Parks (Not all destinations are on here)
These are some of the sights I’ll be lucky enough to see. Note! These are not my pictures. Just got them off Google Images.
Yeah, I get there are a lot of places, but that is because I want to see everything so much! I should have enough money where if I need to extend my vacation to possibly 5 months, I can. And like I said, I am not going to be stressed for time. If I am in the Rockies and I don’t want to leave, I won’t leave. If I don’t make it to California because I am having too much fun in Montana, then so be it. This time is for me and I am busting my butt to save money. I want to change my life drastically and for the better.
So many people in this world have “figured it out,” is how I put it. I want to figure it out too! Thousands of people right now have incorporated travel into their lives. I would like nothing more than to do the same. I admire all the people who have pushed away the normality of society and took charge of their own lives and own desires. I hope I make this work! I have no idea what my future will hold. But I need to do this! And if this is something you want to do, ( I mean incorporate travel into your life,) as long as you put it as your priority, it will come true.
If you have any comments, ideas, please feel free to write me!!! I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank You for reading!
Shelly
Good luck shelly!!
Looking forward to following your adventure!!!
Thank you Anne. It was so great getting to know you and everyone at people inc. You are a true inspiration yourself. The people just love you there and you have such a huge heart! If you ever need any advice or just a friend to talk to, or even a hiking partner, hit me up!