LLWorldTour

A few weeks ago a friend called me from the Appalachian Trail.   I’d originally met Jeremy at my hostel in Rome and then coincidentally months later saw him again for a day in Jerusalem, and then we met up yet again in New Jersey as he was driving through on his way to his sister’s in NYC  (you’d be amazed how many new traveler friends I’ve seen–planned and unplanned–more than once in different corners of the globe).  And now  Jeremy was literally walking the Appalachian Trail.

The Appalachian Trail is a hiking trail that runs nearly the entire length of the United States on the east coast from Georgia to Maine. At approximately 2,179 miles (3,507 km) long, the trail passes through the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Growing up on the east coast, I’d learned about the trail early on in school and had crossed it or been near it several times, but of course never really walked any bit of it.  Later on I’d read Bill Bryson’s humorous and sarcastic account of his trail trials in his book, A Walk in the Woods.

It’s famous for its many hikers, some of whom, called thru-hikers, attempt to hike it in its entirety in a single season.  Jeremy had decided to take his summer to literally walk the trail from Georgia back to near his home in Maryland. Like long distance runners who hit that ‘wall’ around the 20-mile mark, Jeremy was hitting his own wall. On the morning of his 48^th day of hiking, he called me at about 600 miles into his hike. That’s six hundred miles of walking; walking nearly every day sun-up to sundown.  He was having a tough time, was burning out, and was looking for help.  I heard his message and the sound of his voice and called him right back.

He said, “I was looking through my cell phone numbers at which friends to call and I saw your name and thought, she’s been ‘here,’ she can help me.”

Now, although I traveled around the world solo for a couple years and challenged myself in physical and mental ways, it was still vastly different from what Jeremy was attempting.  I couldn’t imagine doing what he was doing – besides carrying all his belongings on his back all day long in the summer heat, he was walking the same looking ‘scene’ alone for weeks on end, basically doing the same exact thing everyday, with very few variables.

Jeremy explained, “while hostel-jumping or WWOOFing [volunteering on organic farms around the world – a common activity of some long term world travelers] or whatever, an explorer has the right-of-way in their plans, and can alter a decision on a moment’s notice (time and money allowing), long-distance hiking (LDH) does not give that leeway.  Instead, there is a tunnel.  Speed is the most encompassing variable on the Trail: time spent at any one campsite, time in a town, miles per day, hours per day.  Besides that, everyone has the same goals: move north (or south, as the case may be), sleep well, eat comfortably, have intense emotions constantly.  Okay, the last one might not be at the forefront of every to-do list, but it certainly tags alongside the others.”

But why exactly was he doing this?  Like myself, many traveler-types that I met like a challenge and like to keep pushing themselves. I often questioned myself about this — at what point do I push myself so far outside my ‘comfort-zone’ that I am just too uncomfortable?  Toward the end of my trip, I realized I was ready for some more ‘normalcy’ and was ready to settle down a bit more, maybe not end my adventures entirely, but take a break. But I often still wonder ‘what’s next?’ Should I do something more challenging so I can grow even more? So after traveling around the world for several months, Jeremy felt the need to push himself even further with a new challenge.  Jeremy’s original intent was to just be alone and away from it all.

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So we all know I love to eat. And I love being in love. I guess you could say I don’t pray too much (okay, not at all) unless it’s for love…or some really tasty cheese.  Mmm…cheese.

The much-hyped movie Eat Pray Love starring Julia Roberts comes out this weekend.  Based on Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling book of the same name, it tells her story of chucking it all to travel around the world while doing some eating in Italy, loving in Bali, and praying in India. Sound familiar? Well, as I mentioned I didn’t do much praying unless you count praying for certain rickety buses to make it to their destinations safely.   You’ve probably already been bombarded with the marketing machine for the film, but just in case you have not… here’s some more for you.

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As I’ve mentioned many times before…my travels were ultimately all about the people I have met. I’ve made some amazing friends and learned so much. But who says I loved everyone? When not ‘feeling it’ with my human counterparts, I always connected nicely with some international furry friends. I am not talking about Greek guys here (ouch!)…I am talking animals. I encountered many house pets and other creatures in the wild. I hung out with my share of cats, dogs, a guinea pig, a snake, a turtle, goats, kangaroos, camels, and other assorted friends.  In actuality, the reason I was originally able to go on my journey at all was because my 11-year-old cat, Sneakers, had to be euthanized due to an illness he was unable to overcome. Until recently, it was one of the saddest and most heartbreaking moments of my life. But because of it, I realized I was able to go on this journey, a journey that changed my life. So along the way, it was always comforting for me to hang with a furry friend from time to time and think about my little “Sneaky Beast.”

Whether you are a seasoned traveler or a once-a-year holiday goer or a business travel, you probably deal with airports, airplanes, and flying at some point.  Jetting across the country or around the world can be an exhilarating, technological feat, but dealing with the airlines can often be a frustrating act of futility.  Thanks to another technological marvel – the interwebs – there are some pretty great airline/flying/booking sites out there. Here are a few of my faves:

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Last week I brought you a post about my biggest fan (after my mom, of course!), the always eloquent Kevin Fitzpatrick, whose witty quips or introspective takes on one of my tales from the road have come to be expected and very much enjoyed not only by myself, but a myriad of my readers. This week we are graced with this very special guest post from the man himself. The biggest question is: will he comment on his own post? You can bet on it.

I’ve been given the opportunity that mere mortals only dream about; to be a guest contributor on llworldtour.com. Lisa advises me that I’m only the second person to ever receive this privilege. I am one of those guys who doesn’t ask why the next ten best choices weren’t available. I’m more likely to say timing prevented me from being the first guest contributor. Having the opportunity to be beamed through websites all over the globe and trade on Lisa’s good name, good will, and remarkable spirit makes me not question anything. So here I am.

I’m told that any number of you wait with great anticipation to see my comments after Lisa’s posts. Okay, maybe that’s a bit too strong. When Cal Ripken retired from the Baltimore Orioles, the only team he ever played for in Major League Baseball, he was asked “How would you like to be remembered?” His response was “to be remembered at all would be special enough”. It was the single most gracious answer I’ve ever heard and appeared to be completely spontaneous. So the fact that anyone has taken time to notice and appreciate any post I’ve written is a flattering thing. So thank you to any of you who used up one of your smiles or chuckles on me. My Irish grandmother used to always say that every laugh spent earns you 3 more. She also told me freckles were kisses from God. I believe her. I have hickeys all over my body from God and laugh my ass off most of the day.

The Fitzpatrick Clan

My travel has been limited to a fair amount of domestic travel for work and some sojourns into the Dominican Republic when I was in the cigar business for many years. My darling and patient wife of 27 years and I have three children. Our family vacations are fun, but generally chock full of stress moving 5 people through airports, rental cars, hotels and attractions that a significant minority of the family are interested in. We’ve only once traveled without the kids since they were born… (more…)

The number one question I am asked regarding my travels is ‘what was your favorite place?’ The number two question? ‘Who is Kevin Fitzpatrick??’

Some of my more loyal readers may have noticed his name in the comments on my blog.  Kevin is, by far, my biggest fan or at least the most vocal fan.  Kevin has commented on my site 199 times (and counting – insert your comment here, Kevin). That is one quarter of all my comments! He has been so loyal and so consistent. In a way, he was like my virtual traveling partner, always there with a kind word and always there to keep me company and encourage me to keep striving for truth or at least some good food around the world.

Kevin and I had worked together several years back when I produced a TV segment on this amazing throw-back hat shop in Chicago (this is a new version of that story that I produced recently) and then again on a town which employed him to do the PR and marketing. We instantly hit it off and have been friends ever since. I appreciate his honesty and all around ‘goodness.’ He’s the real deal and one of the ‘good’ ones. He and his wife came to my going away party and I’ve since been to their lovely home out in the ‘burbs. Just good people.

His comments have been wonderfully witty, thoughtful, and often flat out hilarious.  He adds his own spin, knowledge and observations to my posts making them even better. I have often told him he should have his own blog.  I would surely be a fan, but not sure if I could compete with his dedication.   He has a fan in many of my readers and of course in me.

After reading through his thought provoking and/or amusing comments to almost every one of my posts, I found it extremely hard to just choose a few. Here is a roundup of some of my favorites. Stay tuned for a guest post from Kevin himself!

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No, not mine. Please. I think quitting my job and traveling for 3 ½ years was easier than getting me to the altar.

When traveling the globe, you often find yourself in beautiful, dream-like settings. And so do brides and grooms. I seemed to always be running into couples in their chiffon, tulle, and cumberbunds all around the world looking for that perfect fairy-tale shot.  In honor of all the June and summer brides, congratulations.

One of the most common questions I am asked is “how did you afford such a trip?! Are you rich??”

Here is the simple answer:

I saved money by traveling. In other words, it would have cost me a lot more to stay and live in Chicago than to travel around the world.

When you take into account all my monthly expenditures:

Home: Mortgage + fees + taxes + insurance + utilities (cable, internet, phone, gas, electric, cell phone) +
Food/Home Goods +
Entertainment (dining out, movies, concerts, theater) +
Transport (Car: fuel, insurance, maintenance, parking, permits), public transport costs +
Miscellaneous (gym membership, gifts, random weddings, parties, clothing, medical, etc.)

Plus, in a normal year just living at home, random costs often come up as well — car needs repairing, unexpected furnace replacement, etc. — or even just trips to Target where I never could get out for less than one hundred bucks.

While traveling I mostly just had to worry about transport, lodging, and food.

I did not need to maintain a car.
I did not need to stock up on all the things you ‘need’ when you have a home: from toilet paper to vacuum cleaners to sheets to towels to clothes for every season to furniture to shower curtains and on and on.
I did not receive any bills except a credit card bill and a monthly storage bill.
I canceled my cell phone and all my other utilities.

I lived out of a bag and life was easy. Sometimes variety is the spice of life, but oftentimes, as Mies van der Rohe said it best, less is more.

No stuff = No worries.

So, back to that question. On average I spent about $2000 each month depending on where I was in the world. In Asia and Central America you can cut that in half.  In Australia and Europe, things were pricier, but then I started Couchsurfing more, so actually my costs fell. In London, I stayed for a month and never paid for lodging…so for all the talk of it being such an expensive city, that didn’t really affect me at all. I didn’t dine in fancy restaurants; I ate at my hosts or friends’ houses a lot, and enjoyed the free museums.

A few times on my trip my friend Mark met me somewhere in the world. So when we were in expensive Dubai, we were splitting most costs in half, which also made it affordable for me.

I splurged on occasion and stayed in a nicer hotel instead of a hostel or someone’s home. I also splurged on a few tours, like the once in a lifetime week-long boat-tour of the Galapagos Islands. That shot my totals up for Ecuador, which could have been a ‘cheap’ country. But for me, it was worth it. Then, a country like Vietnam or Cambodia, evened it all out because it is so inexpensive.  Lunch can be a huge plate of noodles for $2 and a beer for 50 cents. Yes, 50 cents.

Many people’s first assumption is that traveling for an extended period of time must be very expensive.  But this is just not so.  I mean it can be if the words ‘budget’ or ‘cheap’ are not part of your vocabulary. The most expensive part of your trip will be transportation, but even then…it’s still cheaper than you assume because you are only booking one way tickets and your dates are more flexible so you can find amazingly good deals.  My first 15 months around the world cost me less than $5000 in airfare — and that is with stops in about twenty cities in nearly every continent — thanks to STA Travel and great internet deals on budget airlines in Asia (Air Asia) and Europe (Wizz Air, Ryan Air, Air Berlin…nearly every country has a slew of its own budget airlines that fly all over Europe).  That’s pretty great when you consider just one round trip ticket to Australia can be more than $2000.

Now, costs can certainly add up if you are staying at four and five star hotels and traveling in first class. It also can be very affordable if you stay in hostels and small, independent hotels and get all the discounts you can.   Most hostels average around $20 per night depending on the country you are in (in Costa Rica I stayed at one that was $6 a night for a single room and in Australia some were $30 a bed).  At the average rate it only costs me $600 a month for lodging. That’s way less than the rent or a mortgage payment in Chicago.  And that’s not even taking into account all the nights I used couchsurfing.com – the amazing worldwide hospitality network in which like-minded locals open up their homes to you free of charge as part of a larger cultural exchange. You can read more about Couchsurfing in my original post HERE.

But what about before you left?  You had to have some savings to feel secure in taking such a trip.

Good question. Well, first, I worked my ass off full time in television production for about 13 years. I have always been a saver and not much of a [hey] big spender so I put a lot of what I earned into the piggy bank. I have never accrued any credit card balances or debt.  I don’t buy new shiny things just to have them or keep up with the Joneses or Garcias. For example: I owned the same used Honda Prelude my entire adult life…until I sold it when I left to travel.

I’ve managed to avoid the other American dream—to be a sucker for marketing and feel the need to run out and buy the latest iPhone, Plasma screen TV, DVD or even the latest latte.  I am simply not much of a shopper…especially when it comes to clothes and shoes. I like cute stuff, but don’t need name brands and don’t need a million pairs of shoes.

I made some smart real estate investments and owned two condos in Chicago. After seven good years of appreciation and lucky timing, I sold the first one to give me the ‘security’ for my first trip and since traveling on a budget is cheaper than living day to day in the United States…I still have a while to go before I spend all my profits, let alone dip into my savings.

So, don’t let anyone scare you. Long term travel is totally doable and affordable. The fact that it cost me less to travel than to stay at home is a testament to that.  And whatever savings I did spend, I certainly don’t miss at all.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to leave a comment.

Coming this summer, to a theater near you, is the film, Eat, Pray, Love, based on the best selling book by Elizabeth Gilbert. It’s about a woman in her thirties who chucks it all to travel around the world (hmmm…not a bad idea, huh??  I am working on my book, I promise).  This book, others like it, and hopefully the movie will inspire people to do what myself and many others have done recently – jump off the beaten path, take a break, do something different—because if it’s really want you WANT to do you CAN do it. Life is way too short to even hesitate or worry. I’ve never met someone who regretted going after what they wanted, no matter how scary.

For me, it was the best thing I have ever done and my life is forever changed.

These are sayings and clichés for a reason:

• Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.
  - John Lennon
• Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
  -Helen Keller
• Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.
  -Charles R. Swindoll
• And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.
  -Abraham Lincoln
• Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
  – Mark Twain
• Life is measured by the risks you take.

No one is dying and thinks, as they look back on their short life on our beautiful planet, that they are happy they took no risks and stayed in their mundane 9-5 job and saved their money and never did anything they really wanted to do.  There’s nothing wrong with taking a new direction, veering off the well-worn path, taking a career break, a sabbatical of sorts, or a semi-permanent early retirement as I like to call it!

So, to segue off of the buzz of the movie and all this ‘inspiration,’ I am helping host a nationwide initiative on September 14^th called “Meet, Plan, Go!” It is headed up by my friends at a wonderful and inspiring site called Briefcase to Backpack. Simultaneous events will be taking place all over the United States to bring travelers and others together for a night of not only inspirational talks, but the real nitty gritty of how someone like me (and you) can do this. How did I quit life as I knew it? How did I PAY for it? How did I really plan for 3+ years away and living out of a bag (as I still am…just for one more week! Eeek!) Stay tuned for more details and hopefully you will join me in Chicago and all of us in cities like New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Dallas in September.

I have officially been living out of a bag for three and a half years. It’s been
43 months or
127 weeks or
889 days.

Am I amazing for doing that? No.
Am I totally happy I did it? Yes.
Has it been much longer than I planned? Yes.
Has it been that big of a deal?  No.
Can anyone do it? Yes.
Does everyone want to? No.
Am I going to keep asking and answering my own questions? Maybe.

Like anything, you get used to it.  Up until just one week ago, I was still using ‘tiny’ hotel soaps and tiny shampoo bottles and a tiny toothbrush.  Okay, I am not that good.  I do travel with a regular adult-size toothbrush.

In many ways, life was so much simpler and easier.  I didn’t have to agonize over ‘what to wear’ each day.  Owning a lot of ‘stuff’ can be more of a mental strain than we realize.  All I had to worry about was my one bag.   I wasn’t really deprived of anything (others may disagree).   Although I will admit, that it wasn’t always easy to resist purchasing new things (like the cheap boots I bought in Spain, but I had a date and just couldn’t wear my tiny Sketchers!). Nor did I love the fact that I had to keep wearing the same clothes all the time, but most days, I just didn’t care.  It was so nice to just be casual everyday and throw on a pair of comfy cargo pants or shorts and t-shirt.  After that much time, though, I allowed myself to make trades.   If one shirt had just had it, I would give it away and then replace it with a new one – usually bought at a cheap store or from a local outdoor market – very common all over the world.  I remember buying a couple of cheap tank tops at the big market on the Asian side of Istanbul or twice buying a winter coat from a street market in Spain and then a year later in Italy.  Coats were just too bulky to pack, but being able to snap one for $20-$30 was perfect.   I literally left a decent, clean pair of ‘not so gently-used’ Abercrombie and Fitch jeans at a hostel in Cairns, Australia.  I figured someone would need them and use them. And then I went to the mall there and treated myself to a brand new pair.   Just about one year later, I did the same thing and bought another pair of jeans in Israel. Wearing the same jeans over and over for one year – that’s pretty good.   Never in my life, did I really use and wear out my clothes and shoes like I did during this last 3 ½ years.  And it was a good feeling – to know I don’t need as much as I really have. And to know that I was really ‘using’ what I did have. At home, I had probably more than 10 pairs of jeans and dozens and dozens of shirts (t-shirts, tank tops, button-down, short-sleeve, long-sleeve, etc), sweaters, fleece sweatshirts, pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, workout clothes, socks, sleepwear, shoes, and more. And I actually still have less than many people I know.

And now it is over (just my bag-lady life, not this blog).   Well, at least for right now.  I have just officially signed a 12-month lease on a new apartment in Chicago – my very own space in the world.  I just moved in and was reunited with all my ‘stuff’ that had been in two storage PODS for all this time.

It was definitely a bittersweet day. There is something much more final about unpacking all of my crap, than just physically being back in the United States.  This was really setting down some roots.   “Stuff” does that to you.

I hired a couple guys to help me move my things out of the U-Haul storage pods. They were from a local moving company called Move-tastic! And they were fantastic! Not only were they on-time, friendly, and professional, the pride themselves on being FAST. In fact, they promote the fact that they literally run up and down stairs and back to the truck in between box runs. And they did. It was cute and they moved all my belongings in 50 minutes. Job well done!

So there it was. All of my stuff. My life represented by material possessions. Important stuff like my meat tenderizer and rolls of Christmas wrapping paper. You certainly don’t need this stuff when traveling. But when living at ‘home’ you just never know when the mood will strike to pound meat or wrap some gifts.

It was like unearthing a time capsule. Okay, only a 3-year-old time capsule, but still…

Things I actually missed or at least was happy to see (seriously):

• My cozy, down slippers (for 3 years, I’d used flip flops)
• My bicycle (now my main vehicle)
• A bigger selection of bras (yes, it was nice to have all my clothes, but…)
• A bigger selection of clothes in general
• A few extra bars of soap circa 2006 (real, adult-size soap!)
• One roll of paper towels (always handy to have on a moving day)
• Cable ties.  The best invention ever!
• My Dyson vacuum (if I could only hop on and harness its sucking power to propel me around the world!)

Things I did not miss

• A bigger selection of clothes in general (yes, it’s on both lists)
• My CDs (are these extinct now?)
• My airless official NFL Football (acquired at a leather factory shoot – yes it’s cowhide, not ‘pigskin’)
• Potholders
• Tupperware
• Toilet brush (haven’t had to ‘clean’ much except my body and my clothes while traveling)
• My bed’s dust ruffle
• Plastic Wrap, Aluminum foil, trash bags, cleaners, scissors, extension cords, a colander, broom, tools, medicines (all expired…I was supposed to be only gone ‘a year’), creams, and dozens of other home ‘necessities’

It all just made me realize how many things I just don’t need. Of course, I can utilize them when I live in a house or apartment…there are leftovers to keep in Tupperware, I simply need a can opener if I want to make a tuna sandwich, it’s messy to shower without a shower curtain, and, once a year, maybe I will want to toss a football around.   But when traveling…you just need so little. And when staying at someone’s house or even in a hostel…there will be paper towels and dishes and skillets to use…all there waiting for you.  I also seem to have an inordinate amount of candles and candle holders. I do like my ambiance and mood lighting.

One of the first things I did was take my couch cushions out of the plastic and get the couch ready. Then I assembled my bed. It’s always nice to have a place to sit and then lie down after a day of heavy lifting.  Then, of course, I got my internet connection up and running…gotta feel connected with the outside world or I’d sit around eating cheese all day and become a recluse.

So as I sat amidst boxes here…I realized, it felt good and bad.  I just spent $70 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond! Ugh. I have all this stuff I just unpacked and yet I needed more crap.  And so it goes…

And it’s the first time in 3 years that I have a bedside clock.  Time has changed for me.   Oftentimes, I would not know they day of the week or the time of day. And luckily I grew better at the art of doing nothing and allowing myself to not feel guilty as time passed and I hadn’t ‘accomplished’ major tasks. Just being and living…was a major accomplishment.

In a way, I still do feel freer now than I ever have.  I know I can still get up and go if I want to. I know I can still sell off stuff (thank you, Craigslist) or put it back in storage…or more likely just rent out my place furnished or maybe even do a home swap. That’d be cool.  Hmmm, the wheels are turning already.