Wanderlust

I've been bitten by that horrible Wanderlust bug again. The effects are not wearing off AT ALL.

When I was about 16, I wanted to volunteer to teach English in China. Over the years, more and more countries peak my interest. Amazingly, I'm coming to find more and more volunteer opportunities are presenting themselves to me. I got the travel bug pretty bad when I was 19 or 20 and started researching various programs that I could get involved in overseas. I would make lists and lists of countries I wanted to visit. I didn't have a job then that would allow me to earn enough money to make traveling a possibility. Also, ages 19-23 were a pretty shaky time period for me. I didn't know who I was and what I really wanted. I decided to set those dreams aside until the time came when I was ready to pack up and leave the country on my own.

So far in January I have been looking through my Bucketlist and have made several lists of things I want to do with myself this year that would help me get to a place of self respect and self love. I was digging around my room when I came across all the volunteer program booklets and brochures from when I was 19 years old and flipped through all of them. My eyes lit up and I was like "Holy crap! I could totally do any of these programs now!"

I have let my imagination go wild and I have done so much research on various countries and how safe it would be for a girl to travel on her own. I have read travel blog after travel blog of people who volunteered various places and I am so convinced that now is the time to start saving my money and finally make the jump. The only problem is I'm to the point where I'm about to drop out of college and work at a million different jobs, so I can earn a lot of money just to travel all around the world. I'm not sure that's the best idea in the world, but I am sure of one thing. My world traveling days are just about to arrive and I've never been more excited in my entire life!

I keep going back and forth on what the best first time trip will be for me, but I'm saving up my money now so I can go anywhere I want. The downside is that I know once I leave the country I won't be able to stay in one place ever again. This means that while I may be going to school Fall and Spring, I'll probably be working in various National Parks here in the US. I've already started outlining potential road trips to different States and all the stuff I want to see. I'm overwhelmed by my list of Must See Places, but it fills me with excitement and possibility something I haven't felt in a really long time.

All I know is that my sense of adventure is increasing tremendously. I want to go hiking, biking, running, canoeing, etc. I want to go everywhere and do everything even if it sounds kind of crazy. I've done a really good job making my life boring. It's time to end that and make my life more enjoyable.

Traveling solo is probably the best thing I can do for myself at this time. It will force me to get to know myself, trust my own instincts, and build more self-confidence and self-reliance.

I realize most people are going to say "But that's crazy! That's totally unsafe!" Yeah, solo travel has it's dangers and disadvantages, but if you plan it right and you know how to handle yourself, it's just fine. Ireland, Amsterdam, Australia, and SEVERAL other countries are some of the top countries that women unanimously have said are very safe for solo travel and they never experienced harassment. Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, etc) is considered quite safe too as long as you stay away from the red light districts. India is ranked as being safe, but most women agree that is for more experienced solo travelers. Touristy areas of Israel and Jordan are relatively safe (certain areas definitely need to be avoided!). Turkey can be great, but you have to know how to handle yourself if guys try to pursue you. Africa has areas that MUST be avoided at all costs due to political upheaval, but if you know where the safe areas are and plan your trip well, you'll be just fine. Obviously I'm not trying to jump on a plane to a war torn country, so the areas that are extremely dangerous aren't even areas I'm considering.

My first trip will most likely be with a volunteer organization, so I will have a safety net within the country which will ease my first time solo travel anxiety a bit (as well as my family's anxiety about me traveling), especially when I'm so petite and look quite young.

Anyway, I may be obsessing about travel for awhile. If anyone has travel suggestions, let me know. I want to do it right as well as safe.