My First Trip

My first trip has been a source of motivation and a drive to focus while trying to determine how to travel full time. I needed a reason to remind myself why I shouldn’t buy a new couch or clothes that I wouldn’t need in a year.

The first trip looked something like this- I was planning to head to Tokyo. I knew my flight to Asia would likely go through Tokyo, so I wanted to see it while I was there. I planned to spend two weeks or so in Tokyo checking out the city, the Olympic sites, eating food and in general getting my bearings as a traveler. After Tokyo I wanted to head to South East Asia. Like a lot of backpackers I wanted to spend time on the slow paced beaches and action packed cities of Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. I couldn’t wait to hop between countries with only the next week or so planned out in front of me. From there I thought I would end up in Europe for the summer and then home for a while before heading to South America or Africa. It was the perfect plan! Except it won’t be the plan this year.

News of COVID-19 started to emerge from China at the end of January. It just so happens it was the same week I started the conversations at work about quitting my job. At this point COVID-19 has brought travel to a standstill. The people who I follow that are traveling full time have had to choose between rushing back to the US or self-isolating in the countries where they’re at. Instead of heading out of the country in May, I’m now looking at different trails to hike over the summer. I’m hoping now to head out in May.

My first backpacking trip was a solo hike into the back country of Yosemite. It was a fun process to get a permit and figure out the travel to get there. The first night I spent in my tent was in the backpackers campground at the park. It was also the first time I had a chance to talk to other hikers who were on the trail longer. Many finishing the John Muir Trail that starts (or ends) in Yosemite Valley. I still remember the feeling of walking away from my car knowing I would spend days with just the stuff in my pack.

Since then, I’ve gone on many more hikes. This summer included Franconia Ridge in New Hampshire I still take bad selfies and make bad decisions on hiking food. And I still love that feeling of walking away from the car knowing it will be days before I’m back. I’m hoping that soon we’ll be in a position where it is safe for everyone to travel more. When that happens, I plan to head out to the Appalachian Trail to section hike and likely the Colorado Trail later in the summer.

If you’re looking for me- I’ll be on the trail!