The Muse…

I love to travel. I caught the travel bug when I was 18 and it never really left. I haven’t done as much travelling as I would have liked at the age that I am now, but what travelling I have done has always left me with the feeling of being completely carefree. I feel happy.

Part of me wonders if I was a bohemian gypsy in another lifetime, because I’ve have always felt like I was endlessly searching for a place to call home but nowhere sang to my soul. It wasn’t until I started travelling I found an inner peace within myself, as if this was what I was destined to do.

I can literally imagine myself living the life of a bohemian gypsy, travelling and exploring the world. If I had the money, the time and the freedom I would do this within a heartbeat. Instead I’ve had to be satisfied with the occasional jets off somewhere and road trips.

Yes, I am that girl. The one who, in summertime, is happy to sit in the middle of busy traffic, with the music turned up just because it means I am on my way somewhere.

People who know me know that I am a planner. I think things through carefully and I analyze everything. In fact some people would say that I over-analyze things. I rarely do spontaneous crazy acts, but when I do- well I do them in style.

So, what’s a girl to do when she’s down and out, feeling blue, not enjoying her job and has an intense dislike for the frigid, icy winter looming?

If you’re me, you throw caution completely to the wind and pretty much decide then and there on the spot to quit your job, travel around the world and worry about your so-called life when you get back from the trip of a lifetime.

Ok, maybe the quitting the job was not so spontaneous. I’d been thinking about that for…well, pretty much since I realized that the department I worked in was shot to hell and that I was never going to gain the respect I’d earned and deserved. That and I realized that if I was going to finish my novel and start my life anew, I had to move on from almost everything that resembled my past.

Originally I had started thinking about travelling early last year and was planning on road-tripping with a friend of mine, but the best of plans always go astray. Once said-friend realized she could not do it due to work commitments and lack of monetary funds, it was up to me to decide whether to say forget about travelling or bite the bullet and do it by myself.

It took me about two minutes to decide that I really wanted to travel still and if I was not going to do it now I might never get to do it.

My original plan was to go for six weeks max and only to the states. Did I mention that the best plans often go astray?

Having said this, in 12 days I will be flying to London via Bangkok and Frankfurt and travelling for six-seven weeks around Europe on a Contiki tour.

You’d think that trip might be enough wouldn’t you? You’d be wrong. Once this tour finishes, I will be back in London two days before I will fly out for 10 days of fun in Los Angeles and embarking on another trip- this time I’ll be road-tripping it around the States with the boy. The boy, that makes my heart skip a beat and makes me mushy inside. Of course, ask me if I feel the same after spending 24/7 with him for 7 weeks in close proximity.

Both experiences are going to be learning curves for me. I’m nervous about both but very excited.

I’ve never done a Contiki tour before. I’ve heard that they can be pretty wild and it’s definitely going to be an experience for me. I’ve also heard that they have become tamer in the past couple of years and while I like a bit of fun, the idea of wild parties does not appeal to me all that much. It lost its appeal when I was in my mid twenties and to be honest, the prospect of spending 37+ days with people who are wild party animals is as appealing as slitting my wrists.

Like I said, it’s going to be an experience especially considering I am not relatively outgoing. I’m the girl who, while she would love to flirt from boy to boy on the dance floor and act crazy, is more likely to be the girl with the shy smile, observing from the corner.

Oh, did I mention I don’t like people much? Yes, you read that correctly. Ok, that’s not entirely true. I just don’t like stupid people or being around people for long periods of time. Yet here I am, doing a Contiki tour where I’ll, no doubt, be spending endless hours on a bus and in the company of the same people for 37 days.

You’re probably asking me if I just handed myself a one way ticket to a self-inflicted purgatory but here’s the thing.  I see this trip not just as a trip of a lifetime experiences but also as a learning curve. I want to meet new people and experience life a little more and more importantly, I need to draw myself out of a curve.

You know you’re becoming slightly antisocial when spending the weekend without seeing people, unplugging the phone and not leaving the house except for necessities like food and fresh air becomes very appealing.

Maybe it’s because I am a writer- I like to think that all writers have the ability to withdraw into ourselves and our own private worlds- unfortunately somewhere in the past few years I forgot how to retreat back out of myself and was fine with that until I realized I was turning 34 and if I didn’t start socializing again, I’d end up being that crazy old cat lady.

Ok, I don’t have cats and I’m never going to be a lady, but you get the gist.

Listen up folks, this trip is my coming out of hermitage party and I want you to experience it right from the beginning to the end with me.

So, buckle up folks and prepare for a bumpy and wonderful ride as I sightsee through Europe and the United States and I hope you enjoy what you see through my eyes.

Tags: europe, travel, United states