Getting Started

I was debating about how to go about organizing the vast amount of information in my brain in order to share it in some kind of logical procession. I eventually asked myself, "What is the first thing you tell people when they ask you for travel advice?" Yes, I probably said this aloud, to myself, in the car and also verbally responded, "I suggest they first figure out their preferred mode of transportation."

This may sound a bit like Dr. Seuss, but do you want to take a plane, a train, a bus or a boat, or perhaps a car will be your vote?

If it's your first time venturing out, I suggest driving. It gives you the comfort of your own car, the freedom to be on your own schedule, almost unlimited packing space, and relatively cheaper option. Downfall is that you will likely have limited distance due to time constraints. (If you don't have time constraints, I recommend buying an RV and never sitting still.) If you choose this option, go at least 3 hours from home. It forces you out of your comfort zone, but also, you'll know enough about the area to stay out of the sketchier places.

Other Transportation Options:

1. Leaving on a Jet Plane - You can get almost anywhere. You can get there pretty quickly. After taking lots and lots of trips in a single year, you could rack up some sweet frequent flier miles to pay for your next trip, or at least get an upgrade... BUT planes can be expensive. & You'll probably need to purchase some sort of transportation on the other end. Plus.. Airports. Airports. TSA. Airports. And limited luggage.

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2. Come and Ride the Train - You're not stuck in a tiny little pressurized compartment, playing seat-neighbor roulette, for hours and hours. You can get up. Move about the cars. However, routes and destinations are limited. Extremely limited in the US. Also, similar to the plane option, you'll most likely need to purchase some sort of transportation on the other end. I recently moved to a city that has an Amtrak station. I haven’t explored that option yet, but it’s on my bucket list for this year!

3. The Bus Option - While it's not a tiny pressurized compartment, but still have to play seat-neighbor roulette. I've only taken a bus in Spain to a small coastal town, so I don't have a lot of suggestions in this department. The experience was horrible. I don't mean to dissuade you from this option. I'm sure if I had more experience, it could be at least a 50/50 shot, but we spent over two hours going up and down hills, resulting in one poor woman losing her lunch, over and over and over again. Yuck! I could go on, but I think I'll go back to repressing that memory. Thank you very much.

4. I'm on a BOAT! - I really like Cruises. However, the majority of my friends and family do not have the stomach for it; literally, and you basically have to pay double to go solo. On to the benefits of a cruise - you only unpack once but still get to explore a lot of different places. While in route, you have various entertainment options, including some interesting people watching opportunities. Oh, and no seat belts or seat-neighbor roulette; unless you choose to at dinner. However, you probably don't live at a cruise port, so you'll have to get there and pay for parking. Also, if you don't know yet, you might find out very quickly that you need to find a chunder box (aka - puke pit).

Now that you've figured out the how, let's figure out where you should go.