Sincy July
People ask me a lot of questions these days. People I know, people I don't know, people I've just met, people I've known for a long time, people who haven't reached out to me in years. Unfortunately, I don't have the best answers or even an answer at all to these questions. But I don't blame you for inquiring. If I went through a friend's Instagram and saw them hitchhiking in Macedonia or see almost every Snapchat story is from a different airport, I'd ask questions too.
July 3 is day I will never forget. It's the fastest day that has ever gone by. Not because I was eager but because I was wistful - the end of a chapter. I didn't sleep for one second that night (because I was packing, I mean who doesn't pack the night before?). But I couldn't have slept, even if my life depended on it. The culmination of the months of planning and preparation.
At 4 a.m. on July 4 I took an Uber to Will Rogers Aiport in Oklahoma City with everything I own in one suitcase and one backpack. Then I walked through the first of many passport checks, waited in the first of many security lines, slept in the first of many airplanes and arrived at my destination with no plan.
But before there was no plan, there was a plan. A methodical, meticulous one. It took many months to perfect and had to be executed to precision like the finest Swiss watches.
I'm not really sure what triggered it but 18 months before my departure a crazy idea came to me. You know one of those ideas you come up with your best friend after a night of drinking where you talk about opening a bar or something. I think initially it was seeing all the cool travel photos on Reddit and coming to a realization how stale life had become. I don't have my old notebooks (see first sentence of paragraph three) but I think the original idea was to attend Frauenfeld Openair Festival in Switzerland and Tomorrowland in Belgium. The more I looked into it, the deeper I fell into the rabbit hole.
Shortly after, one Sunday afternoon I went to Starbucks (#basic) I don't know how or why but I came across a travel blog called www.vickyflipfloptravels.com. That is when everything became real and realized it was possible. That day while drinking some overpriced coffee and eating delicious banana bread I started to plan. The goal was to drop everything and see the world.
For 18 months I saved as much money as possible. My best friends know how much of a money stickler I am but believe it or not, I became more of a stickler. I rarely ate out, didn't buy clothes (why I have the same outfit in every picture I post), did bi-weekly deposits into my savings account, went to cheaper gas stations, withdrew cash from my bank's ATMs, etc. It doesn't sound like much but it adds up over 18 months. When you sit down and diligently analyze your expenses it's amazing how much you throw away. Part of the plan was to resign from my job (s/o to Love's), sell my car/furniture (s/o to Gann and Diffee Ford Lincoln), donate clothes and not re-sign my lease. All very difficult decisions, yet they were easy because I was so focused on the prize. All I saw was the goal. I saw the goal every time I was tempted. "I could buy these shoes for $80 or I can get a round-trip ticket from Geneva to any European city."
I did a lot of research. I dove in headfirst. I read stories of people who did what I wanted to do, listened to The Budget-Minded Travel Podcast, checked out motivational books from the library and clicked on every link on the internet that looked remotely related to my situation.
Along the way other things happened that cemented my desire to pursue this goal. Seeing my friend's Instagram or Facebook posts from abroad, a meeting I had at my work, a conversation I had with my friend Kelsey, more Reddit posts, the want to immerse myself in different cultures, wanting to attend a Real Madrid football match, the presidential election, a serious case of FOMO, my friend Mary-Claire traveling solo, the desire to challenge myself, fulfilling a promise I made to myself when my girlfriend and I broke up, the realization that life is short.
So here we are almost five months later. I've been to Spain, Iceland, Switzerland, Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, France, Austria and Portugal. I will end the year with trips to Greece, Morocco, Sweden and back to Spain. I've taken 14 planes, one boat, 10 buses, 15 trains, four hitchhike rides, slept in 17 different beds and been to 14 hostels/hotels/guesthouses. The cities I've enjoyed visiting the most are Madrid and Budapest. The city I've enjoyed the least is Belgrade. Just don't even think about going there. A city that really surprised me is Sofia.
These five months traveling have been the most challenging, stressful, relaxing, unbelievable, life-changing, imposing, rewarding and satisfying of my life. I've visited the most beautiful cities, met the most amazing people, tasted the most delicious foods, seen the most incredible landscapes, heard the most unusual languages and created the best memories that will last forever. The most extraordinary and special moments have been meeting people from all over the world. It's meeting kids who quit their jobs too to see the world just like me, Kevin and Corbin from Houston, Steph and Carissa from California. Or meeting up with people you met in a different country. It's something I can't even put into words.
There are days I miss my friends, attending Thunder games, American food, American culture, Pint Night at McNellie's, Oklahoma City, the comfort of having my own apartment, my CrossFit gym, the Routine, the convenience of a car. Then there are days I don't have any desire to go back. It's all about rolling with the punches and adapting to change. I text my best friends every day, I FaceTime my best friends once a month, I can watch every Thunder game, social media is awesome to remain connected to friends/places and Europe is an awesome place to be!
In between these crazy adventures I stay with family in Switzerland. A lot of delicious cheese, chocolate and it's almost ski season! I am also looking for a part-time job here so I can earn a little money to travel some more.
2018 is looking more of the same! I can't wait to continue my travels. I haven't planned anything yet but there are already a lot of destinations and ideas! The main ones are Paris, Norway, Asia for several months and a road trip around America. Stay tuned for that.
July 3 is day I will never forget. It's the fastest day that has ever gone by. Not because I was eager but because I was wistful - the end of a chapter. I didn't sleep for one second that night (because I was packing, I mean who doesn't pack the night before?). But I couldn't have slept, even if my life depended on it. The culmination of the months of planning and preparation.
At 4 a.m. on July 4 I took an Uber to Will Rogers Aiport in Oklahoma City with everything I own in one suitcase and one backpack. Then I walked through the first of many passport checks, waited in the first of many security lines, slept in the first of many airplanes and arrived at my destination with no plan.
But before there was no plan, there was a plan. A methodical, meticulous one. It took many months to perfect and had to be executed to precision like the finest Swiss watches.
I'm not really sure what triggered it but 18 months before my departure a crazy idea came to me. You know one of those ideas you come up with your best friend after a night of drinking where you talk about opening a bar or something. I think initially it was seeing all the cool travel photos on Reddit and coming to a realization how stale life had become. I don't have my old notebooks (see first sentence of paragraph three) but I think the original idea was to attend Frauenfeld Openair Festival in Switzerland and Tomorrowland in Belgium. The more I looked into it, the deeper I fell into the rabbit hole.
Shortly after, one Sunday afternoon I went to Starbucks (#basic) I don't know how or why but I came across a travel blog called www.vickyflipfloptravels.com. That is when everything became real and realized it was possible. That day while drinking some overpriced coffee and eating delicious banana bread I started to plan. The goal was to drop everything and see the world.
 |
| Beers in Belgrade |
For 18 months I saved as much money as possible. My best friends know how much of a money stickler I am but believe it or not, I became more of a stickler. I rarely ate out, didn't buy clothes (why I have the same outfit in every picture I post), did bi-weekly deposits into my savings account, went to cheaper gas stations, withdrew cash from my bank's ATMs, etc. It doesn't sound like much but it adds up over 18 months. When you sit down and diligently analyze your expenses it's amazing how much you throw away. Part of the plan was to resign from my job (s/o to Love's), sell my car/furniture (s/o to Gann and Diffee Ford Lincoln), donate clothes and not re-sign my lease. All very difficult decisions, yet they were easy because I was so focused on the prize. All I saw was the goal. I saw the goal every time I was tempted. "I could buy these shoes for $80 or I can get a round-trip ticket from Geneva to any European city."
I did a lot of research. I dove in headfirst. I read stories of people who did what I wanted to do, listened to The Budget-Minded Travel Podcast, checked out motivational books from the library and clicked on every link on the internet that looked remotely related to my situation.
Along the way other things happened that cemented my desire to pursue this goal. Seeing my friend's Instagram or Facebook posts from abroad, a meeting I had at my work, a conversation I had with my friend Kelsey, more Reddit posts, the want to immerse myself in different cultures, wanting to attend a Real Madrid football match, the presidential election, a serious case of FOMO, my friend Mary-Claire traveling solo, the desire to challenge myself, fulfilling a promise I made to myself when my girlfriend and I broke up, the realization that life is short.
So here we are almost five months later. I've been to Spain, Iceland, Switzerland, Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, France, Austria and Portugal. I will end the year with trips to Greece, Morocco, Sweden and back to Spain. I've taken 14 planes, one boat, 10 buses, 15 trains, four hitchhike rides, slept in 17 different beds and been to 14 hostels/hotels/guesthouses. The cities I've enjoyed visiting the most are Madrid and Budapest. The city I've enjoyed the least is Belgrade. Just don't even think about going there. A city that really surprised me is Sofia.
 |
| Vienna was neat |
There are days I miss my friends, attending Thunder games, American food, American culture, Pint Night at McNellie's, Oklahoma City, the comfort of having my own apartment, my CrossFit gym, the Routine, the convenience of a car. Then there are days I don't have any desire to go back. It's all about rolling with the punches and adapting to change. I text my best friends every day, I FaceTime my best friends once a month, I can watch every Thunder game, social media is awesome to remain connected to friends/places and Europe is an awesome place to be!
In between these crazy adventures I stay with family in Switzerland. A lot of delicious cheese, chocolate and it's almost ski season! I am also looking for a part-time job here so I can earn a little money to travel some more.
2018 is looking more of the same! I can't wait to continue my travels. I haven't planned anything yet but there are already a lot of destinations and ideas! The main ones are Paris, Norway, Asia for several months and a road trip around America. Stay tuned for that.
 |
| The Hound and Brienne of Tarth fought here in Iceland |
There remain questions I cannot answer. Will I ever move back to America? I don't know. Where/when will I settle down? I don't know. How long are you traveling for? I don't know. What are you going to do after you are done traveling? I don't know. But I like that I don't know these answers. Five months ago this would've scared me. I've learned to focus on today and take it one day at a time. It's okay I don't know. It's the unknown that keeps this adventure exciting and exhilarating.
July 3 is day I will never forget. It's the fastest day that has ever gone by. Not because I was wistful but because I was eager - the beginning of a chapter.
Everything they say about solo travel is true. Travel is dope!
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