― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
In under three weeks, I'll board a flight out of San Francisco International Airport that will take me far, far away to Auckland, New Zealand. This is simultaneously completely terrifying and outrageously exciting. I'll be using this blog to keep a record of my travels, and also as a sounding board for my thoughts as I go. For lack of a better format, here's a self-asked, self-answered Q&A to lay out my "plan" if you'd like to call it one.
Where am I going? I'll be landing in Auckland, NZ, on September 11. In Auckland, I have my first two nights booked in a hostel, which should let me get my feet back under me and hopefully give me the opportunity to meet a few cool people around the city. From that point, I have no itinerary, just a very, very long list of interesting places I'd like to visit in the time I'm there. With a US Passport, I should receive a NZ Tourist Visa when I arrive at customs, which permits me to stay in the country for up to 3 months. If I'm still feeling adventurous after that visa expires, I may hop over to Australia.
When am I coming back? I don't have a return flight booked yet, but my mom will hunt me down if I'm not back by Christmas. I may be gone for a few months, or it may only take me a week to realize I'd rather be home. The second scenario isn't necessarily likely, but I'm keeping my options open.
Why am I taking this trip? The idea of taking this type of trip occurred to me in the Spring, and the more I thought about it the more I grew to like the idea. I've wanted to travel for a very long while, but I've never found or made the time for it. I've always had school, work, or my various life priorities which convinced me that the best plan of action was always to stay put and wait. Travel is expensive and quitting my job is a very, very big decision. I've got a very limited amount of responsibility right now, financial or otherwise, so the time is right. Ultimately, I decided that I'll likely never have another opportunity to do this, so I had better take full advantage of it.
Why New Zealand?
- The Scenery: It's absolutely gorgeous.
- The Season: I'll be right in time for Spring. And it's cold in Europe.
- The People: From all reports I've heard, Kiwis are some of the most happy, active, and friendly people on Earth.
- The Language: The language is English, with a silly accent. I can work with that.
- The Experience: I've never been to New Zealand. I've also never met anyone who visited and didn't wish they had more time to spend there.
What will I be doing? Oh so much stuff. So much. I'll expand on this more in later posts, but basically walking, hiking, reading, eating, and seeing as much as I possibly can.
So, yeah, that's pretty much it. I'll be in the LA area until Labor Day Weekend, and in the SF area from then until my flight. I'd like to grab a beer with all of you wonderful folks before I go. If you've got any questions about my trip, don't hesitate to ask in the comments!
Cheers,
Jared
So, yeah, that's pretty much it. I'll be in the LA area until Labor Day Weekend, and in the SF area from then until my flight. I'd like to grab a beer with all of you wonderful folks before I go. If you've got any questions about my trip, don't hesitate to ask in the comments!
Cheers,
Jared
J,
ReplyDeleteI hope you get so experienced (in the Hendrix sense) that you have no time at all to update this blog. That said, I will still compulsively check for updates on your whereabouts.