Where to Go?

Deciding where to travel to once my teaching contract was complete was something that I thought about for months.  It was a very tough decision. -I will say now that I’m aware that this isn’t a real problem.-  I was interested in travelling to many different countries, but I knew that my savings wouldn’t allow me to see everything that I wanted to.  To help me decide which countries to visit, I made a list of what I wished to experience and accomplish on this extended holiday.

1. Practice Spanish.

2. Be in nature and see new wildlife.

3. Get in the best physical shape of my life.

4. Visit religious sites and learn more about religions.

5. Witness poverty to have a deeper awareness of how fortunate I am.

6. Eat from world famous cuisines.

7. Become a certified SCUBA diver.

8. Run marathons.

9. Do something “spiritual”.

With this list, selecting which countries to travel to became very simple: India, Thailand, and Peru. Marathons are held all over the world and I was sure that I could find ones to run in these countries. While in India I could learn more about Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism and I would certainly witness immense poverty.  All three countries are very biodiverse and India and Thailand are particularly well known for their incredible food. In Thailand I would be able to practice Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing), a very physically and mentally demanding sport; something that I’m sure could push me past my current limits. Thailand has fantastic dive spots and very affordable SCUBA courses.  Lastly, if I travelled to Peru, I could practice Spanish, run up the Inca Trail, and then do something “spiritual”. (I’ll write about this later.)

I feel that listing what I wanted to see and do before choosing what countries to visit was a good decision. It has given this vacation some focus and purpose.  I don’t feel that there’s anything wrong with travelling without plans, relaxing, and playing it by ear. But I really wanted to use this time to develop as a human being and I feel that would be more difficult without some clear objectives.

I’m so excited about the journey that lies ahead of me.