REAL TALK WITH DANIELLE - Around The World in 180 Days
/“Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘Holy shit…what a ride!’” - Hunter S. Thompson
Okay everyone, 2019 has been absolutely wild! Let’s do a quick recap:
· I got my LICENSE in mental health counseling
· I got MARRIED
· I produced and directed the first staged reading of a musical I WROTE
And now I can publicly announce my official plans for 2020... [insert fanfare here]
· A six month trip around the world!
That’s right, I am going on the trip of a lifetime with my husband, Terrance. Starting in December, we will travel from Boston to the North Island of New Zealand! I’m a total Lord of the Rings geek, so I’m dying to see Hobbiton. We’re also going to get our hiking shoes out for a 12 mile hike through Tongariro Crossing (AKA Mount Doom!) - Videos of my best Gollum impressions to come!
After some chill time in Middle Earth, we are heading over to Adelaide, Australia. We are dog sitting in Adelaide (hello FREE accommodations) and then we’ll hop to Sydney and Cairns. I have dreamed of diving in The Great Barrier Reef since I learned about it in 6th grade history class, and I’m a little bit out of my mind that it is actually happening!
Last thing we have planned is the flight from Australia to Bangkok. We’re going to hop around from here to other parts of Southeast Asia. This region just seems like backpacking heaven. It has everything from big cities to beautiful places in nature. We’re going to plan further during our travels so that we can give ourselves the chance to stay longer in places that we really love! We are constantly considering which places to visit (Bali, Vietnam, India, Greece, Prague, Costa Rica... just to name a few!)
There is so much I can say about all of the preparation that has gone into this trip and will continue to keep going into this trip, but I will save it for later posts. I think it’s more fun if you all can join us on this journey in real time. I will say this, though, I have been planning for this trip since I was 13 years old. That may seem insane, but it’s true.
When I was 13, my dad started teaching me how to save money. He told me that he saved money when he was young and was able to go on a backpacking trip around Europe for a summer in his twenties. That was the first goal, and then it grew into this epic adventure throughout the years. At first I thought I would leave when I graduated college, but I decided I would rather go straight to grad school. I actually thought to myself, “It will be better if I can be done with school at 24 and not have that hanging over my head.” After grad school, I was in a relationship with Terrance, and he didn’t have the money to do this trip with me. He asked me to wait until I got my license (2 more years) so that he could save money and come with me. I agreed, and can I just say how completely fucking impressive it is that he saved enough money in such a short amount of time? What a champion!
And now it’s finally here! 13 year old me is so proud of 26 year old me! I waited 13 years and I’m finally going to do it! I have judged myself over the years for always setting too high of expectations and having pretty lofty goals, but if there’s anything I’ve learned this year, it’s that you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to. This year was busy and stressful and exciting, and next year will probably be similar but with different adventures. I can’t wait to see what’s in store, and I’m glad to have this blog to share the good, the bad, and the in between with all of you!
Want more blog-y goodness? Tips and tricks for travel? Insight into mental health conundrums? Shared experiences in creativity and artistic expression? Scroll to the very bottom and subscribe!
Plot twist: Danielle and Terrance buy out REI
