Today is a special day in the history of this website. It’s the first day I shared this space to the public in the hopes of turning it into something more than a journal for my own pleasure.

So if you’re new here, and you likely are, then welcome. Thank you for stopping by to have a look at my humble corner of the internet. Many of the stories from the past are already here, ready for you to stumble upon them and laugh with or at me.

The initial goal of this website was to chronicle my journey to visit every country in the world, and I still hang on to that lofty goal as the primary purpose of this endeavor. I realize the size of such an undertaking, and I see no better goal to aspire to in a lifetime. But I also know that I’ll have to get back out there and put some serious miles under my belt to get it done. I joined this party late in life, but I’m ready to make up for the lost time.

Today also would have been my father’s 68th birthday and I decided to dedicated this effort to his memory. Were it not for him, I’d have had a hard time getting out there and experiencing all of the things that travel has taught me. Though he was not much for traveling, he encouraged me to pursue what made me happy and I loved to share anecdotes with him when I got back from some far flung place. I’d have loved to take a journey with him, but we ran out of time. He may be gone, but I will bring him along in spirit every time I set foot in a new country and make my way toward visiting as many as possible.

You’ll also be able to join me for narrated versions of my stories over at the Itinerary Earth podcast on Spotify. I am thrilled to share these stories with my literal voice because recalling them renews them and keeps me focused on where I should go next.

Now that you’re here, feel free to browse through my catalog of old stories and stay tuned for new ones about my travels to Southeast Asia in late 2019, domestic trips, and an upcoming week-long sojourn to Scotland. Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope to see you out there while I trot the globe.

The State Department of the U.S. announced that you can now renew your passport online with a few simple steps as outlined here:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/renew-online.html

This is awesome news for anyone who hates the old way of submitting paperwork and waiting for whatever time it takes to receive, process, and send you your updated information. I no longer dread the process I’ll need to do in just a few years.

Most people should be able to qualify for this type of renewal and there appear to be very few exceptions that apply to common folk. It is an awesome advancement and I hope they follow suit with other routine federal processes, but that is for another blog.

Yesterday marked two weeks until we will be heading to Scotland. The reality of the trip has finally come into better focus and I have started to get excited.

I always find that it is best to reserve these feelings for the last few days leading up to the departure, but in this instance, I simply can’t help myself. It’s the first time either of us will have traveled internationally in years, and the idea has the power to send my imagination off on tangents all day long. We haven’t traveled together internationally since 2006, so we will both be bringing entirely new perspectives and sets of experiences to the table.

This will be an easy way to test the waters of our future travels together and establish our rhythm as a pair in novel circumstances. Travel has a way of putting a lot of undue stress on the individuals and on the relationship itself. Navigating that stress joyfully adds a rich layer of appreciation that you get to keep well after returning home.

For my part, I intend to dedicate my attention fully to the experience while documenting the events for storytelling purposes. I am ready to enjoy it all with her, as well as provide needed support in times that are anxiety-inducing.

I’ve decided to make use of some recording equipment to host a travel-related podcast as another means to tell my stories of adventure with my literal voice. As I’ve started to tackle the bear that is my epic travel tales from Southeast Asia I have come to realize how much more oomph these stories would have if I could narrate them. Plus, it’ll be a riot to do.

I have an existing podcast that was used for my more esoteric monologues but I think travel will have broader appeal. I will also sneak in little bits of my life’s philosophy because travel is one of the threads that make up the tapestry of my life so far.

I will post the stories to read in the traditional fashion here and also narrate them there if you’d like to hear how it all went down. There are some hilarious tidbits that I tell far better in an audio format so it will be a real pleasure to create.

I have been noticing a good deal more content related to Scotland when I do my mindless scrolling for the day on Instagram. All of these folks have taken the time to explore the cities and countryside of this wonderful place and then share it with prospective visitors.

It excites me to see this footage in still images and videos because I know seeing the real thing will put all of this content to shame. I am nevertheless appreciative of the effort and I will undoubtedly do the same when we visit and share it with as broad an audience as possible.

We all have at least some of the same goals and I think one is to get others to see the value in these experiences. To see that travel can be whatever you want it to be, no matter how you roll.

The itinerary for Scotland has begun to take shape and we have established where we will be for each day of the trip.

Every day will feature many points of interest and thankfully most of them are not time-sensitive. It’s tough enough to be on time every time for events that happen when you’re at home, but it’s even harder when you are in another country and there is a lot more on the line.

Edinburgh has become a central focus for the trip and I am excited to see the city I have only witnessed in drool-inducing posts on social media. It seems to be the cultural heart of Scotland, but that is just the opinion of an unversed outsider.

The parts of Scotland I most look forward to are definitely the natural scenery and old architecture and ruins. Some of the oldest human societies set up shop here and left behind some impressive artifacts that have stood the test of time through thousands of years. We are going to lay eyes on things that were put in place before we had even begun to fathom what we would make of the world.

It is only 40 days until we set foot on the soil of Scotland, and the excitement grows every day.

I have been tasked with a paid writing assignment to discuss the merits of travel insurance, and it kind of makes me giggle. The way these companies discuss coverage it’s like they are ready and waiting with a helicopter to come rescue you in the event of an emergency.

But if you dig into the fine print even a little bit, you’ll realize that these companies will do anything and everything to deny your claims. This could mean you are left to abandon your plans altogether or even worse, pay off some massive hospital bill in a foreign country.

I’m not saying that it’s a ripoff, given that the average expense is about 5-10% of your total trip cost, but I am saying that like traditional insurance of all varieties, you’ll probably never end up needing it. Insurance companies feed on your insecurity and play it up with nightmare scenarios of broken bones, hospital stays, and canceled, non-refundable arrangements. I am sure that there have been people who have had to endure these kinds of trials, but I believe they are the exception and not the rule.

All travel requires a certain amount of due diligence. If you are the sort of person that requires a little extra peace of mind, consider picking up some travel insurance. But just like your travel plans, you need to apply some diligence to your travel insurance provider as well. Dig deep and see what is really covered and look for unbiased reviews from people who actually had to file claims. Buyer beware as always.

There are people in the world who are hesitant to leave their home country to seek out new experiences. I have met a few of these folks over the years and I always try to talk to them and get to the bottom of why they have this hesitation. The responses can tell you a lot about the inner workings of the person and how they see the world and themselves.

I completely understand fearing the unknown, but that fear has never been enough to douse my curiosity. If there were one thing I could say to these hesitant many, it is that the payoff is worth the risk.

The world has hundreds of countries. There are some that may be similar to where you call home and these will be the best choices to try your hand. If you’re ready to take a calculated risk, it’s a lot easier when you won’t have to surmount a language barrier, for instance. For this reason, it can be wise to make your first international trip to one of the “safe” spots. My first solo international adventure was to the U.K. and it felt like a starter course to me. I didn’t end up trying to drive on that trip but I think that would have been the only thing I’d have had any issues with. The rest of the experience was similar enough to what I’ve seen around the States that I never felt lost.

My unsolicited wisdom to those weary of crossing a border is that on the other side of your doubts is where you’ll find all of the glory. The simple act of setting foot in a strange new land can propel you into a world you had no idea was waiting inside you. All you have to do is be brave enough to take that step.

In the near future I will post my recollections of Southeast Asia from the trip I took in 2019. There has been what feels like an eternity between then and now, but it is all still very vivid in my mind. That entire year was a whirlwind and it is almost as if by fate that 2020 would take such a turn and slam the brakes on all travel.

The experiences I had during this trip were enough to fundamentally shift my perspective in favor of a more global view. I met people that became fast friends and I can remember many of them by name. Our conversations continue to occupy an area in my mind that I hold near and dear.

An undertaking of this size will require some thought and a little planning to execute but I feel the stories are good enough to warrant this use of time. It is the reason travel is so important to me and I hope I can show you why it might add value to your life.

I took a walk down memory lane to the beginning of this site and I was reacquainted with who I was in the recent past. Many of the details that made up my first foray into traveling are still fresh in my mind because of how my memory works.

The odd thing is that these memories feel like someone else’s. I feel detached from them as though I was observing it all, but I can recall entirely too much for that to be the case.

Who was that?

The many photos I have from an old phone tell me that it was definitely me. But the photos that had me as a subject in any capacity look like a complete stranger. It has been over 7 years since this humble travel blog began, and I have grown in every conceivable way.

One of the most important steps forward has been finding the courage to share my stories with the world. Instead of just recreating them so I can recall all of the feelings I have from the trips, I intend to convey the essence of these feelings to others so they can go and chase their own dreams of adventure.

Looking back I see how important it was to have this place and to foster this lifelong passion. I have spent the seven years since exploring as much of the world as I can and in doing so, have made great strides discovering more about who I am.

Travel has the power to show you the world beyond what you have known and provides a glimpse at the universe within. It demands your presence in a way that your daily life can’t, and it affords you the opportunity to learn to be present more often. You won’t just see new and exciting things. You will embody the boundless spirit of our curiosity as a species. In doing so, you connect to one of the fundamental truths of our existence.

All of this is temporary. The fleeting nature of the average human life suggests that our time would be best spent reveling in experience and giving it our fullest attention. When you travel you become a natural at allowing in these experiences and every time you do, you improve the chances you will be able to do so when you get back home.

Travel light and you’ll leave plenty of room for souvenirs of sentiment, and those cost nothing.