2015: The year of getting off the couch

It’s not just the year of the goat, it’s the year to get out there and have an adventure!  Now, I know you and I know your excuses for not being adventurous:

• “I want to do it, but don’t know how”
• “I don’t live in Colorado, there’s nothing adventurous to do here”
• “I don’t want to go alone”
• “I’m afraid”

Last weekend I came home from a fantastic Travel Adventure Show in Chicago – which was phenomenal.  After watching Ryan Van Duzer  talk about travel and getting off the couch I was inspired to do a recap of 2014 and crush any fears both you and I might have for not traveling.

So let’s recap my 2014 in travel:

• 

  Sainte mère église

  My dad and I did a Band of Brothers recap of grampa’s tour with the 101st during WWII (France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium)

• New years in Paris
• Brussels (twice)
• Madrid
• Barcelona (7 hour, overnight layover)
• Music festival in Bilbao, Spain
• Canary Islands
• Tahiti
• Morocco

HOWEVER – I will admit, in 2014 I had gotten sucked into the fear mongering by TV, the State Dept and the news and hesitated on a trip to Tunisia. (Good news – Tunisia’s back on the bucket list!)  So let’s tackle those excuses we mentioned before, shall we?

I want to do it, but I don’t know how:

Well, my friend.  You’re in luck.  There’s a gazillian travel writers out there documenting and photographing down to the minutest detail any place you could imagine to travel.  If you “want to go to there”, someone else has explored it and written about it.  So, after googling where you want to go, I would suggest buying a guide book, then checking out TripAdvisor and TravelogX to see what other writers and travelers have said about your destination of choice.  For flights and hotels, why not check out Costco Travel or your local travel agency.  Let them worry about the details while you dream of mai tais on the beach.

I don’t want to travel alone:

Volunteering could be a great way to find adventure AND lend a helping hand along the way! Plus, you’d most likely be with a group.  Boom, instant friendship. *Side note: I’ve never been on an airplane where I couldn’t find someone who was going to the same place

Women traveling solo is becoming more common:

• Claire Newell on the today show with tips for the woman traveling solo
• Adventurous Kate tackles some big topics of solo travel
• TravelGoGirl has her own ‘Traveling Solo’ part one and part two
• Get with a group  : GAdventures  can design and take you on a trip that fits your schedule and wallet.

There’s nothing adventurous to do here:

One evening during the Travel Show I was wandering around solo, looking for food and maybe a movie – what did I find only five minutes walk from the hotel? Indoor skydiving.  Did I sign up?  Erm, immediately!  Adventure doesn’t have to be expensive or in another country, there’s TONS of opportunities here as well.  Keep an open mind and open eyes you’ll find opportunities everywhere.

I’m afraid:

Ahhh yes, the media fear mongering got ahold of you, I see.  Never fear – I’m all about being safe (obvi) and it’s a good idea to be aware of the situation in country and know which parts to avoid before you go, but if you believe all the media hype you’ll never leave the house.   Take Egypt for example; Peter Greenberg is all about traveling there now, but if you take the State dept view at face value, you’d never go.
Hesitant to go it alone your first time? Go with those who have gone before.  Jump on Meetup.com or find a travel buddy!

So what’s my bucket list look like for this year?  Well, I’m at 37 countries now and I’ll be crushing my goal of 40 countries if I can tackle at least three on my list:
1.    Portugal
2.    Turkey
3.    Croatia
4.    Tunisia (yes, it’s back!)
5.    Egypt
6.    Czech Republic

So there it is; we’ve squashed all your worries and now you can get out there and tackle the world.  Remember, embrace spontaneity and you’ll find that the possibilities for adventure are everywhere around us; if you keep your eyes open and are open to saying yes, adventure will start finding you.

Wishing you a safe and adventurous 2015!

What’s your 2015 travel schedule look like?