Throughout the month of November, BootsnAll is inviting bloggers from around the world to join them in a daily blogging effort – the 30 Days of Indie Travel Project – designed to reflect on how our travel experiences over the last year – or whenever – have shaped us and our view of the world. Bloggers can follow the prompts as strictly or loosely as they like, interpreting them in various ways and responding via text, photos or video posted on their own blogs.
What were your travel goals last year? Did you accomplish them? What travel goals do you hope to accomplish this year?
The fact that I am writing this as I am sitting in a flat in Moscow, Russia means YES, I certainly accomplished my travel goals last year.
My goal for last year was to make my dream of traveling a reality.
This meant reaching my savings goal, finding someone to take my cat, selling or renting out my condo, quitting my job, finding health insurance and all of the other little, sometimes tedious things involved in pursuing a dream like this.
I am so proud that I was able to make it happen.
My last day as an associate director of development (i.e., fundraiser) for a law school in Chicago was August 12. On August 30 – my 35th birthday – I hopped on a plane with a one-way ticket to Helsinki, Finland and the journey began!
So far my trip has included staying in a hostel for the first time, running a marathon, living with a family on the outskirts of St. Petersburg for a month, taking Russian language classes and tutoring a couple in English here in Moscow.
Despite the ups and downs (and if you’ve been following along, you know there have been a few!), there is no place I would rather be right now and nothing I would rather be doing.
Now, looking ahead to next year – what are my travel goals?
First things first, I want to continue my current journey through the former Soviet Union, including studying Russian in Kiev, volunteering in Armenia and Central Asia, and getting way off the beaten path in places like Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.
What’s next after that?
I’d have to say my overarching goal is to find a way to make a career out of my love for travel.
As I wrote before I left, I can see myself doing a variety of things: travel planning, travel writing, working for a tour company or travel website, or working for an international nonprofit, to name a few. My goal for the next year is to find which of these (or something else) best combines my experience, skills and passion for travel.
What about you? What were your travel goals last year? Did you accomplish them? What goals do you hope to accomplish this year?
