why?

Whenever you say that to people they tend to come back with well I want to do {insert whatever} but I have responsibilities. It's called being an adult.

What?

I call bullshit.

So does this guy. Ben Saunders. Because he answers the question "Why bother leaving the house?" Or at least he tells you why he leaves the house for adventure.




I don't think I'll ever grow out of my need to be constantly evolving and experiencing. At least I hope not. There's way too much of this world to explore for one lifetime! And maybe one day I'll make a grand trek like Ben's, it is kind of intriguing. But I'd opt for the dog sled not the skis ;)

Maybe arctic adventures, or travel adventures of any sort, aren't what makes you truly happy. But whatever it is, do it.

And then tell your story.

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now that the cat's outta the bag...

Most people I know in real life are now pretty aware of a real life plan to just take off (eh!) in 2017. I wasn't sure at first how or if I would tell a lot of people. What if it doesn't work out?

Um, no. That is not an option (although I realize life has a way of happening, but you can't plan around that shit)

And I kind of like everyone knowing. It holds me responsible in a way. Planning is going to be hard and a lot of work. All for a good cause, but it's easy to get bogged down in it all and lose focus on how great this is going to be. And why I need to do it. But getting to talk about makes me happy. And excited. And the support has been kind of surprising. No one has looked at me like I'm crazy. Well I mean I haven't talked about finding Trolls in Norway to anyone yet. So we'll see how long that lasts.

And now speaking of the planning... where the hell to even start. I'm not quite ready to start thinking about the budget, because that'll be the hardest part to figure out, and better suited to quiet times after the Holiday madness. Right now I have a temporary map on my wall with pins to mark all the places I want to visit. There will be a ton of stuff in between each pin and I'm sure pins will move as the planning moves forward. But it's a start. That and all the awesome travel books, and new travel blogs I've discovered recently. So many awesome travellers out there.

Here's the loose starting point. There are 2 main areas of focus for this trip. To explore the Arctic and help share those experiences to bring attention to this beautiful landscape and WHY we need to be doing more to help protect it from ourselves. Secondly, of coarse, is to absorb all that scandinavian, nordic, eastern european folklore and design and culture and meet all the wonderful people that make up these countries. And I'm sure you'll be shocked to learn I'm NOT going during winter. Well, not really. It'll start sometime in March.

The must-see countries on the list right now:

Greenland

Iceland

Faroe Islands

Denmark

Norway

Sweden

Finland

Russia 

Estonia

Lithuania

Latvia

Poland

Netherlands

And then who knows where ;)

What countries are on your must-see list?

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the adventure starts here

this blog. it's a bit of a new home.

this past year has been one of change and soul searching.

all about following your dreams.
the adventure starts here.

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