Wanderlust

I have a secret dream, that isn't so secret anymore, and that dream is this: to sell our house and all of our excess belongings, buy a travel trailer, and spend our lives wandering North America at will.

I've been wanting to do this for a few years now, but I don't mention it much, because at first blush, it sounds so crazy and drastic. Whenever I mention it to Matt, he's on board only in a non-committal, "Yeah, that sounds nice" in an abstract, never-gonna-happen, or maybe someday in the far future when we're older and richer and ready to retire because that's an old person's dream, kind of way.

But the other day I discovered this lady, who is about our age and is totally doing it, and doesn't seem crazy at all, and in fact seems like she couldn't be happier. And I'm so jealous of her I could spit. And that led me down a rabbit trail of discovering more and more people of my generation who are opting out of the traditional American Dream of our parents and instead taking full advantage of the fact that we live in the future and have jobs that can be done from anywhere that the Internet reaches, and living as full-time travelers/adventurers while they're still young enough and healthy enough to fully enjoy it. Because why should it be an old person's dream?

I spent the weekend following that rabbit trail and shooting down objections. We can't do it if we have a baby. But wait! These people are totally doing it with a baby! And this couple is doing it with their two impossibly adorable little girls! But we can't do it with three cats. But here's a whole discussion thread on road tripping with cats! And here's another one!

Of course, other objections/obstacles are a little harder to get around. It's too early to sell our house—we need to live here at least two more years to avoid penalties, and three more years to build up enough equity to do anything worthwhile. We need to pay off our mounting consumer debt. We need to have a freelance income that's more stable and, well, more. So we're still a few years out from actually being able to do this. And I need to work on getting Matt more concretely on board. But man, do I ever want to do this.

My family and people who knew me back when will probably be shocked; primarily because I lived in an Airstream for a semester when I attended OU and I was mostly miserable. I think part of the reason I want this so badly now is because, looking back, I was so miserable because I simply did it wrong. I was still enslaved to my belongings and I didn't know how to give stuff up, so I lived in a hoarder's nest of clutter crammed into about 120 square feet. I was also earning barely more than minimum wage and trying to pay my own way through college, and when the weather turned cold, I couldn't afford to keep my propane tanks filled, so I was just cold. A lot. And it was parked in the heart of tornado alley, so any nights that held any hint of a storm or high winds, I did not sleep. And those nights were also a lot. And this isn't even touching on the depression I was already fighting a losing battle with before I even moved into the trailer.

And there's also the fact that living in a travel trailer in a trailer park, even a very nice trailer park with a cute little yard like I had, is very different from living in a travel trailer anywhere the hay you want because it actually travels, and you can have the ocean as your front yard one morning and the mountains the next, and you can live where it's warm in the winter and where it's cool in the summer, and during tornado season you can just drive to where they don't have tornadoes.

I'm also very drawn, as I get older, to a simple, uncluttered lifestyle. I used to be such a collector, but now I look around at the things I've collected—that I haven't already eBayed or otherwise gotten rid of—and all I see is crap that's collecting dust and taking up space. I crave less stuff. I crave more white space in my life, and uncluttered coziness, and organization.

So. This is a goal I'm going to be setting. Of course, goal #1 is to get Matt to agree to this goal. And that might happen never. Or we might have our baby (God-willing) and I'll totally lose interest in this. Or who knows what else might happen in the intervening years to change one or both of our minds. But for now? This is a dream I want to chase. So you can expect more travel- and trailer- and living small-related posts here in the future. Which has got to be a happier topic array than grief and RPL/IF, right? I think the distraction will do us all some good.

Camp Sanity

This horrible, no good, very bad month is coming to a close, and I think I'm finally getting my equilibrium back. The writing has picked up, my creative juices are flowing, I've got a semblance of organization going, and I even made it back to the gym this morning. I haven't been to the gym in weeks. I haven't shaved my legs in that long, either, and sorry for the TMI, but leg-shaving, like gym-going, is just too much to deal with when you're having a month like mine.

But this morning I went, and I swam, and I shaved, and I even wore a skirt and high heels, and it didn't feel like tons and tons of effort. Well, the swimming did, since I've fallen completely out of shape, but it felt like good effort. Maybe this is all because I spent my Memorial Day weekend primarily resting in bed with a good book, and man, I can't tell you how much I needed that. I'm feeling a little more like me again. It's a nice feeling to have.

Better yet, Husband and I actually get to go on a real, actual vacation next month in the form of a camping trip with a gaggle of in-laws. I normally don't tend to be too big on the entire concept of camping, but I'm so desperate for a getaway that this feels like a God-send (actually, they do this every year, but this is the first year we'll have been able to make it). It will be the first time we've gone further than Tulsa for anything, and also the first time we'll have spent more than a day away from home, since our honeymoon. So bring on the camp fires and the sleeping bags and the swimming holes, and even the stifling heat and the bugs. It's still a break from the routine, and that's what I need so very, very much.

Once you go cruise, other vacations are a snooze

Did you know we're VIPs? *Strikes dignified, very important pose* Apparently, one cruise with a particular cruise line is enough to qualify you for VIP status. Who knew?

So we got our special VIP member magazine the other day, which was chock-full of cruise itineraries we couldn't possibly afford unless we were each willing to sell a kidney toward the fund-raising effort, which immediately made me question the legitimacy of their VIP membership criteria. The one that had us drooling the most, and had each of us briefly pondering how much the other's kidney might bring on the black market, was a two-week Asian cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong, which takes in Bangkok and just about every coastal city in Viet Nam along the way. I think we just found our dream vacation.

The only thing that could make that cruise more awesome is if it also visited Japan. Probably more than any other Asian country, that's the one I'd like to visit, and no, not just for all the cheap pirated anime. The Daily Random has some gorgeous pictures from Japan that give a pretty good sampling of why I want to go there (and they're supposed to post some from China next week) (and by the way, you gamers out there might want to keep an eye on this blog). So, so pretty. If they'd added Japan to the schedule, I might be offering up my own kidney to sign up.

Of course, at this point I'd settle for a weekend party cruise around the Gulf of Mexico. I'd just need to sell some plasma (twenty times) to afford that.

More Than Hotel Reservations

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In my vacation desperation, I'm wistfully making the rounds of the online booking sites and checking out the various hotel discounts. Hotel Reservations is a fairly new kid on the block that tends to get overshadowed by the creepy garden gnomes and creepier William Shatners in the neighborhood. Don't let the name fool you -- they're not just about hotels. You can also research and book flight packages, cruise getaways, and everything else you'd expect from a DIY travel web site. I'm searching hotels in and around Chicago, and I found some great deals for three-star hotels that fit nicely into our budget... assuming we can work the getting there part into our budget, as well.

Best Little Townhouse In Texas

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When I told Matt I've never drank Shiner Bock beer, he decided that needed to be corrected, so this weekend he picked us up a twelve-pack. Last night we cracked it open, and as we sipped our beer we tried to recount all of the movies we've watched recently that were either set or filmed in Austin, Texas. A Scanner Darkly and Sin City were the first to come to mind, and, of course, Grindhouse, which if I recall correctly actually featured an appearance by the beer in question.

Matt and I have never been to Austin, but we both want to go there. We actually considered attending this years SxSW festival, but those tickets are still too rich for our blood. One way or another, though, I'm sure we'll make it down there before too much longer, where we can see if it's as comfortable and laid back a city as we expect it to be. We've even discussed the possibility of moving there eventually, if it feels like a good fit. From what I can tell, it's got the hip, urban feel we crave, it's a good place to be a creative type, and it's only a day's drive to get from there back home to our extended families. I could even see us settling into one of these awesome Austin Condos in a few years, especially if kids never enter the picture. As much as we'd both like to eventually own a house, I could also totally be happy with a condo, what with the whole "no yard work" factor.

It's probably jumping the gun a bit to start planning our future life in Austin, but even so, it's definitely on our domestic "must visit" list. As for moving it to our "been there" list, just give us another year or two.

Spring break? What's that again?

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I think my husband will be on spring break next week. We have no plans—or at least I have no plans, thanks to my still being in the hole on vacation hours; but he probably has lots of plans, and they probably involve a lot of sleeping and reading for fun and not studying. Even so, it's got me dreaming about what we would do and where we would go if time and money weren't obstacles.

Spring holiday breaks in the UK definitely come to mind. I think Bath, England would be one of my top choices. I think I've mentioned here before how I got to spend like three hours there once on a day trip from London that also took in Stone Henge and Salisbury Cathedral, and we spent about two and a half of those hours in the Roman Bath museum. Ever since I've wanted to get back there and explore the village. It had a kind of funky bohemian artsy air that I really dug.

If I had the time and money, I'd be tempted to book a trip right now -- and I wouldn't have any trouble finding a hotel, either. The last time I had to book a hotel at the last minute was for a trip to Six Flags Over Texas, and that was so long ago that I actually had to use a telephone to call area hotels and check availability. There goes that Internet again, being all useful and convenient.

Wanna play in Playa?

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I remember getting off of the ferry that delivered us from our cruise ship at Cozumel to Playa del Carmen, on the last excursion day of our honeymoon cruise. I felt ill from the fast and bumpy boat ride, but when I got off of the ferry and took in the fresh Caribbean air and the view of the sandy beach front with the town of Playa del Carmen only steps away from the pier, I forgot all about my rumbly tummy. It was absolutely gorgeous. We walked about 10 blocks through the town as our tour guide led us to the bus that would take us to the Mayan ruins at Tulum, spying all kinds of shops and restaurants we wanted to stop and check out as we went, not to mention catching breathtaking views of the sea. My husband and I were tempted to skip out on the ruins and stay in the town all day. Instead, we promised each other that we'd go back there some day and take our time there enjoying the town and the beaches around it. That's why I'm bookmarking SeePlaya.com, a travel guide specializing in Playa del Carmen hotel reviews. This site will let us compare hotels and resorts, and plan and book our vacation all in one place. I can't wait till we can go back there some day.

Toronto: how I wanna go

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I used to have an online buddy who lived in Toronto. We used to talk occasionally about me heading up there to visit her, but of course I was always too broke. I even once had an extremely vivid dream in which I met her there and she took me on a tour of the city. Curious to see how Actual Toronto compares to Dream Toronto, it's been on my list of places I want to visit ever since.

And why shouldn't it be? It's a neat city, voted one of the Economist Intelligence Unit's top ten best places to live, according to the BBC News. Living costs in Toronto are well below those of major American cities, which means an American tourist's dollars will go far. But the biggest reason I want to go? Niagara Falls.

I've wanted to visit Niagara Falls since I was a kid. Especially since I was a kid watching at Superman II and swept away by the Superman/Lois romance. My desire to go there waned for a while, but then I fell in love with Wonderfalls, that brilliant but short-lived show on Fox that highlighted the kitschy romantic wonder of it all. Wonderfalls was set on the New York side of the falls, but one of my favorite episodes featured a trip across the border into Toronto, reminding me how I've always wanted to go there.

Matt wants to visit Toronto someday, too. We've talked about doing a road trip up there. Maybe one to get us there in time for the annual maple syrup festival. Mmmm, maple. And, of course, visit any of the restaurants that we've seen featured on Food Network.

Naturally, for me any visit to Canada wouldn't be complete without a side trip to Prince Edward Island to pay homage to Lucy Maude Montgomery and my favorite red-headed role model, Anne of Green Gables. I'd not only visit the museum, but take the tour and hang out for as long as I could in Avonlea. 'Twould be awesome.

Finally, whether or not I could get in touch with that old buddy, who I knew through our shared love of all things Phantom of the Opera, I'd have to hit the theatre and take in a showing of that awesome musical. Y'know, the more I write about Toronto, the more I'm looking forward to eventually visiting the place.

Let's get together and... stay with our tour group. Seriously.

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If you read my honeymoon report, then you know I have mixed feelings about Jamaica. It's a beautiful place to visit, but if you go I recommend staying in a resort and exercising great caution in venturing into non-tourist areas. Even so, like I said, it doesn't get much more gorgeous. SkyAuction.com has travel packages to Hedonism Resorts in Jamaica, complete with airfare, for bids starting at only $926. But if that's still too rich for your blood, they have other Jamaican resort packages up for auction with bids starting at only $1!

Hotel Shop UK

And now another word from our sponsor:

London? Is awesome. I know because I got to spend a week there with my mom and Li'l Sis about nine years ago, and I've been dying to go back ever since. Now I'm dying to be able to take Matt back there with me, and I’m pretty certain that "fabulous vacation" we're determined to take before my belly becomes a baby oven will include a stop in London. For this reason I'm happy to know about Hotel Shop UK, which not only specializes in finding affordable last minute hotel rooms all across the United Kingdom, but also in connecting visitors with tickets to everything that's fun to do in London and beyond, including everything from tourist favorites like Madame Toussad's and double-decker bus tours to hit shows on London's answer to Broadway, the West End. It's basically your online travel agent for all of Great Britain.