In August 1999, I lost my sense of humour. Not only that, I wasn’t sleeping; I was grumpy; I was unhappy and stressed. Basically – I didn’t recognize myself; I wasn’t ME. So over the next few months I decided a change needed to be made. In January, I quit my job and decided to take some time out to regain my sense of humour. After 13 years of being an investment banker in the area of derivatives, I was now footloose and fancy free. What a strange feeling. And who are all these people wandering around the city in the middle of the day? Don’t they WORK? What a bunch of goof-offs. And now, I’m one too!
I’m still getting used to the question –“What do you do?” I’m an adventurer, I’m a person looking for a new life, I’m a wanderer, I’m a lay-about. But most important I’m ME again. I have time to think, to communicate with and see friends and family, to sing and play music, to write, and last but not least, to travel. As my friend, Bernie says “It’s a hard life”.
Planning and the big baggage question
So the first project is going to be a round-the-world trip. I go to Trailfinders in London who specialize in round-the-world travel. So many places one can go! I agonize over my trip cutting out Australia, adding China, moving dates, moving cities, contacting friends to see if I can drop in on them, until finally everything is planned as you see it on my home page “tentative itinerary”. I get visas, shots (just call me a human pincushion), mosquito repellent, one of every medicine in the pharmacy, a Swiss Army knife and then comes the big question. Am I going to “backpack” around the world? ie. am I going to lug all my worldly belongings on my back from country to country? I don’t think so. I plump for a large but not gigantic wheelie bag and pray that everything will fit. How does one pack for elegant evenings in New York, a ski trip, the beach, the jungle, and temperatures ranging from 20-100 degrees Fahrenheit. Well, if you’re like me, you simply bring everything. My friends looked at my bags and just shook their heads.