Kindness of Strangers

I get a lot of questions about the trip that reflect the normal things that most people worry about when they think of traveling for long periods. What about your job? What about terrorist attacks? What if your plane crashes, or you’re robbed, or you find yourself caught in the midst of a military junta? These aren’t concerns that cross my mind too often. Instead, I prefer to sweat the small stuff: visa issues (and Visa issues), storing my passport, what socks to pack, transferring money between accounts on the road, creating laminated copies of important documents, making calendars. Last night I had a dream that revolved entirely around going to the bank and asking them a million questions. Basically, I worry about fine details — never the broad brushstrokes. In that same vein, I don’t worry about being on the trip; I worry about starting the trip.

I could be wrong, but I imagine the most joyful part of the trip will be somewhere towards the midway point, when we’ve had sufficient time to fall into a routine; or, if nothing else, become comfortable with the fact that we’re traveling for a living. The part I am dreading most is the next month. I’m sure, as most people have mentioned, that boarding the plane on Sunday will help me to breathe a huge sigh of relief. But then we get to the business of actually starting this new life, which will be hard. Not only will our surroundings be constantly changing, but everything will be new: clothes, equipment, technology, credit cards, processes for just about everything imaginable. There are no familiar touchstones; everything has to be learned anew.

I always imagined that starting a RTW trip would feel like flipping a switch. In one moment I would be a resident of my regular life, and in the next I would be comfortably ensconced in my RTW trip life. But I think it’s more like passing through a veil. There’s a transition period that occurs between those two phases, a state of limbo that is neither here nor there. While we are setting off on Sunday, I’m not sure that it will feel like we’ve fully begun this journey. I’m beginning to realize that the first month is more likely to feel like a long vacation than the beginning of a RTW adventure. But rather than fighting it, I’m going to try to embrace it for what it is. Like most challenges in life, there is no way around this uncomfortable adjustment period; it has to be faced head on. I’m sure there’s no more beautiful place than Portugal, though, to feel completely out of touch with one’s own life.