Travel dreams

Oh, wouldn't it be nice to travel the world? I originally chose a profession that would let me travel for free. As a biologist, I would go to meetings all over the world, expenses paid by my research institution, the way my dad had done. As a kid, many childhood vacations were tagging along with my dad, a geneticist, when he went to a scientific meeting in Paris or Edinburgh.

Now that I'm no longer working as a scientist, I have to find another way to travel. Ideally, I will earn my living by writing at my computer wherever I choose to take it. I can travel the world and write. At the moment, there are several barriers to travel. Ironically, none of them are geographic! Mountains, oceans? No problem.

Money is the first barrier. My parents gave me a credit for a trip anywhere in the world for my graduation present. I haven't used that trip, yet. So I could go on one vacation without worrying about money. Could I fund my own travels at this point? Honestly, I haven't tried. I do have some savings. I could certainly take the bus to New York for the weekend if I so chose. But travel FEELS like something I can't afford.

I could save more money than I do. I think that if I truly had a goal to take a trip somewhere and knew approximately how much it would cost, I could save up for it. I'm sure it would be easier to forgo short-term expenses if I knew I were saving for a trip in the future.

The second obvious barrier to travel is a full-time job. In my case, though, it's not really a barrier, because I have taken several unpaid vacations within the last year, and I now have accrued several days of paid time off.

The last barrier is inertia. It's easier to stay in one place than to plan a big trip, especially since it will be the first trip I plan and my first time traveling alone.

I do have one friend who might be up for traveling with me. Her family also has a place in Southern Spain. And she's one of the five people who read this blog...

What I don't have are kids to take care of or a job that ties me down. So I could and should travel.

Where to, gumshoe?