The idea, or "notion" of doing some sort of exciting travel has been in the back of my mind since the dawn of the new millennium. One would have thought that after returning from an expedition to Antarctica in January, 2006 and thus having now visited all seven continents on Earth, my wanderlust might be sated. Not so. When one has accrued nearly half a million airline frequent flyer miles evenly divided between two airlines the feeling is much like money burning a hole in one's pocket. Therein lies the problem, albeit a happy one.
Early in January of this year I came across my Cancerian horoscope written by one of my favorite astrologers, Rob Brezsny.
I'm hoping that you will get out more in 2010. And I mean way out. Far out. Not just to the unexplored hotspots on the other side of town (although that would be good), but also out to marvelous sanctuaries on the other side of paradise. Not just out to the parts of the human zoo where you feel right at home, but also out to places in the urban wilderness where you'll encounter human types previously unknown to you. In conclusion, traveler, let me ask you this: What was the most kaleidoscopic trip you've ever taken? Consider the possibility of surpassing it in the next 12 months.
Well, there's a challenge! So what was the most kaleidoscopic trip I'd taken? I determined it was my first trip abroad for six weeks scouring Europe with a group of local high school students; we went all the way into the heart of Turkey. I had just turned 16. What an adventure it was and seemingly hard to surpass.
During an international training class I was conducting for American Express corporate travel counselors one of my students asked if I'd ever flown around-the-world. We were discussing how to book such a RTW itinerary for a customer. "I have not," was my reply, "but I intend to do so some day, that's for sure!" The seed was planted and it began to grow.
