Happy Nomad Tour Update 19-May

The Happy Nomad Tour is only 84 days away and it’s time for an update. I’ve tentatively and arbitrarily picked August 10th as my departure date. It could change plus or minus a few days, but I will leave around then for sure.

I haven’t planned much for the actual trip yet. This is intentional though. I am a master at “hit and run” travel – where I arrive in a city or country, run around for three days seeing all the museums and monuments, and then leave without talking to anyone. Those days are gone.

While in the Middle East, I often got vacation time with no notice. Another oil company would make a mistake offshore and we would take the helicopter back to town and get a week off as a result. I would have no time to plan anything. I actually preferred this way of traveling, though. Since I never did preparation, all five of my senses were open and hyperactive to what I was encountering. The more preparation you do, the less room there is for surprise. I want to be surprised!

A friend of mine here at Siemens might be able to put me in touch with someone who runs some charities in his state in Mexico. Maybe that will be a great way to kick off the adventure. But I’d also like to volunteer at a farm in Mexico, so let’s see how it goes.

My last day of work is June 30th. I fly home on July 1st, stopping in Washington DC to visit family, then going down to Raleigh to see my brother. We’ll then drive up to Cleveland together.

Currently, I plan to head down to Mexico via Greyhound. It’s cheaper than flying, but more importantly I want to actually see the US as I leave. You can’t really do that from the air. Plus, I am in no rush and hopefully I can visit a friend in Houston along the way.

That’s all for now. 42 days until I’m free from the corporate world and 84 days until The Happy Nomad Tour begins! I can’t wait!