BootsnAll Travel Community

Holly Hilburn, here. Grew up in suburban California, and got my first taste of the kind of travel I love to do when I went off to college on the other side of the country in New York. Thing is, I like to make a place a home and know it from the inside out… you won’t find me putting on lots of miles, but I make wherever I am… the Northern California forests or cities in Latin America… into a home. After college I decided that as much fun as all of that bred-in-the-bones east coast culture is, I’m a westerner through and through and I needed to get somewhere where I could take off and hike, drive, run, shout, for miles in any direction without seeing another soul. That’s what brought me to Tucson, Arizona and this beautiful desert. I’ve been in Tucson a year and half now and it’s become the place I want to keep coming back to after stints in other places. I live in Tucson and spend about a quarter of my time in Mexico. Why? You ask.
Because of a fabulous job is why. I never know what to call my job, but I guess I’m an educator. I’ve been teaching other folks how to have that same kind of life-transforming travel that I believe in here on the US/Mexico border. It doesn’t sound so exotic, but it’s the only place in the world where the first world butts right up against the third world and as such it makes a fascinating social laboratory. So I’ve basically been travelling the same route every month for the last year and bringing a bunch of other folks along with me to learn about globalization, migration, and to put faces to the issues that they read about in books. I enjoy solitary adventures of all kinds, but lately, I’ve been dragging along 10-22 other folks, most of whom don’t speak Spanish (I do), many of whom have never been outside of their own culture, and all of whom are radically changed by the experience of talking to people, living with families, and seeing the reality of border first hand.
I tend to be verbose, so I’ll stop here.
Holly Hilburn, here. Grew up in suburban California, and got my first taste of the kind of travel I love to do when I went off to college on the other side of the country in New York. Thing is, I like to make a place a home and know it from the inside out… you won’t find me putting on lots of miles, but I make wherever I am… the Northern California forests or cities in Latin America… into a home. After college I decided that as much fun as all of that bred-in-the-bones east coast culture is, I’m a westerner through and through and I needed to get somewhere where I could take off and hike, drive, run, shout, for miles in any direction without seeing another soul. That’s what brought me to Tucson, Arizona and this beautiful desert. I’ve been in Tucson a year and half now and it’s become the place I want to keep coming back to after stints in other places. I live in Tucson and spend about a quarter of my time in Mexico. Why? You ask.
Because of a fabulous job is why. I never know what to call my job, but I guess I’m an educator. I’ve been teaching other folks how to have that same kind of life-transforming travel that I believe in here on the US/Mexico border. It doesn’t sound so exotic, but it’s the only place in the world where the first world butts right up against the third world and as such it makes a fascinating social laboratory. So I’ve basically been travelling the same route every month for the last year and bringing a bunch of other folks along with me to learn about globalization, migration, and to put faces to the issues that they read about in books. I enjoy solitary adventures of all kinds, but lately, I’ve been dragging along 10-22 other folks, most of whom don’t speak Spanish (I do), many of whom have never been outside of their own culture, and all of whom are radically changed by the experience of talking to people, living with families, and seeing the reality of border first hand.
I tend to be verbose, so I’ll stop here.

At 45, my role at BnA is to bring up the average age of the community. (although not necessarily increase its maturity)

My wife and I took our three kids out of school and travelled for a year when they were 8, 10 and 13. We're now saving up for a much shorter trip to either Africa or the Amazon.

I've travelled most of my life - living in Europe for 4 years as a teenager, hitchhiking across Canada (not sure I'd do that again) after my first degree, and then travelling extensively on business to Asia and South America. I've been RTW 5 times: 4 on business (which should not really count) and the one family trip (which should count 4 times).

Hi, my name is Susan and I'm new to BNA. I'm 25 y/o, live in New Jersey, and work as a physical therapist. Just got back from a 5 day trip to London a month ago and have fallen in love with traveling abroad. After reading various travel stories on BNA, I've decided that long term travel is more feasible than I thought. I'm in the very beginning stages of planning my dream trip which involves taking 3-6 months to explore australia, new zealand, and europe. I'm hoping to make all this happen by late winter but my biggest obstacle right now is convincing one of my friends to quit their job and go with me. I'm still very leary of the whole traveling by myself thing. For those of you who have gone solo, would you recommend it? I went to London with my best friend and we had an amazing time. I can't imagine that the trip would have been half as good if i didn't have a friend to share it with. Anyway, thanks to all the BNA contributors for all the insight and inspiration you give!

Sue

sue,

i haven't been abroad by myself much...i live in North Jersey now and am moving to spain in october. it's worth the chance!

"It's a Lifestyle"
- me

My name is danielle i'm 22 and from london, and i work in marketing but am thoroughly tired of the london rat race. I am really new to bootsnall, i only discovered it a week ago but now i'm hooked, it's what's motivating me to work like a dog at my two jobs to continue saving money for my RTW trip (hopefully taking place the end of 2005). I'm very similar to sue in the sence that i have always done short trips but they have definatly given me the taste for travelling more, I also have the same concerns about travelling without a friend, i have been trying to convince a couple of my friends to come with me and they all say maybe, lets see closer to the time ...ect, but i know when it comes down to it they will never leave their jobs or have enough money, so i have come to the realization that i will be doing this trip on my own, but i must say that since reading so many articles on here my confidence is growing by the day and give it another year i'm sure by the time i leave for my trip my fears will have completely dissapeared. I am planning to travel to thailand, south america, oz and europe but as i am in my first stages of planning i'm sure my ideas and dreams will change a thousand times.

Hello, my name is Eric Ropke. I'm 30 yrs. old and live in Wisconsin, USA. Never really been anywhere but surrounding states.

I'll be travelling to Europe in September on a Globus bus tour with my Mom. I'm extremly excited!! I've always wanted to travel somewhere, anywhere and this opportunity arose. I have to quit my job to go but there is no way i'll pass up this trip.

I'll be going to Amsterdam, Rhineland, Garmish, Venice, Lucerne, Paris and London with stops inbetween along with a short cruise down the Rhine River. My trip will be 17 days and I can't wait to go.

Can't wait to read about other experiences from people here. Better get to it!!

Aye up abdy!

Well my name is Claire Sinclair (don't snigger at the name, its not my fault.....) i'm 21 years old and i study Genetics and Immunology at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. I'm originally from the Orkney Islands (don't worry if you don't know where that is.... even most other Scottish people don't know where that is..... but just for the record its the group of Islands just off the north coast of Scotland.) Currently though i am living in Berlin, Germany where i am working in a biotechnology company for a year as part of my degree!

During the past year in Germany i have been backpacking a fair bit of europe, just picking up and leaving for the weekend and going somewhere a bit random! But i also did a fair bit of travelling when i was younger with my family, so i guess travelling is kind of in my blood!

Planning a rtw trip leaving september 2005 (once i get uni out of the way!!) and going :

UK - South America - Fiji - NZ - Australia - South East Asia - Indian Subcontinent - Southern Africa - UK

Nothing is set in stone yet and it will probably change a million times before i set off!!!

Even though i am really new to BNA i think i am addicted already!!!!!!!!!

Have a nice day everyone and feel free to drop me a line at my email addy below!!!!!!!

Claire
u89cs@hotmail.com

I had really good intentions of an introduction when I registered last fall, but am now getting around to it. Anyhow, I'm thrilled to have stumbled across this site. I've yet to do a RTW, but was born with the travel bug and signed up for the Peace Corps when I finished my undergrad. My 'hardship' post was in the Eastern Caribbean region. Besides getting to live in St Lucia and Antigua, I travelled to almost all of the islands in the region. And in a campaign to fill up all pages in my passport, I also made it to Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua during my service.

Since then, I've lived in Austin TX, Seattle WA, Northern California, and just moved up to the Reno/Lake Tahoe area. And continue to travel - I've been to Mexico 3 times and am planning on visiting Oaxaca in the fall, returned to Costa Rica and visited Panama, and have also been to Cuba. I love Latin America and speaking Spanish, but one of these days I'll have to get out of my comfort zone and go someplace where they don't speak it, like Brazil or Southeast Asia!

As for most memorables - Panama has the craziest border crossings, Costa Rica, Guadeloupe, & Dominica the best nature, Cuba and Chiapas for most interesting culture, and Guadeloupe and Venezuela for best food. Though I'm really looking forward to sampling the cuisine in Oaxaca!

"Don't take life so serious, son. It ain't nohow permanant."

Hello. I just joined a few days ago because of a friend who directed me to this site. I am afraid I don't have a whole lot of time to browse it, as I don't own a computer of my own and am limited to brief, guilty (no, not really :-) forays while in my cubicle at work. I have always been rather a free spirit, but am "grounded" as well. So the result is that I live in a continuous state of inbalance, as half of me wants to travel and see the entire world, and the other half yearns for some semblance of stability, and a place to call home. So until I figure it all out, which I presume could be never :-P, I am for the time being working a corporate, uninteresting job, and living for my time off and my hopes to travel. I want more than anything to see every tiny corner of the world, and especially love scenic, wild, natural settings...I have several months to contemplate a 2-week (possibly 3) vacation in February/March of 2005, and currently am terrified of traveling abroad by myself. I've only been out of the country once, this past March, and I was only comfortable because I was meeting up with someone who was living in that country and knew how to make his way around it easily - knew the ins and outs. Anyway, I'm here to learn and test the waters.

Hey all... what an amazing group of people. I am 20 y/o originally from new york but going to Uni in Los Angeles. So far my least favorite place I've been. I'm a Cultural Anthropology major prob. stemming from my love of travel which started at a super young age with my parents. They are dancers and travel a lot with the company. And I have a minor in Peace and Conflict Studies. I want to save the world…. Maybe work in refugee repatriation. I want to live outside of the US... especially now that the US is the axis of evil. I am about to go abroad for 6 months to South America. The majority of my stay will be in Costa Rica. I love South America, I've never been. Although its been described to me over and over again by the words of Marquez and Allende (my fav. authors). I know its going to be like meeting the dreamt of love of my life.... I cry easily (at the movies, the theatre, Olympic commercials, the end of a good book) but other than that I’m pretty sturdy—the only things that break my barriers are cilantro ( I DESPISE IT) and lady bugs (I have a random fear)…. Learn before you hate.
Elia

Hello everyone, My name is Mike Morrison. I'm from the high desert plataeu of S. Central Idaho. However, in a week I'm heading over to Oregon to begin the long and arduous process of gaining residency for the U of O, as a Ceramic Arts major. As long as I can remember I've been itching to travel. My dad says I have Wanderlust. I like the sound of that. My ancestors used to believe that long physical journeys were a form of meditation that brought enlightenment. I like the sound of that too. The old Shoshone Indians from my area were a nomadic people and the first settlers described them as the dirtiest and most decrepid people they had ever seen...and the happiest, always smiling and joking! That story really inspires me to dump my material crap and wander about.
Anyway, I haven't been to many places, yet. I did a backpacking tour of Europe, half of it with a good buddy from home. And a solo expedition to C. America. One of my greatest joys in life, besides making pottery, is learning through travel. I'm really looking forward to meeting new people from Bootsnall. If you're ever in Oregon, drop me a line!

Mike

'Allo everyone. My name is Paul Elverstone. All my friends call me Elv or Elvie. I'm from a small(ish) market town in Essex about 20 miles east of London, England.
I'll be 35 in September but really, I'm just a kid and figure that this is as good a time as any to see what this big ol world is all about. Having spent 16 years in the same job (was going for the safe, secure lifestyle) I realise that there has to be more to life than the 9-5 grind. I've had my fun with the friends I grew up with and it's now time for another adventure. Chapter 3, page 1 so to speak.
Influences to travel stem from work giving up on my career, an accident that took two of my friends helped me realise that I shouldn't be taking this life for granted and an undying curiosity of just about anything else right now. If it wasnt' for the fear of actually doing this, I may've done it long ago. Hope to set out by early 2005. I'll keep an eye out for you all

Have fun, love life

Elv

Hi Folks, my name is Alan Fox -I'm a pensioner who has been discovering what a great continent South America is.
I just wanted to say what an inspiring, resourceful, brave (and wacky!!) lot of young people have replied to "introduce yourself"
Happy travels!

Oy! so many people, will you even happen across mine? Well, anyways I'm Lizabeth Smith, not the most original name is it? 21 from Seattle. My father instilled his wonderlust in me at 15 by taking me to Vietnam for a month and a half. I guess I'm a good travel partner because at 16 was taken to Thailand for about a month and a half. I loved living in Southeast Asia so much and vow to return one day...
Lately I went to Belize with my buddy. It was amazing waking up and climbing Mayan ruins. I highly reccomend it!
But that's about it so far. Right now I'm bouncing between a long term trip to the Middle East or Arabic School in Damascus. Perhaps I will do both?
This Friday I will take off in my saturn (the coolest car ever) and wonder around the Olympic Pen. in Wash. And now my boss is comming over to my desk so goodbye for now.

"A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."
--Winston Churchill

Hiya all! My name is Andy and I can't seem to stop traveling. I don't have an apartment or a house - I'm vagabonding. I left work about a year ago to travel around, pretty much aimlessly. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to be when I grow up.

Since then I've traveled in Switzerland, Madagascar, South Africa, Swaziland, St. Martin, Anguilla, Canada, Ireland, the U.K., and France. I'm about to head to Poland and/or Estonia, then to Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand... Or something like that. I do have a wedding I have to be at in June 2005, but that's my only commitment.

I'm trying to maintain a travel log/photo gallery on my website IMoL, but I seem to be behind all the time.

I look forward to reading about other people's travels and gathering 'int' on various places to check out on mine. I also hope to chime in with a useful and/or interesting comment every once and a while.

Safe travels everyone!

Hi, everyone! Christina here, alias Tina Turner, as my friends like to tease me with. (Yes, that actually is my name.) I discovered Bootsnall's lovely website a few days ago and thought that I'd like to join!

I'm recently (less than two weeks ago) back from a whirlwind backpacking/short study program in the UK. I saw England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland and then stayed put for a few weeks in Oxford to study lit and theology. I thought it might cure the travel bug, but it's just made it worse.

When I'm not abroad enjoying the delightful exchange rate (note the sarcasm), I'm at home in West Virginia or at school in southwestern New York. I'm going to be a senior this year at Houghton College, studying English & creative writing. My next trip will probably be a post-graduation road trip (New England--although my dream trip Then I hope I'll be off again, probably teaching English somewhere across the world. I'd love to do a RTW trip sometime before coming back to the U.S. to get my master's and doctorate in English lit...but we'll see how that goes.

Feel free to email or IM me and say hi! I'd love to hear about all the great places you all have been...and if anyone has spent time volunteering overseas, I'd love to chat and get some advice from you!

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
-Mary Oliver

Howdy,

I'm Dave Smith, I'm 34, and I'm from Sacramento. I've criss-crossed the US about a half dozen times. The only times I've been outside the US was trying to get a gold tooth in Ciudad Juarez (didn't work), buying cheap booze in Tijuana, and driving from Sacramento to Canada to do donuts in a snow covered parking lot. We flipped a coin for that one. Tails was Tijuana, heads was Canada.

I've always wanted to travel round the world taking my time, but it took a couple near death experiences to get me off my lazy ass. Both required hospital visits. The 2nd time, I was mugged, and had my head smashed open. That gave me 4 hemotomas (3 minor, 1 major). After I got out of ICU, I thought I really should travel. Actually, I didn't think much. It took more than a month before I could follow the plot of a sitcom, but as my brain started working again, I thought I should travel before I die.

I blew it off again, and then had a seizure due to the brain damage. Well, brain death actually. Now I have epilepsy which will probably be a pain on the trip, but when I take the anti-seizure medication twice a day, it's a strong reminder of the cliche that, "You only live once, and you can't take it with you".

I'm going to try to ride a 1962 Ducati 250cc motorcycle round the world. I leave for Australia in October, 2004. I'm guessing it'll take 4 years, as I'll be working my way round. I'll be teaching English in Japan in 2005, and I'm hoping to be in Italy in 2006.

Eventually there will be a blog up on my site: Star Trek punk band & travel writing

--Dave

hey all! daisy here. i introduced myself earlier but stuck a thailand thing with it so it got locked lol. anyways. my dad's from hong kong and my mom's from macau.. which makes me chinese! i was born in seoul when my parents were on vacation (that, or i was adopted.. i haven't been able to figure out which yet). i've been living in seattle ever since, but we try to visit all our relatives in hk and macau every year.

i earned my associate's degree at a community college after dropping out of high school for a bit, and then i transferred to the university of washington. for a long while, i couldn't make up my mind over what i wanted to do: biology to get into med school and eventually volunteer for medecins sans frontiers or some other humanitarian work, or philosophy which is something i really do love. so finally, i decided to do both. i've got a little over a year left and i can't wait. i don't know why, but everyone seems to condemn me for wanting to be a relief worker. why?? it pisses me off.

after i graduate i want to take a year off to just bum around the world, but the only problem is, as soon as i have money i spend it all on a shorter vacation. i don't make much because i only work part time at a cheesy souvenir shop at the seattle waterfront (oh god i hope none of you have the typical tourist attitude, i.e. acting like i don't understand english and start trying to explain things to me using your hands, making a scene and starting to yell at employees about how it's our fault that the bathrooms are soooooo far away because a HALF MINUTE WALK is such a trek! well you get the picture) but i think i'm fairly decent at saving (unless it comes to $200 overseas flights!).

i've also been trying to save up for a backpiece tattoo.. which is one of my passions. i'm also into electronic music, but i'm not the e-tard'ed pothead alcoholic anymore.. i learned my lesson the hard way when i was 17. i also like trip-hop, or whatever else massive attack and supreme beings of leisure's genre is. there's only two more things i enjoy almost as much as travelling: autocross (screw nascar!) and visiitng museums. there's a van gogh exhibit at the seattle art museum for now.. and i just found out that the royal bc museum in victoria bc has ancient egyptian artifacts on display from the british museum. i'm planning to visit after i come back from thailand.

although i want to see everything in this world, there are a couple places i want to go to more than others, including bhutan/nepal/tibet, south africa, and monaco/south of france. i'm determined to visit those places (and more) before i turn 25! most of my friends are always saying things like 'why do you like travelling so much?' 'dont you miss us?' 'why are you wasting your money on it; shouldnt you be saving for the future?' ya know, i love them to death but sometimes its just frustrating. but it's always good to hear them say 'oh my god you did/saw that??? i wanna go!' or 'wow its so beautiful..!' when i come back from my trips with stories and pictures. slowly, i'm starting to change their perception of being halfway around the globe.

so.. i guess that's a little about me. what about the rest of you guys?

hi y’all,

I grew up in Wellington, New Zealand, graduated with a commerce degree and got a good job on a grad program, but had to travel, so I hit the road and have lived and worked in Hong Kong, London and Sydney doing six months contracts in project roles in IT, finance and marketing, in between travels ranging from three months to one year. I’m now thirty-one years old, and have been travelling (as in on the road, not working) for about four of the last ten years.

I’ve always been a passionate reader and writer, and part of the reason for me to travel is to give myself the time and head space to do these two things. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to travel in Asia from Myanmar to Taiwan, in Western Europe from Santorini to Venice, Barcelona to Amsterdam, and in East Africa circling Lake Victoria though Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. I got a PADI scuba diving license in Egypt, learnt to fly paragliders in Australia and have since flown over one hundred hours in Australia, Himachel Pradesh in the Himalaya and near Mumbai.

India is my number one destination. I’ve spent two years in the sub-continent, including a sixteen-thousand kilometre motorcycle journey across the Himalaya from Pakistan’s border with China on the Karakorum Highway to Nepal, then down to Goa. I flew a paraglider fifty kilometres across the foothills of the Himalaya before spiral-diving over the Dalai Lama’s temple and a dharma centre where I had attended a number of ten day Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreats. I visited the site of the Buddha’s birth in Lumbini, where Buddha first taught at Sarnath, and the place of enlightenment at Bodhgaya, and studied hatha and ashtanga yoga at Rishikesh, Mysore and Sri Lanka. I spent a season in Goa and a week in Bollywood as an extra in movie.

My most recent trip was a few week in Mumbai to promote my first novel. It’s set entirely in India, and though it is a fictional narrative, not travel writing or travelogue, it is partially structured around a journey in India. It has been really well received so far with a few kind reviews and plenty of interest from the India press. It is available online, so check it out!

One of the best things about travelling is all the fantastic people you get to meet, so it’s great to stay in touch with that vibe in these forums. See y’all on the boards…

*******************************************************
Check out my novel, The Highway, which is set in India.
www.willmarks.com
Available now (only $10 US incl. internat. postage) at www.vedamsbooks.com