How Long Have You Been Here?

Another thread caused me to look at my join date, and I realized I've been a member here for over a decade.

Joined: Sun May 27, 2001 9:00 pm

I know there are people here with a join date older than this, so what have you got?

Can't beat you. May 24, 2007.

Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:28 am

I'm a real young'un.

Almost nine years. Joined August, 2003, and had been lurking since March or April of that year.

My life has changed a lot in that time. I was a student at the time, and I think I joined while I was contemplating taking a reading week trip to Italy. I'd already contemplated and moved on from a plan to go to Nepal for a summer, and ended up going to Ireland for a summer instead. Still haven't been to Italy, or Nepal.

But then, I suppose in other ways it hasn't changed much. I was, at the time, employed by the Provincial Museum, researching funding models that would help operate a larger space, under the assumption that their operating grant wouldn't increase in the wake of a large one-time capital investment. Now I'm employed making sure that the architect designing that larger museum makes a profit in the process. La plus ca change.

April 12, 2007
I was getting ready for retirement and a lot more travel. Now arthritis is making my life more difficult. I hope to get to Italy again this spring. Unlike many on here, I've finished my work life, saved my money but now I have more money than time or health. Travel while you can because the time will come when you can't.

Jan. 31st, 2001. Other than the board founders, I don't think anyone who still posts has been here longer. Could be wrong though. Static/ Joe Erlich was ahead of me, but he couldn't hang.

November 20, 2008 - just a few months out of college and I was dying to visit Australia as I had since I was the tender age of 11 - and of course, that was right when the recession hit; I wasn't working much and had ample time to study and read up on the place.

I finally did get enough work to save enough $ to go to Australia for a month, landing in Sydney on April 1, 2010.

This forum has been an instigator for my love of travel. I've learned about places I never would have otherwise considered. I only ever wanted to go to Australia, but this board made me realize it was possible to go ANYWHERE I wanted - and as a result, I've been to nearly all the countries on my original short bucket list that I made when I was 20. Now, of course, there are so many more places I'd love to see.

It also connected me to some of my favorite travel blogs that I still ready on a weekly basis -- and, for the most part, it has been an outlet where I can express my opinion without "experts" berating me at every turn (never have I posted over at Thorn Tree.... although I do prowl over there fairly often).

I've always liked it here. I wish the boards had more traffic.

About ten years. I remember when I joined - I was living in South Korea, teaching English at a hagweon. The World Cup was on, I think I'd just been to the USA-South Korea match, and it was hot as hell in Daegu. It was with the redhead girl from my hometown, who had come to Asia with me. Since then, I've gone to law school, become an attorney, and moved to Belgium for work.