update
It will also be the last newsletter of 2021 for me.
So, quite a year it's been, right? First, I'd love to hear where the year took you, or where it didn't take you, the places you visited or how you've handled it all and where you plan to go next year. Please reply and let me know!
As for me...
I can still remember the moment when I glanced out the window of the Jammu & Kashmir State Road Transportation Corporation bus I was traveling in, somewhere near the remote village of Dras, India. It was 2001 and I had already been traveling for over a year by this point. But when I saw a family of nomads in a bright green field surrounded by several beautiful, colorful Tibetan yaks (the first time I ever saw actual yaks), I felt a surge of electricity jolt through my entire being. I was as high as high can be, my body tingling intensely, as I thought to myself, "I'm really traveling."
The crazy part is, I still get that same all-encompassing feeling when I travel these days, some 20+ years later. I might not be as permanently wide-eyed as I was back then, my afro is much smaller now and I have a great deal more adult stuff to worry about. But I'm still fully invigorated every time I do travel.
Perhaps you're familiar with this feeling?
My travels in 2021 somehow involved a total of 13 countries, 38 flights, 27 border crossings and 46 different accommodations.
I began 2021 living in Playa del Carmen, Mexico and will finish the year in the Caribbean (see below). In between, I somehow managed to visit Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, New York City, Aruba, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Istanbul five times, Georgia and Armenia. And I also managed to operate six super-fun Wandering Earl Tours - four to Morocco and two to Romania - without any issues at all.
And while I didn't see any Tibetan yaks this year, I was still REALLY traveling. Over the years I've learned that you don't need to be in constant search of the spectacular in order for travel to be life-changing, educational and simply wonderful.
That powerful, uplifting, 'I love life' electricity that travel showers us with can be found in every takeoff and landing, every single meal and every interaction, every pillow we lay our heads upon and every view out of every window. As long as we are open to being challenged, eager to learn and appreciative of every opportunity to experience a tiny slice of this grand world, well, then we're really traveling.
And when 'we're really traveling', does life get better than that?
Here's to a 2022 where we can all hopefully travel some more!
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Covid and Travel
Many people have asked me how Covid impacted my travels and tours recently.
To be honest, despite all the restrictions and new rules for travel, everything went quite smoothly. There were no major incidents, nobody on my tours tested positive for Covid, it was easy to comply with all local rules and borders were crossed quite seamlessly.
I wouldn't say it felt like 'normal' - especially the day I had to show my vaccination card in order to buy deodorant - but it wasn't terrible or overly complicated by any means.
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It's Time for a 2-Week Vacation!
I don't know the last time I took a proper vacation where I was actually offline. But I'm taking one starting tomorrow.
The opportunity arose and since I need to stay close to the US for the time being (see below), it seemed perfect.
We're going on a 12 day cruise to the Caribbean. Yes indeed. It will be odd to experience this from the passenger side of things after having worked as a Tour Manager on board several cruise ships in my earlier days.
This vacation is a chance to put away the laptop and enjoy some quiet time, surrounded by warmth, beaches and the shimmering sea. I see it as an end of the year re-balancing, which I am certainly in need of.
I shall be offline from tomorrow until January 3rd :)
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The Future
What's in store for 2022?
Well, the first thing I need to deal with is a hip impingement (when the ball and socket of the hip joint don't fit together properly). After experiencing increasing pain in my left hip over the past few months, I went to the doctor when I got back to the US and an x-ray revealed the cause. I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon after the New Year and the result will dictate my schedule for the early part of 2022. Not ideal, but it needs to be taken care of.
Apart from the messy hip, some other goals include...
- Continue working on my RemoteClub project which I'm excited about. Soon we will launch a useful Remote Worker-oriented newsletter, as well as valuable discounts on all kinds of travel and remote work products/ services. If all goes well, the plan is to then set up international remote worker meetups in some really great destinations. Stay tuned if you're interested in the remote work/digital nomad lifestyle!
- Read more. This year was unfortunately a slow year of reading. I'm trying to get back on track though, starting with Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh. Next up is Educated by Tara Westover. Apparently I like one word titles.
- Find a place to live. It's time for a proper home base. I've been talking about it for a couple of years but have yet to make it happen. This is the year. Maybe it will be Portugal or somewhere in the US or remote Kazakhstan for all I care...but I need to find a home base!
- Get another tattoo. If you're an artist interested in helping me create the the ideal design, let me know! It might involve a yak.
