A Dream to Just Pack Up and Go!

I have had a dream. Alby Mangels is one of a number of fellow travelers who have inspired me to reach for my dreams. But I've wondered to myself, how can I realize my own travel dreams?

In order to learn how to reach my travel dreams, I've done quite a bit of studying. I've explored web sites of fellow travelers to learn how they have been able to just take off and go. I've checked out books from the library and through these books, have come to know other travelers who have traveled across the country or around the world with little money. I've watched various documentaries on road trips, US Highways and world travel to give me ideas of places to travel and ways to document my own travel. I've gone to thrift stores and used book stores in search of books to study my cause. I even purchased a few books from Amazon.com. This study continues.

Right now, though, my dream of traveling around the world seems a bit unreachable, as finances are limited, I need to work to bring in money, and that type of thing. Cross country travel dreams seem a bit more reachable at this point, but even that would not be easy. I need to continue to work at this point so that I can pay down some bills, and hopefully at some point there will be some financial leeway to take a long road trip.

And I'm anxious to travel. But I ask myself if this is really what I want to do. Perhaps I could start this out on a trial basis. What if I were to just take a week or two off from work and explore one section of this country by automobile? I could begin to test the waters, so to speak, and see just how I might interact with the US highways and those who live alongside them. I could continue to hone my photography, writing and web design skills by publishing my findings on this web site. Perhaps over time, these skills can bring in an income doing what I really want to do. As I hone my skills, I can be saving for that time when I can just pack up and go!

Tip: I am compiling a list of my favorite web sites that relate to travel and fellow travelers. See:
The Color Computer Library Travel Section.

Tip: Amazon.com is a great place to search for your favorite travel books. See its Travel Section and use search terms such as road trip, travel tips or your favorite location, traveler or author to refine your search.

Also, by using the links provided on this web site to purchase books from Amazon.com, you can support the creation of these travel diaries.

So where do I start? How about the Northeast, a part of the country I have not traveled much? I've been researching my genealogy, along with a somewhat distant cousin of mine, and this research takes me to states in the Northeast such as Massachusetts where this distant cousin lives and New Hampshire where our great great grandparents lived along with their children in the mid 1800's. My siblings are also planning to get together in the Philadelphia area. Our family bond is such that my siblings and I look forward to these reunions. Also, US Highway 1, just one highway I've dreamed of traveling, goes through Philadelphia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and other states along the way. The Northeast is not an area I've really traveled by automobile, so that would be something new and refreshing to me, I would hope.

So I make my flight and rental car arrangements, make arrangements to meet with my cousin and my siblings and take off!