Adventure is worthwhile in itself

-Amelia Earhart

I'm sorry if I seem to return here only to tell you when I'm going away. That certainly isn't my intention. The truth is, blogging takes time--particularly the pictures--and so if I'm going to tell you that I'm doing much the same, it seems hardly worth it. Yes, the bookworm is still reading, etc.
Most things I chronicle for myself in numerous notebooks and my phone (a mostly-smart device names Giles). And some things are fine left unrecorded. However, I do love this cyber-eyrie of mine, and try to return here when I have something sufficiently interesting to warrant a little hassle.

I'm going on another trip in a couple of days. Heading East, toward the sunrise, nearer our capitol, nearer the Atlantic. I'm going to see the world at a different angle, and wake up in a town I've never been to. I'm going to spend time with people I love, and probably talk a lot. And learn stuff.

I love traveling, and there are countless reasons to try it for yourself. Here are a hundred.
I came across that list a while ago and loved it. All of them are brilliant reasons that I resonate with, but here are a few of my favorites: to broaden your horizons, to dare to be different, to strengthen social skills (to know different kinds of people), to become a storyteller, to improve your sense of geography, and to challenge yourself constantly.

I love packing light and bringing all the right things. An important part of this is also just being okay without the thing you forget. There's usually something. Just grab the essentials. Wallet, phone and boarding pass? You're okay. Change of clothes, earbuds, and travel journal? You're set!



If you're planning a trip yourself, here are a few tips I find helpful:

- roll instead of fold (most people know this one, but it's very true)
- find a color scheme you like for your wardrobe. That's a great way to choose which pieces to bring
- if you're trying to pack light, make sure everything you bring can be worn several ways
- bring a few things to give away. Whether they're gifts or whatever, giving is always fun, and ensures a little more space on the return trip.

Or, if you're wishing you could be traveling but aren't able to, here are a few ways to bring the adventure home, and cure some wanderlust:

- color in maps, label countries

- pray for a foreign country, maybe somewhere you'd like to visit, or that has suffered a national disaster recently (Nepal, for example)
- make a summer bucket list; plan and take a road trip complete with food, tunes, and a quirky destination, or no destination at all
- cook a dish from another country or place, making it as authentic as possible
- make a list of the top five places you would visit, if your dreams came true. Think of a few things you would be sure to bring with you. And then try to incorporate those things into your daily life.
(Your camera, that versatile scarf, a notebook you've been waiting to fill, your compass and map)
- don't wait till Friday, or summer, or for someone to come along. Make yourself breakfast, use your favorite mug, light a candle, turn on that music you want to dance to.