Cat’s out of the bag…I’m heading to Central America!
In just 23 days, I’ll be leaving the US with a one-way ticket to Managua, Nicaragua, and I couldn’t be more excited. As with my past trips, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding this one. I don’t know exactly how long I’ll be in each country I travel to or when I’ll be back in the States next. The current plan is to travel south from Nicaragua through Costa Rica and Panama, sail through some beautiful islands to Colombia, and then finally end up in Medellín, the city I fell in love with on my first visit this time last year and one of my all-time favorite destinations.
A couple of months ago, I alluded to the fact that I’m not looking to teach English this time around and instead am hoping to create a lifestyle of sustainable travel, working as I go (online, primarily) so that I am never tethered to one single location (I’ll simply refer to this as location independence from now on; a person who does this is called a digital nomad). I’ve got a number of ideas and a whole bunch of supportive friends, so I’m feeling pretty good about making this a reality.
This trip will be different from previous trips in a whole host of other ways as well. Most of these differences are clear improvements over previous methods, others are just, well, different.
Here are some of the ways I’m shaking things up:
- You’re looking at it–blogging!
I’ll be blogging right from the start in order to keep everyone abreast of my wanderings but also to give people great ideas and inspiration to fuel their next trip. I’m going to incorporate a lot more posts in the form of city guides, travel tips, and location and accommodation reviews. And, like always, if there are other topics you’d like me to write about, I’m happy to take suggestions from readers. More photos? Less talking? More food posts? I’m ears. Shoot me an email at leah@thesweetestway.com.
- Traveling as part of a DUO!
That’s right, no more flying SOLO for me for a long time. I had a rough experience earlier this year and decided it might be best to make my life a little easier and hitch my wagon up with someone else’s, so with a little help from my estranged friend Good Timing, that’s exactly what I’m doing. My friend Mak, a buddy from my college days, is down in Nicaragua at this very moment, eagerly awaiting my arrival. Ok, not really, he’s studying Spanish and having an amazing time without me but when he remembers I’m coming he’s going to be SO. EXCITED.
Get used to this face, you’ll be seeing a lot more of that around here. - Packing like a BOSS
By the end of my 8-month trip through South America, I wanted to throw a celebratory bonfire using my backpack as firewood. I grew to resent that thing unlike any other inanimate object ever before, so I knew I had to find a better packing solution. Allow me to introduce to you my new best friend, the Eagle Creek Activate Wheeled Backpack!
Because I don’t plan to do much hardcore trekking this time, carrying around a trekking pack would just be plain ridiculous. And if I’m going to be living out of a bag, I need to be able to access the contents of said bag easily and efficiently, and a top-loading backpack just doesn’t allow for that. On the other hand, I know how handy it can be to tote your belongings on your back instead of wheeling it on the ground in certain situations, which is why this bag’s convertible nature is perfect. Roll it the majority of the time to save my back from unnecessary stress, carry it like a backpack when I must. Front-loading like a real suitcase to make packing and unpacking a breeze. Am I still going to call myself a backpacker? Abso-freakin-lutely. There will also be packing cubes (also from Eagle Creek) to keep my things neatly organized. Stress levels have preemptively been reduced 1000%.
- Being more financially responsible
I’ve never been very savvy about personal finance, but I’ve made leaps and bounds over the last several months and am almost starting to feel like a real adult. I’m tracking my spending on Mint.com, I’ve finally got credit cards that earn me rewards in the form of cash back and air miles and won’t charge me foreign transaction fees, I opened a high-interest savings account, and am slowly learning how to invest. It kills me a little bit knowing how much money I could have saved by implementing some of these changes years ago, but I guess better late than never. Oh and I guess I’ll give budgeting a go, if I have to.
- Making exercise a priority
The lack of routine makes keeping up with fitness on the road a very real challenge. But since I’ve been home and actually whipping my butt back into shape, I don’t want to lose that hard-earned progress (and I certainly don’t want to feel as gross as I did after my last trip). In concert with partying less, I’m planning to wake up early and squeeze in a workout before my day gets started, even if that just means a quick 15-minute run or some light yoga at the hostel. Fitness is too important to not make time for, yaddida mean?
I’m over-the-moon-excited for this upcoming adventure and I sincerely hope you’ll follow along with me here. I’ll also be Tweeting and Instagramming like crazy whenever there’s wifi available, so I encourage you to follow me there as well.
Let’s go on an adventure! Will you be my co-pilot?
