Dreaming of Summer

Every summer since I was 18, I have traveled the globe. Six days after I graduated from high school, I jumped on a plane with five of my best friends and took over Western Europe for six weeks. That trip planted an addiction in me; I got bit by the travel bug. Since then I have been to dozens of art museums in Europe, practiced my spanish all over Central America, eaten different types of empanadas in the lower countries of South America and hung out on beautiful beaches in South East Asia.

People often ask me and my husband how can we afford to travel so much and for so long, considering we are both teachers. It is because we are back packers, not suit case type travelors. We travel light, with only a back pack, and sleep in the cheapest accommodations possible. In Cambodia, our hotel literally cost a dollar! We figure, why spend a lot of money on where you sleep, when we can spend it on an insane meal that highlights the cuisine of the country. When traveling, we never eat American food, otherwise known as white people food, which saves us a pretty penny. We try not to take taxis and walk A LOT! Our best friend is the Lonely Planet guide book which allows us to not plan too much and just take each day one day at a time. Our budget never exceeds over $50 a day and depending on which country we are in, can be as low as $10 a day.

So of course your next question probably is, where to next? The plane tickets haven’t been purchased yet, but two Lonely Planet guides are sitting on our table. It’s a debate between the Philippines and Indonesia or staying home and concentrate on finding a house. Is it really time to act all grown up?