![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Journey
I'm starting to fret a little about my upcoming journey. Here is what's bothering me:
1. I'm going to be gone a long time--longer than I've ever been away from home before. I think I've covered all the "take care of the house" stuff, but I'm starting to get a bit of anticipatory homesickness. It scares me a little to think that I will be so far from home, all alone.
2. Backing up my pictures and associated concerns. I'm taking an external hard drive with me so I can back up to that. Ok. But now I'm wondering about whether I should buy some sort of power inverter so I can do stuff like charge my camera batteries and computer, and plug in the external drive and stuff for the days I am camping out.
And I'm thinking of a larger drive, because the one I've got only has 20g of free space--that's only about 5000 shots. Yes, I could delete as I go along and only keep the ones that are any good, which would require way less than 20 gigs. But what do I do if my computer breaks down? What if someone steals the external drive? What if I drop the computer on my foot, breaking both computer and foot, and losing not only my pictures, but my ability to drive? What if a flock of strange canadian birds swoop down on me?
3. Overcoming my natural inclination towards introversion so I can meet new people. There are a lot of new people out there, and I want to meet them, but it's hard.
Interestingly enough, I'm not worried at all about the mechanics of the trip. I'm going to take the van--it's a lot better for camping. The mechanic looked it over the other day and said "bon voyage". I have all the stuff I need to be relatively self-sufficient for extended periods of time. I have a pretty comfortable sleeping mat that fits nicely in the back while still allowing enough room for all the stuff I am taking with me. I have maps and guidebooks, and know how to use them.
I have a rough idea of the first part of my trip, at least to Toronto, where I will be attending an eight-day retreat, but the way back is a blank page. I have some ideas, but nothing definite.
I've never done anything like this before.
1. I'm going to be gone a long time--longer than I've ever been away from home before. I think I've covered all the "take care of the house" stuff, but I'm starting to get a bit of anticipatory homesickness. It scares me a little to think that I will be so far from home, all alone.
2. Backing up my pictures and associated concerns. I'm taking an external hard drive with me so I can back up to that. Ok. But now I'm wondering about whether I should buy some sort of power inverter so I can do stuff like charge my camera batteries and computer, and plug in the external drive and stuff for the days I am camping out.
And I'm thinking of a larger drive, because the one I've got only has 20g of free space--that's only about 5000 shots. Yes, I could delete as I go along and only keep the ones that are any good, which would require way less than 20 gigs. But what do I do if my computer breaks down? What if someone steals the external drive? What if I drop the computer on my foot, breaking both computer and foot, and losing not only my pictures, but my ability to drive? What if a flock of strange canadian birds swoop down on me?
3. Overcoming my natural inclination towards introversion so I can meet new people. There are a lot of new people out there, and I want to meet them, but it's hard.
Interestingly enough, I'm not worried at all about the mechanics of the trip. I'm going to take the van--it's a lot better for camping. The mechanic looked it over the other day and said "bon voyage". I have all the stuff I need to be relatively self-sufficient for extended periods of time. I have a pretty comfortable sleeping mat that fits nicely in the back while still allowing enough room for all the stuff I am taking with me. I have maps and guidebooks, and know how to use them.
I have a rough idea of the first part of my trip, at least to Toronto, where I will be attending an eight-day retreat, but the way back is a blank page. I have some ideas, but nothing definite.
I've never done anything like this before.
no subject
I'm a shy person, too, but I've traveled a lot, always alone, and I've found that I meet people much more easily on the road than I do in my stationary life. You will probably be open, curious, and excited about the newness of everything you're seeing. You'll then meet other travelers who are the same, and you'll have some great conversations. I've been amazed at the connection I've felt with other travelers after only a brief acquaintance. If you haven't already, see Lost in Translation!
Also, take something with you that instantly means home to you. Perhaps a small pig? When I lived out of a backpack for a year, I had it divided into rooms (i.e., smaller bags that fit into the big pack). I had an office, a bedroom, a kitchen, etc. Every night, when I unpacked in a hotel or hostel, I felt that my house sprang out of the backpack and took shape around me! And, as my home-y reminder, I brought my usual, aromatic soap. So, my shower anywhere smelled like my usual shower.
I don't have much advice on the technical front. On the year-trip, I took a digital camera, a battery charger, and 3 128 MB cards. I copied the cards on disks when they were full. Oh, a good place to get answers to technical travel questions is on the Tech thread of Lonely Planet's forum, the Thorn Tree. A link is:
here.
I'm so excited about your trip and can't wait to see and read your impressions. Sorry for the long response!
no subject
I know just the pig to take with me!
no subject
I'm also glad someone else mentioned hostels -- I recommend them. However, for older folks, like you and me, the occasional noise and lack of consideration can be irritating. Great for meeting folks, though.
If you stay at a hostel, I also recommend posting a notice on a bulletin board that you have a vehicle and can take a passenger -- if you're up for it, that is. You might help out some adventurous foreign youngster who's bumming around N. America, and have some great conversations!