So, with that said, I think his addition to the trip will transform my travel experiences in a whole different way. I’m used to being alone. I’ve been lost in the world, in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by strangers who don’t speak the same language, and I was perfectly fine. I’ve talked about it plenty of times before on the blog here; I’ve even been quoted saying, “Travel is about cutting all ties and ditching all preconceived judgements, and getting truly lost – because only then can you find yourself.” But now that I’ve been through that, where I’ve found myself, I believe having a travel companion will now open the door to a lot of new experiences and things that I had skipped out on while traveling before, because it was just me, by myself, but now, it will be entirely different.
Anyway, throughout the trip, I will be keeping a daily log on the blog, as well as updating frequently on Twitter (@eyeandpen) and on Instagram (@eyeandpen). Plus, I’ll be offering more personal updates to my email list followers (you can sign up for this on the right side of this page, or on the front page of the site). So, please keep up with my updates, photographs, and articles – it means the world to me!
I thought about listing off every single, little, tiny thing that we will be getting up to throughout the trip, but to be honest, while we do have a very long, and comprehensive list of over 1,000 items that we wish to see and do, we have decided to go at our own pace, moving from place to place as we see fit. We will likely stay a day here and there, then a week in other places. We’ve talked over the organics of the trip, and how this travel style will help us achieve the life goals that we both have set for ourselves. Part of the beauty of this trip is that we will both be looking out for each other, as we both have set goals that the other will help and support, and provide accountability. Both of us want to eat better each day, get in better shape, find enlightenment and to grow within ourselves, with the experiences of our travels. Also, if I were to list off everything we have planned, where’s the surprise and fun in that for you? :-)
One of the other great aspects of joining up with Matt for this trip is that he is also a filmmaker, so with his expertise and my background of filmmaking and visual arts, we are aiming to release several internet television shows that will feature a lot of our antics and what all we get up along the trip, but we will also be interviewing other people, and talking about how the trip has been transforming us. In the future, you can find more information on our up-and-coming video production site: Neauxmad (www.neauxmad.com – pronounced ‘nomad’).
Here is an updated map showcasing some of the more major stops; however, there are hundreds of stops that are not shown within this map, because Google Maps doesn’t allow you to do infinity stops. And just so you know, we will be leaving from our hometown of Columbus, Ohio and will begin by heading south toward Florida.
(Main photo by walkinguphills via Flickr)