My brother sent me this link to a great article not long ago. I found myself reading along thinking, “Yes! Exactly! That was me!” It really sums up what was going through my head when I finally pulled the plug and left on this trip. If you’ve ever thought you wanted to do something similar but thought “It will be five years from now before I can do that”, you should really read this article. It’s written by a woman who has been traveling via sailboat for a long time, but regardless of your method of travel, the pieces to the puzzle are still the same.

Update December 2020: The original link and the author’s website are no longer active. I am reprinting it here instead:
The Dangers of the 5-Year Plan by Connie McBride of Simply Sailing.

The decision I made to take this journey was never an easy one. But it was a journey I had dreamed about and talked about all of my life. My concerns over my future health and ability to do this trip later finally got to the point that, well, as the blog title says, “If Not Now, When?”

Since leaving two months ago, I have met dozens of people — probably more — that have come to this same conclusion but much earlier in life. Many of the travelers I’ve met who are traveling for a month, six months, maybe even a year, have said they wished they could do what I am doing. I’ve always replied “You can. Just don’t wait until you’re my age to do it.”

I am sure that to many people who have dedicated their lives to work, this seems like an irresponsible statement. I could go on for a long time about how my view of what’s important has changed tremendously due to the people I’ve met, and the conditions I’ve adjusted to in order to make this trip possible. I don’t miss my big house, all my “toys”, all of the “stuff” I had acquired. Now I look at the simplicity of how houses are built in other places, and how functional and comfortable they can be for a lot less money. I continue to jot down notes about building ideas for whenever this trip is over. I don’t know where that will be, or even when, but there is no question that my lifestyle, views, and most importantly my stress level, have all changed for the better.

And I feel like I’m still just getting started.