First steps....

Travel...travel......travel...this word keeps ruminating around in your brain.......TRAVEL.

So what do you do about it?

Well here is what I did.

I planned. A lot, for several years.

I believe it took this long partly to convince myself that I could really do this, and partly because when we become established in our homes-lives-careers, it is more challenging to extricate oneself and leave for several months.

So, I planned.

( Have I mentioned I am kind of an anal planner yet ? *smiles*)

Being a theatre director means that at any time, I have the next 8-14 months of shows lined up and in pre production.

I needed time to sort through the line up of shows, clear the decks and plan to be spontaneous for two months...lol. I also needed to save money.

*I was in pre production mode :)

I started looking at the places I wanted to go.....reading the history of Santorini for example. Learning about the volcano that swept most of this island away. Becoming familiar with one area.

I wanted to do this right......maximize the experience, take in everything, plan.

Let's look at how that all worked out.

I knew I wanted to go to Santorini and spend a long time hanging out at the Akri Tiri excavation site. At least two days of my 7 days on this island were to be devoted to this site.

I was excited for years about Akri Tiri, imagined myself wiping my brow with a bandana while shaking dirt through mesh boxes and discovering something amazing.

I even planned what outfit to wear....

Well, you get the idea...

So..I go to Santorini. I am so excited I am vibrating.

I go to Akri Tiri.....here I am world....

The sign reads:

"Akri Tiri is CLOSED.

It will be closed until further notice"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

How could this be? How could this happen? Why didn't it say anywhere that it was closed in my research? I had no plan for closed!

I was devastated. I tried to remain stoic as friends had joined up with me and I didn't want to be a negative Nelly, but I was crushed.

Now what? I had two days with nothing to do.

NOW WHAT?

Curiously "Now what" allowed the discovery of the ruins of Ancient Thira, high above sea level, a beautiful example of life before the volcano hit. Touching the marbles and the chisel lines made by ancient fingers.

"Now what" involved time on my hands to be spontaneous ....to while away an afternoon with friends in a dusty cafe off the beaten path, watching donkey racing by a few well oozoed locals, who danced and sang for us, brought us plate after plate of delicious food and drink and ended with glass breaking and bottle on head leaping.

"Now what" opened my eyes to the idea that all my planning may have not been quite as necessary as it seemed.

Plan?

Of course you plan a little. You need a starting place, a plane ride, a place to hang your head.

You need a budget, a passport.

You need to know how to manoever from place to place safely and I will share some of my experiences around these things in coming posts, but the lesson here is about your "first steps"

In my expeirence, your first steps are to change the way you think in your everyday world.

Perhaps think more like you did as a teen, when hanging with friends allowed all kinds of adventures to take place.

Move beyond the idea of dinner dates and friend dates to the free and easy head space of being in the moment and leave room , right from the begining of your thoughts of travel, to be in the moment, to leave space in your agenda for the unexpected .

You never know what doorway will lead to unknown and unimagined delights.

and if the sign says "closed", it only means another window is open and waiting.

First Steps?....go for it!