Each and every day I am focused on something that has to do with an upcoming adventure or the overall direction of where I see myself going next. I discover daily the desires I have to explore and live in the wanderlust lifestyle but also to keep laser focus on my goals to do so within a budget while educating others about the options that really do exist out there once you look outside the box.
For a couple weeks I have been pondering an exciting new endeavor, seeing the total solar eclipse. An idea which came to life after a conversation with my mother, a science teacher, I thought it would be interesting to see something so rare that it has never happened within my lifetime. But even further motivating me would be to share this with those who wouldn't be able to be there alongside me.
It amazes me how each and every day the world has come so far from when I was growing up. I remember my first cell phone, a phone to which you had to push buttons up to 3 times just for a single character. Texting was not a part of every day life and really wasn't something that was just a click away as it is now. I recall when social media first really kicked off and this new thing called Myspace was the thing. As silly as it sounds, I can credit that social platform with several of the connections I to this date have, jobs I have had and now the idea and the dream of bringing my travel blog to life.
The world is so different and I can only imagine how it will change in another 30 years. But for this moment frozen in time when not everyone can be in the location, it is my goal to share what I see with those who cannot be there. The world will be focused on the eclipse itself, but I want to see the people, the places and the activities each for what they are, a time capsule of exactly what is going on at this moment in 2017.
Of course, this journey cannot exist without a lot of planning thus I have been preparing and addressing a few items of concern from previous trips. I have replaced my large 6 person tent with a smaller one for the solo mission. I am scaling back my packing to target just myself on the journey and I am adding a couple items of equipment for making the journey a bit more interesting to those watching my videos.
I plan to spend time beyond the eclipse itself on the road engaging in activities, many of which will be free to promote a budget friendly traveling lifestyle. I will be revisiting some of my childhood memories along the way, when in those days more simplistic my family used to take summer vacations and go on adventures. Perhaps these adventures are what have created the travel bug inside of me as I always enjoyed these times with family and hold them as some of my most memorable of childhood.
With only a few short days remaining, I have printed my official eclipse shirt, a signature of my bunny blog, like so many of my adventures. I will be creating a pin hole viewer for the eclipse to safely view the totality and I am about to go pick up camping supplies for meals to keep food in my belly along the way. I have found preparing food on your own versus purchasing along the way frees up a lot of funds when traveling.
I expect, with few exceptions, that my only large expenses will be gas and campgrounds. Campgrounds of course are a must when camping in a tent for safety thus a justifiable expense. My goal is to keep this trip under $300 for the totality of all expenses, though I honestly have a secret goal to try to stay under $200 when it comes to travel for the week.
I will post not only a full break down of expenses following the trip but also reviews of the campsites along the way for those seeking to take a similar trip.
It is amazing how a simple idea can spawn such an amazing possibility. I look forward to the coming adventure and all that it brings. Unlike so many trips before I will be playing this one more by ear, so while I do have ideas for where to stay and basic items of interest, I will be more flexible on times and spaces than previously when traveling with another. I am leaving this journey more to spontaneous planning since I do not have others schedules to work with on the trip this time so while I do have a basic time frame for leaving and returning I look forward to seeing what each day holds with an open mind.