January 20, 2022, COVID permitting.

Sucre, Bolivia. Bolivia is sort of the undiscovered Peru, and I’ve always had an interest. La Paz is too big. Sucre (the original capital) is about right. Many believe it is also the best place in the world to learn or improve your Spanish. I will take 10 weeks of lessons to hopefully turn my Spanish from barely passable to fluent. And I’ll explore Bolivia every day.  If you are interested in seeing a cool video of Sucre, it’s at https://youtu.be/q_JgzJsjEyM

Of course! But 2022 isn’t 2002. We can stay in touch almost as easily with me in Kuala Lumpur as in Tallahassee. They are excited for me and understand that I won’t be able to drop everything and dash home if something goes wrong here. We are all comfortable with that.

I hope so. Will YOU be safe? Accidents happen both at home and abroad. I’m fully vaccinated and off-the-charts immune according to my doc. I’m not going anywhere with daily revolts or terrorism. But I will be off the beaten track a good bit with some adventure treks (Choquequirao). I fully expect things not to go smoothly, but I’m as prepared as can be.

Going out, I’m in good shape—very healthy for any age, let alone my “senior” status. Medicare won’t travel with me on this first extended trip, so I have bought international health insurance. Most of my locations are not “third world” and have much better than adequate healthcare. Some even specialize in medical tourism. The odds of a health issue ending my trip are remote.

Granted, most people don’t just out and ask that question…but I know they’re wondering. I will do a blogpost on this before long, so keep an eye out. Of the 45 countries I’ll visit, seven will include stays of 30 days or more. And each of those places is MUCH less expensive than the U.S. For example, my Airbnb in Sucre just over $600/month. I will be saving money for substantial periods of my time overseas that I will use to splurge on airfares or expensive locales. The trip will cost not much more than living here in Tallahassee.

Yes, that’s my plan. I would love for friends or family to join me for parts of the trip that appeal to them. Y’all come! But let’s face it—not many people can get on a plane and expect to be gone for 22 months. I’m rare in that.

The entire schedule and sequence are mine. I have chosen the places based on personal interest. The travel arrangements (air, bus, train, and ferry) are set—although I have engaged an around-the-world-airfare specialist in hopes they can save me some money or give me better schedules. I am using Airbnb almost exclusively—hotels cost too much. I will probably do a blogpost on the planning process. It’s been a project—that’s for sure.

One night as I was going to sleep, I tried to answer that question. I came up with 15…any one of which would be the experience of my lifetime. Just imagine…Choquequirao, Lake Titicaca, Uyuni Salt Flats, Casco Viejo Panama, New Zealand, Angkor Wat, Bagan temples, the Himalayas, the terracotta Chinese tomb warriors…and I’m only halfway around the world at that point!

The itinerary is already complete, down to the day (see the Itinerary blogpost). Almost 50,000 miles. 6 continents, 45 countries (most of which will be new to me). 686 days. My purpose is to go to the less-traveled places. I’ve already been to 30+ countries, but they are mostly the “obvious” ones. This time I’m not doing Hong Kong or London or Rome or Israel. This is Bolivia, Ecuador, New Zealand, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Everest Base Camp, Dubai, Egypt, Morocco, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Lebanon, etc.

The more interesting question would be “when you get home.” I haven’t the slightest idea. I won’t have a car or property. What will HOME be? Will the cultural antagonism so rife in the U.S. somehow have subsided? Or will I be better equipped to deal with it? Will one or several of my 2022-23 destinations have the feel of home and draw me back for extended stays? Your guess really is as good as mine. I don’t expect to abandon my belief in Seeking New Horizons simply because I’ve been “gone” for almost 23 months.

I wanted a tagline to describe myself and my personal journeys…finally settling on Seeking New Horizons. I did a blogpost on it. Feel free to read. Would there be a better way to live the next 25 years than seeking new horizons? I can’t imagine it. New people, new places, new outlooks. The only way to find a new horizon is to be in a different space—physically or personally. That desire should never get used up.