A New Purpose for an Old Blog

I am repurposing this blog to become a travel log for my upcoming trip to Ireland. If you are interested in following along with my travels, then please feel free to come back and check on my progress. You can also feel free to take a look at any of the posts that I have previously made on this site, but be warned, they are extremely boring and reference a lot of texts that even I don't remember anymore.

Preparing for this trip, which is now only two weeks away, has really emphasized two different aspects of who I am.

#1 - I really enjoy being spontaneous. I was not responsible for choosing my destination for this trip. I decided in October that I wanted to take a trip, but I knew that I would have a hard time deciding where to go, so I let others do it for me. On a whim I sent out a request for destinations to my friends and family. I wasn't sure if anyone would respond, but they did. I had dozens of possible destinations to choose from, but I was still in the position of making the choice. I decided to give my trip over completely and let everyone vote on my destination. After a few weeks of voting, Ireland emerged as the top choice. It has been very exciting to give up the control of something like this and let other people decided for me. My initial impulse to let others decide for me turned out to be a good one.

#2 - I really don't enjoy being spontaneous. Once my destination was determined, I had the task of deciding what to do while I am there. I had several people who recommended that I just get in a car and start driving and "discover" Ireland. That is not going to happen. I have read, and reread, Rick Steve's travel guide for Ireland several times. I have a map with little tags showing all of the things that I want to see. I have a hand-written calender with my intial notes on itinerary sights to see. I have a digital calendar with a finalized itinerary, including confirmation numbers and hotel information. I like to plan when I travel. I like to know where I am going to be traveling each day, because I want to make sure that I see the things that I really want to see. That doesn't mean that I turn into a machine when I get in the car. I am much more likely to stop the car to take some photos on the side of the road than I am to pass by something interesting in order to "make good time." I just need to know where I am going to be sleeping each night, and the rest is up for negotiation.

So, there it is. This is my first travel blog entry. It might not have been the most interesting of reads, but cut me some slack, I am not actually traveling yet. They will get better.