Blogging. The Key to Experiential Preservation?

My passion is traveling. However, one of the most annoying things is telling people the details of my trips. Don't get me wrong, I love telling stories, but after explaining how awesome a place is 10 or 20 times, it actually starts to lose it's glamor. I have kept a personal journal now for about 5 years; I am considering this a small extension with photographs!

Up until now I have been to 21 different countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, England, France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Turkey, Italy, Andorra, Vatican City, Mallorca (Spain), Monaco, Luxembourg, and Portugal. I have confirmed plane tickets to Sweden (tomorrow), Tunisia (next week), Egypt (next month), and Switzerland (in May). There are a few other places on the list, but we'll get to those later.

I have lived in a town with only 300 people and a metropolis of 5,000,000 people. I grew up in a small town called Hamilton, KS, then moved to Wichita, KS for university. I have also lived in Washington DC (Silver Spring, MD technically) for an internship, Berlin, Germany for a study abroad, Tulsa, OK, for work, and I am currently living in Toulouse, France for work, supporting the Airbus A350 program.

Meeting new people, learning new things, and eating exotic foods are a few of my favorite activities. I can get along with anyone from anywhere. I consider myself very open-minded and not judgmental. I have a very John Stuart Mill-esque philosophy on life, and am a card carrying member of the Libertarian Party. My mantra is "If you're going to be a bear, be a grizzly." I have that tattooed on all my online forums, and I even had it inscribed on the back of my iPod. Half-assing anything is not an option. If you are going to do it, do it.

I hate when people say, "I wish I could travel as much as you!" Everybody can travel. It is VERY easy. People just have to suck it up and do it. It's all about prioritization. For me, I don't care what cable package I have, I don't care if I have leather couches, and I don't care if my laptop is 3 years old; I would much rather spend my money on plane tickets and hostels. If you are timid about leaving the country, feel free to come with me on one of my adventures, I love company. Traveling with a buddy is more fun. I am a firm believer that experiences should be shared.

To close out my first post, I have created a slideshow of most of the places I have been so far. I realized after I started that I could not insert text, so if you want to know where something is, just ask and I'll tell you.