Hello

Originally I had planned on skipping the whole blog thing and just doing a mix of journaling and email updates to friends. But, I'm caving in.

I think it's a good idea to do a blog for a few reasons:

1. This trip is a pretty big deal, and I should do it proper justice by thoroughly documenting it.
2. I can type much faster than I write, and therefore it's much easier to capture some of the thoughts spinning through my head. There is internet everywhere I stay, which makes blogging very convenient.
3. As a bonus (Ha!) - It's election season and I can include links to my favorite op-eds and my political opinions which are becoming frequently enhanced as I travel. Don't say I didn't warn you!

So, what is it that I'm doing?

I quit my job on March 31st and am spending four and a half months - 132 days - traveling around the Pacific. I am visiting Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Why?

Well first, I just love to travel. As my sister Sheila pointed out, all the books and magazines in my house are travel-related, so I should take a few months to do this trip. I probably have about 100 destinations on my wish-list, but focused on Australia and Asia because they are considered extremely accessible for English-speaking backpackers, and also very safe to do on my own. They have well-established infrastructure - hostels, public transportation, plenty of fellow backpackers - so it will be relatively easy. China is slightly more difficult because it is so huge, so I booked a tour through GAP Adventures. Additionally, most people recommend "at least a month" to see those places, so I might as well do them all now while I have the time.

Second, the timing was right to quit my job. I had been tasked with sales and implementation of a new technology - sort of a start-up within a Fortune 500 company - and spent over two years on that project. After two years, the technology wasn't really "new" anymore, so it was time to either move-on within my company or move-on elsewhere. It has been a good 5 1/2 years so I left.

And there you have it. My goal is to provide regular (or at least semi-regular) entries with photos, udpates and reflections. With that, I hope you enjoy my blog!

Bridget =)