Canada is a fleck in the plane's rear-view mirror

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Trip Start Mar 01, 2005 Trip End May 20, 2005 Next
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  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Tuesday, March 1, 2005

The plan is unfolding right before our eyes. Hours of research and talking about it became days, those days became months, and before we knew it, the excitement had built to proportions almost large enough for Erin to propel herself overseas in a flitting frenzy. Fortunately, she waited for me to join her and we took a plane -- a much safer way to fly.

For those of you who know us, you know how much we've been looking forward to this trip since first talking about travelling when we met a year-and-a-half ago and later hammering out a plan of action. It has changed considerably from the original grandiose schemes we floated about, but even putting this "Travel Lite" version of traversing the globe into reality seemed like a massive step. Making that final decision to get your tickets and finalize the fact you're leaving everything you know for everything you don't can be an emotional roller coaster of excitement and fear, disbelief and wonderment, curiosity about seeing what's behind Doors #2&3 and insecurity about leaving the certainty of your life behind Door #1. It's not like we won't be back, but it won't be for awhile.

The trip shakes down like this: Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, London, Scotland, Ireland and France. We got 80 days to do it. Oh, and it's gonna be the time of our lives, whether we like it or not, because I demand my money's worth! It should cost about every penny we've saved up but the memories and experiences will be worth every round, shiny, copper coloured coin. Of course, it's probably easier to measure the expenses in our multi-coloured Canadian notes.

It actually takes some guts to put together this kind of experience and just drop everything and leave. I put off getting embedded in the world of journalism while Erin quit her job to make this happen. I've been lucky enough to acquire a new job, a dream job writing sports in Edmonton, for when we return in May while Erin will go through the process of putting out feelers and starting anew once again to get communications experience. My employers at the Journal graciously worked my scheduling and start date around my pre-set travel plans and I hope it's a sign of good things to come with the newspaper. I'm used to the moving and travelling now, while it will be Erin's first big move. Either way, it's a big step for the two of us, much like this trip is.

It's funny to actually sit down and write the "opening intro" travel pod after we've left and been on the road more than a month, but it really bugged me that our travel pod map wasn't giving us enough credit on where we've travelled ;) Our pins were all stuck in Asia, not showing our trek from Canada... it's not our fault we didn't read up about this site until after we left. OK, enough of the rant session. That problem should now be fixed and everyone else who wasn't on our earlier mass e-mails will have a clue about what we're doing and how we got from A to B (and in clear "pinning" on the map, just exactly where A was). Now we can concentrate once more on exporting Canadian hospitality to the rest of the world, or, perhaps just having a good time.

Cheers from anywhere and everwhere,
Scott and Erin

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