My Original Itinerary

It’s August 16th….2.5 months til my trip!!  It seems far enough off that it’s still in the distant future, yet I realize each week when I fill out my time sheet, how few weeks I have left, and despite all the planning and progress I’ve made, I still have many things to take care of before I depart.  I will address those in another post, for now, let’s get you filled in with my roughest of rough itineraries.  The time frame could easily swing by weeks or months, as I have a general idea of my desires, but I’ll plan each day, each activity, as I go – however, at the same time, I have certain “must do’s” from my planning phase.

“Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me.”

-Carl Sandburg

Here’s my best shot, I’m looking forward to seeing how my original plan changes as I traverse Latin America.

Date Range	Location / Destination	Activities / Plans
October 30, 2012	Chicago to Cancun to Tulum	First day of my trip and exploring Tulum
Early November	Yucatan Peninsula into Belize	Mayan Ruins
Mid November	Belize	SCUBA, Great Blue Hole of Belize, Beach Time, ATM Caving
Late November – Mid December	Guatemala	Tikal, Antigua, Lake Atitlan + Spanish Language School & Homestay, Volcano Hikes
Late December	El Salvador	Buy a bike at the border…bike across El Salvador…. Beach + any other adventures. Juayua – 7 waterfalls tour
January	Honduras	Copan, Bay Islands, Diving
Late Jan – Early Feb	Nicaragua	Leon, Granada, Volcano Boarding (seriously!), Lake Nicaragua – Hike Isla de Ometepe, The Untouched Eastern Coast
February	Costa Rica	Monteverde, Arenal, Tortuguero, Parque Nacional Corcovado
Late February	Panama (Beyond excited for Panama!!!!)	Panama City + Canal, My first friend visiting me, El Valle de Anton, Casco Viejo, Almirante, Bocas del Toro, Azuerro Peninsula, Punta Patino
Late February	Panama to Colombia via San Blas Islands	Four day boat trip to Cartagena, Colombia.  Two days in San Blas Islands with the natives.
March	Colombia	Cartagena, Medellin, Cocoro Valley, Tayrona National Park, Bogota, Cali

My plans after Colombia are about as vague as they get, and range from working at a snow ski resort for the winter (our summer) months, continuing traveling, going to Europe for a wedding, continuing South, going to the “forgotten three” countries of Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname, as well as tackling Brazil in hopes of lasting til the 2014 World Cup.

This is where my plans get super hazy.  I have Central America pretty well planned out, but I have no idea how long each country will take, nor if I will park myself and stay for a few weeks.  I could very easily take detours into the countryside and get off “the beaten path.”  I’d really like to immerse myself in the local culture and see things that your everyday backpacker doesn’t get the opportunity to, or shies away from.

For now, however, this is the best planning / itinerary I can give you:

Date Range	Location / Destination	Activities / Plans
Late March – April (not the current plan, but possible)	Venezuela? Curacao? Trinidad & Tobago? Guyana, Suriname, French Guinea	Not really sure?
Late March – April (current plan)	Ecuador (listen to the locals / other backpackers advice from here on)	Quito (briefly), Baños, Quilotoa Loop, Parque Nacional Cotopaxi, Misahuallí
April – May	Peru (easily could spend almost 2 months here)	Machu Pichu – Cusco, Yurimaguas to Iquito in the Amazon, Choquequirao, Colca Canyon
April – May	Peru – Part 2	Ballestas Islands, Arequipa, Puerto Maldonado, Manú National Park
The Summer Months (ie: Winter)	Work at a ski resort? Any suggestions??
Rest of 2012	Bolivia, Chile, Argentina	Highlights: Salir de Uyuni, Atacama Desert, Iguazu Falls, Patagonia
	Paraguay, Uruguay	Where ever the wind takes me…hopefully along a path less traveled
2013 & Beyond	Real world? SE Asia?	Have a location independent job and/or cheapest backpacking in the world
2013 & Beyond	Australia or New Zealand	Work Away Visa and Backpack and absorbing the culture with my spare time.

Just go for it, if it all goes wrong then you can go back to your old life, if you don’t try it you will be wondering for ever what could have happened if you had.

-Andy Cameron – Escape the City

I have worked hard to afford myself this opportunity and the world is at my disposal.  Everyone always asks themselves when the right time is, truth is, there will never be a “right” time, something will always be holding you back.  I’ve worked daily to reach my goal budget and made many sacrifices along the way, I’m free of an apartment lease, and I’m not tied down by a significant other.  I have the great fortune of my own health and the health of my friends and family.  As a twenty something with the means to do it, I’ve decided that “now” is the “right time” for me to take on the world.  I can’t wait to begin and have the greatest learning experience of my life!

Feel free to forward this on to other travelers and I’d love to hear your thoughts on my original itinerary and any advice you have!!