Making it real.

This is the Excel spreadsheet for my upcoming trip to Central America. Over the next month, I’m going to be researching my Moon Guides and populating the spreadsheet with information. The more I know going into an unknown situation (especially when finances are a concern), the better I feel; though of course, there’s only so much you can control in travel, and that’s part of the joy of it. I’m trying not to nail down my specifics as much as I did for my round-the-world trip three years ago. (Though, you should see that Excel spreadsheet. It’s a goddamn work of art.)

You might think this work is onerous. On the contrary, I do it whenever I need to put myself in a good mood! I think it’s because, in the act of drawing up my travel budget, I’m concretizing my dreams in a very real and practical way. It’s no longer just something I fantasize about; it’s something I’m actually doing, and for no other reason than that I want to. That’s one of the best feelings in the world. ¡Ándale!