Sunrise in Greensboro

The sunrise I saw at home this morning. A/K/A The last sunrise I’ll see in the States for awhile

I’m sitting in the Washington Dulles airport having flashbacks to a time I sat in the Atlanta airport some five years ago. It was then that I was about to strike out on my first trip around the planet.

Before I left on that journey, the most consistent question I got was,

Aren’t you going to be lonely?

(The answer, for the record, is “hardly!” So many new people to meet!)

This go around, I’m consistently admonished to

Stay safe.

I’m left with the impression that a lot of US Americans are afraid of leaving.

And, if I’m right, that’s too bad. There’s so much to see!

tumi suitcase and pacsafe backpack

I’m proud of my ability to pack light. Everything (I think) I’ll need for the next month is in these two bags. Perhaps I’ll do a post sharing my packing tips. If you’re interested, comment below!

The anticipation of a trip like this is worth nearly as much as the actual experience. I have no idea what to expect in faraway places like Antananarivo or Ulaanbaatar (I mean, I can’t even tyep those city names?corerctly without the aid of splelchck).

But what I do know for sure are four things:

  • I will meet new people (Indeed, I already have!)
  • I will have new experiences
  • Some things will go as planned
  • Some other things will not go as planned

There will be many stories to tell.

In short, the experience will be special.

Passport and map

This passport will be a bit more bedraggled and that map will have a few more pins after this journey

I hope you’ll join me on this journey. I’ll of course be posting here on GreenerGrass.com and also plan to make a YouTube video or two while I’m at it.

But first, a quick anecdote. I change money at the airport. Most people don’t for a lot of good reasons. Yes, it’s (slightly) more expensive than (a) ordering currency before leaving or (b) going to an ATM in country, but (a) I’m not a good planner and (b) I like to have a bit of cash when I arrive.

Well, I was changing money here at Dulles just a moment ago and the guy at the desk, it turns out, was from Nepal: One of my stops on this RTW trip. He’s also a former tour guide. I told him where I was staying, and his eyes got wide.

Bery nice, bery, bery, bery nice.

For your edification, the place is about the same price as a Best Western in rural Iowa. He promised tips when the line died down. Hope to take him up on the offer!

Now, though, I need to find a bite to eat and get ready for the overnight flight to Paris before picking up a connection to Lisbon and on to Seville. Just a few of the 46,018 miles I’ll be flying on this adventure.

Keep an eye on the blog for more updates!