lost VS lust

my trip planning started off with bali but it didn't end there! i was talking to my neighbor about possibly going to italy and that i might be going solo. OMGoodness! the fears that he expressed for me was shocking! i soon realized all my family and friends felt the same way! i told him i was also thinking of bali where i might do some volunteer work. he suggested if i go to bali, i should also visit singapore. it snowballed out of control from there! the crazy thing about traveling is that once you start researching, you want to go everywhere! looking at all the beauty each country holds creates this lustfulness, a desire to visit every place you lay your eyes on...planning can lead you to be stuck in front of your laptop for hours! i really had to take it slow...take one step at a time, make one decision at a time, i had to be thoughtful about the decisions i make and carefully make those decisions with the guidance and insights from family and friends close to me and also other well traveled bloggers and friends. 

singapore was the most reasonably priced airport to fly into so i decided to start there and then go to bali and then head back home. but around this time, my favorite budget travel blogger/author of "travel the world on $50 a day" matt kepnes (go check him out at nomadicmatt.com), he posted a great deal i couldn't pass up. through air asia, you can purchase a pass for a low price to travel all over asia! after i looked into it, i saw the endless possibilities! so i made a list of every place i wanted to go in asia: bali, singapore, thailand, philippines, figi, japan, cambodia...there are some restrictions so i planned it out strategically to see what routes worked the best for me. 

so in the end after weeks of planning, i decided to go to singapore, thailand, bali, and sydney. 4 different countries, 10+ cities in 21 days! crazy as it sounds, i am determined! i plan to get lost in these beautiful places. my flights are booked but for everything else in between, i will simply relax and let things fall into place as i meet new friends and travelers. i cannot contain the excitement of it all. all the unknown and uncertainties are totally out of my comfort zone but i believe that this experience will allow me to learn and grow in ways i never thought i could. lost in lust or lust in getting lost...sounds mysteriously and exotically exciting!

wanderlust

strong desire to travel...lost in wanderlust...jane lost in wanderlust...

if you know me, i am an over-thinker. i am also very emotional so i over-think with a lot of passion and emotion. i am also rational and independent with a good sense of direction and i can pretty much make the most of any situation i'm in.

hopefully these qualities can guide me as i get lost in this journey of self discovery...

"flights are books! i'm taking off in july!!! #janelostinwanderlust" (fb status 4/1/15)

my first solo trip! SOLO TRIP!!! it came to me by surprise because i'd always wanted to travel, talked about traveling for a really long time but never thought i'd do it alone! it just happened that it worked out that way...

i've been researching where i'd like to go on my first trip for the last 2 months! it started with italy: rome, siena, florence, pisa, cinque terre, milan, venice, verona...spain: barcelona, run with the bulls in pamplona...then i looked into croatia and the beautiful plitvice lakes national park and  krka national park...researching led me to think i need more time and money to do europe...so i ended up scratching the whole thing, i'll save europe for next summer (THE WHOLE SUMMER)! i even entertained the thought of going to israel! can you imagine walking the streets that Jesus walked?! how crazy is that! figi, greece, new zealand, costa rica, puerto rico, peru, bahamas...the list is endless! so this time i started all over again, just thinking about myself and what i wanted to get out of the trip but mostly what i can afford!

my travel plans this year...

summer 2015:
singapore
krabi, thailand
ko phi phi, thailand
phuket, thailand
chiang mai, thailand
bangkok, thailand
bali, indonesia
sydney, australia

winter 2015:
oahu, hawaii (running the honolulu26.2)

there are many reasons why i want to travel. i want to see the world. i've only traveled within the united states, and been to south korea and canada. all amazing places but i want more! i have the rest of my life to travel. how AWEsome is that? i want to commit myself to traveling each year and inspire others to do so as well. i want to meet new people, places, cultures, and truly experience it all! i want to wake up early every morning and go for a run and just get lost in the world.

i hope that this journey, my journey, will not only open my eyes to who i am but what i want to share with others!

i feel nervous, excited, scared...it's like i'm on a roller coaster ride! i can't believe this trip is actually happening!!!