In any life spent traveling the most exciting yet terrifying part is planning your next trip or the next chapter in life. Exciting because you get to decide what amazing destination you will head to next… Terrifying because you need to figure out how to pay for everything, how you’ll get there, how long you want to stay, and what you’ll do during your time. It is pretty much a sense of just getting your shit together.

I have personally been cruising around since September 2015. Like anyone who reads this website knows, after graduating I decided to move to Maui and work for a little bit and then ultimately move to Ireland for around 10 months. Those two destinations were easy to decide on. I chose Maui because I had always felt a tug towards the island ever since I visited in 2010. The beautiful weather, aloha, and good vibes had been calling to me. I also knew I wanted to give Wwoofing a try. I wanted a chance to watch something I planted grow, to get my hands in the dirt, and get in tune with nature. Maui seemed to be the perfect place to make this all happen. Going through the actual planning process of this journey was unexpectedly easy and painless. I got registered with Wwoof USA for a low low price of $35 and started contacting various farms on Maui. After interviewing with about three or four farms I found the perfect fit in 3rd Day Nursery. (shout out to Derek and the rest of the crew, and if you haven’t already check out my post about the amazing nursery I had the pleasure of working on.) According to him I was the most organized and put together Wwoofer he ever came across.I ended up contacting him in June even though I wasn’t heading  west until September. (I truly like to overly plan ahead.) After I locked down a farm I started to do my research on flights. Rather than locking down a definitive return date I opted for a one way ticket to save some money and allow myself to enjoy Maui as much as possible. All of this only cost me around $500 and about two full days of planning! I had a place to stay and a job all I had to do come September was pack a shit ton of bikinis and work clothes and show up!

So that was done and dusted. Easy planning. Now, the Taurus likes to be grounded and comfortable in many aspects of life. Since I knew in Maui I would be pretty aloof and chill I knew I needed to start planning what I was going to do in January in July. I know I know… that is very very far ahead. Most times I don’t know what I am doing day to day, but I knew if I wanted to continue to avoid real adulthood I had to get it together. I knew I wanted to live in Ireland at some point in life, and to apply for a holiday working visa in Ireland you had to do it within 12 months of graduating from college. I knew this was my only chance to live in one of my favorite places. This next step wasn’t as seamless as the Maui process.

This one involved loads of paperwork, cash, tears, and a bit of stress. Soz dad, and thanks for dealing with my annoyance. In August I filled out all of the necessary paperwork, sent a money order to pay for the first part of my visa (who knew money orders were still a thing because I sure didn’t), and waited. It wasn’t until October that I head back from the embassy and was given the go ahead to purchase plane tickets and such. After two weeks of research I found a round trip ticket non stop both ways for $600! I wasn’t not just a deal it was a steal! I was so stoked to get going on this journey. Though as my friends and family can attest, and if you read this website regularly my initial move to Ireland was a bit rough I eventually got my shit together and figured it out.

Now I have about three months until this adventure comes to a close and I have to figure out the next chapter in life. Who knows if I will be living stateside or if I will find a another fantastic foreign country to live in. All I do know is I will take into account all the planning I did for my last two destinations to make it a bit easier this time around.

I don’t know where I am going but I know damn well it will be a good time.
How do the rest of you nomads plan for trips? How do you decide whether or not you want to stay somewhere for an extended period of time? Any tips for fellow wanderers?