Top class used to be a private room with a shared bathroom...

Now, I know in my last post I said that I wasn't going to plan any more of my trip, and I am not... however, I did want to mention Lonely Planet travel guides (of course I refer to the USA guide because it's the only one I am reading right now)...

My original travel bible, Lonely Planet used to exemplify the adventurer's spirit... I used them to simplify my travel and allow me to get a feel for what to expect of my destination, without taking away the excitement. It gave me a backpackers view, having been written by backpackers for backpackers. It was perfect for the budget traveler.

Twenty years later, I am still a budget traveler (hey, 5 star would be grand if I could afford it!) and so this time LP was my first port of call. And as I have grown older, it seems LP has too.



Like me, Lonely Planet seems to have changed over the years, but (unlike me!) LP has not necessarily changed for the better. It seems to me the Lonely Planet guides have drifted from the backpacker market and are now concentrating on travelers whose wallets are thicker than ever.

I know it's been 20 years since I traveled, but hotels were never the mainstay of Lonely Planet readers 'back in my day'. Since when has the budget travel cheap range been US$80-$120? Surely there are cheaper options, or at least other options to consider...

Top class used to be a private room with a shared bathroom in a cheap pensione in Austria. Dorm rooms shared with snoring room-mates were a median priced option (and great way of meeting fellow trippers). Cheap was sleeping on the roof of a hostel in Israel, or pitching a tent in a Welsh farm where sheep had been wandering the day before. Is nothing sacred?

None of these options are even considered in the latest volume that I have seen. And whilst I know (and expect) NYC to be reasonably expensive, and I don't expect to pitch my tent in Central Park NYC, it would be nice to have options other than hotels listed in other places...

So, what's the deal LP?

*oh yeh - 13 sleeps to go

Winging it in the USA and holding onto adventure...

I have been meaning to add an update post to my blog for ages, but because my plans have been changing (and more countdown posts were getting a little bit boring), it was hard to know where to start. And on top of all that, I have been super busy.

All the planning (tickets/itinerary/accommodation/contacting friends)

The paper work (passport/money/visa)

Organising my life and home in my absence (house sitter/bills to be paid/work replacement)
Making decisions (where to go/what to do/where to stay)

Google has become my best computer buddy, taking over temporarily from my bff - blogging. Any free time I have had, has been spent researching, planning, changing plans and thinking about other plans.

As if procrastination isn't bad enough, add in indecision (a slightly different affliction) and a touch of nervousness and the plans have been rotating and changing on a daily basis.

The internet, in some ways makes it all a little too accessible, too easy to plan everything before even boarding the plane. Down to an itinerary for each and every day, each moment accounted for, each meal, tour and destination planned. But where is the adventure in that?

So, instead of over planning, I have decided to wing it a little.

I had plans. Lots of them.

Maybe too many.

Some have changed.

Some remain the same.

Many more will no doubt change along the way...

And so, as far as telling you my plans, I can't tell you that much at all.
What I do know of my six weeks in the USA is this...
I be staying in Maine for the first week and renewing my love for beautiful New England.
I am staying with old friends and we will be having a small reunion with a few others too.
I am spending ten nights in NYC, and at least three in Washington DC.

I am meeting up with some blogging friends.

And the rest?
There are many options of course, but right now, I am trying to hold on a little to the adventure of not knowing what might happen... being open to all the possibilities, embracing the freedom, relaxing... and remembering to breathe. At least three of the six weeks are a mystery at this stage, and that is how it's going to stay for now.

Maybe it's a little bit crazy, but it's pretty exciting too!

And so you know, it's just over two weeks to go...

Actually, it's 48 sleeps from today... (oopsie)

Oopsie.
Slight miscalculation.
I have 48 sleeps from TODAY before I leave for the states.
(Not that it really matters, but I just wanted you to know).
Not to worry.
The countdown has begun.