Inaugural Blog, Hawaii Up Ahead, and Thailand in the Distance

                                                                                    Hi all!

First- allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sam, and I am 21 years of age (Just in case you sank into a zombie-like daze through the "about me" section). This is my first blog... that's right... ever *gasp!* so I imagine that the less naive I become about important blogging matters, the more this blog will change, and it will eventually grow from a baby blog into a big-boy blog, but for now I'm just going to start posting.

       

Oh look ^ its meeeeee!

This blog is going to be all about these things:

• Traveling
• Traveling on a budget
• Traveling as a student or young person
• Traveling as a female
• Traveling as a photographer
• So.... basically its about me trying to travel the world

      I can't promise much. I have but meager resources, funds, and experience, but I have fiery passion and spunk... that counts for something, right? Ok... moving on.

      If one writes a travel blog (or so I've heard) it doesn't necessarily mean they travel constantly (which is too bad, because I would love to be in Asia right now). Like the ordinary citizen I have two jobs (and school until I graduate in May) ---but don't think I would start this endeavor with nothing! I have goals and dreams, and a trip to Hawaii coming up in about 9 days. My family and I* are flying to the beautiful island of Kauai, HI on January 3rd, 2010. We're staying on the island for ten days (including two travel days). We'll be very close to Poipu beach, which I hear is very nice- you  know, white and sandy and whatnot. I'll include some photos so you can use them as desktop wallpaper _insert thumbs-up and wink here_.

       I have high hopes for this trip! I would like to visit Kipu Falls (a nearby swimming hole used by both locals and tourists), go kayaking, take a catamaran tour, go on a zip line trek through the forest, and try some local cuisine. However, as most travelers come to understand, plans often have a way of dissolving and/or evolving once you reach your destination, so we'll see what happens!

       I'll write in more detail about the upcoming trip a bit later, but before I go I want to share my first travel goal with you. I want to go to Thailand- desperately. I want to experience a radically different culture than my own. I want to see, hear and smell the essence of the Eastern hemisphere. I want to travel so far across the globe that I don't even recognize myself anymore. I have saved $105.35 from tips at work (I started saving on Dec 1), I've purchased a travel guide, and I've started my research. I estimate that, including airfare, the trip should cost $3,000+. Yikes!

But I'll save all this for another time, because its almost midnight on Christmas eve.

Later- Sam

*(that's right, I didn't have to save up for this one-which also leads me to my first tip: free things are usually good)