Hey! If you haven't realized this yet, I've been living at home this semester. Back in April I was figuring out my Fall class schedule and realized that I could take all online classes, giving myself a VERY flexible schedule for all other parts of my life. My mind was flooded with thoughts of spending weeks at a time visiting friends at USF, FSU, UF, and back at home. Then I figured that it would be a better use of my time and money to go somewhere I'd never been before. I knew I wanted to go to Boston to visit Emily and David, but I didn't want to travel all that way just for that. Then my cousin mentioned that I should come to DC and we could go to a Washington Capitals home game. It was then that my trip planning began. Over time I added more and more destinations to my trip. I worked for 10 straight weeks this summer, saving as much money as possible. It took a few months, but I was finally able to get rid of my lease in Orlando. Everything was beginning to really fall into place. I booked all my flights, bought some of my bus tickets, and coordinated my arrangements. So here I am, just 9 days away from my departure date. I've had a lot of people ask me where I'm going and why, so here's some FAQ's and my intinerary.
Where are you going?
Washington D.C.
Hamilton, NJ
New York, NY
Stamford, CT
New Haven, CT
Newport, RI
Boston, MA
Syracuse/Cazenovia, NY
Toronto, ON
Who are you going with?
Me, Myself, and I. I want to do what I want, when I want. I don't want anything holding me back.
Why are you doing this?
I need something new. I want to see things I've never seen, meet people I've never met before, reconnect with family and friends, do things I've never done, and experience a trip of a lifetime all on my own. Essentially, I'm on a journey to "find myself." I'm hoping that I go somewhere that I fall in love with, somewhere that I want to spend the rest of my life. I'm doing this because it just feels right.
When are you going?
I fly from Ft. Lauderdale to DC on Weds Oct 6. I fly back from Buffalo to Ft. Lauderdale on Mon Nov 8.
Who are you staying with?
Family. Friends. Hopefully some gracious Couch Surfers. (couchsurfing.org)
What kind of stuff will you be doing?
I'm mostly just planning on site seeing, relaxing, and exploring the places I'm at. I'm spending a substantial amount of time with family and friends, and even some family I've never met before.
What about your classes?
Two out of my 3 classes are essentially self paced. I intend on having all of the October work done for those 2 classes before I leave. As for the other class, I have assignments due each week. I'm just gonna have to discipline myself to put in an hour or so each night to get it done. It shouldn't be too difficult.
How much is it gonna cost?
I'm gonna be on a pretty tight budget. I've already spent about $500 bucks on flights, busses, and hockey tickets. As long as I leave with at least $1000 bucks I should be fine.
Tentative Itinerary:
Wednesday Oct 6:
-Leave FLL at 11:55am
-Arrive DCA at 2:18pm
-Meet up with my cousin Dave
Thursday Oct 7 and Fri Oct 8:
-Hang out with Dave, see sites, etc
Sat Oct 9:
-Meet up with cousin Raquel
-Go to first 2010 regular season Capitals game with her!
Sun Oct 10:
-Spend day with cousin Raquel
Mon Oct 11:
-Travel from DC to NJ
-Meet up with cousins Tori, Joe, Carter, and Charlotte
Tues Oct 12 to Sat Oct 16:
-Spend time with cousins
Sun Oct 17:
-Go to NYC by train
-Meet up with Talha
Mon Oct 18:
-Have lunch in NYC with my late grandfather's cousin, Bobby, whom I have never met before
-See Next to Normal @ Booth Theatre
Tues Oct 19:
-Explore the crap outta NYC
Weds Oct 20:
-Free round trip shuttle to Stamford for 2 tapings of the Steve Wilkos show
Thurs Oct 21:
-Greyhound bus to New Haven, CT
-Meeting up with Ellen, another of my late grandfather's cousins whom I have never met before
Friday Oct 22:
-Spending the day with Ellen, getting to know her, and seeing the area that she lives in
Saturday Oct 23:
-Amtrak to Newport, RI to see my uncle Raul, and his wife and kids
Sunday Oct 24:
-Spend the day in Newport
Monday Oct 25:
-Amtrak to Boston to see Emily and David
Tuesday Oct 26 to Friday Oct 29:
-Seeing and doing everything that Boston has to offer
-meeting up with friends and family that live in Boston
Thursday Oct 28:
-See Anberlin @ Paradise Rock Club
Saturday Oct 30:
-Fly BOS to SYR
-Meet up with Carlos, Jen, and kids
Sunday Oct 31 to Thurs Nov 4:
-Celebrate Halloween
-Spend time with cousins
-Explore Cazenovia
Fri Nov 5:
-Mega bus from Syracuse to Toronto
Sat Nov 6:
-GO transit to University of Guelph
-Spend night with Couchsurfer Samantha
Sun Nov 7:
-Head back to Toronto
-Leave Toronto towards Buffalo
Mon Nov 8:
-Arrive at Buffalo Airport
-Fly from BUF to FLL
Shana this sounds so exciting!!! Getting to stay "in school" and travel parts of our own world that you have not yet seen, all on a budget, meeting people and dealing more with the social then materialistic aspects of life. I can't wait to see how it all comes together. Hopefully you will find like I have that strangers can be very friendly and helpful(we have done some RV'ing and met wounderful people along the way).
ReplyDeleteWow now I'm more excited. This is going to be great trip. So proud of you.
ReplyDeleteWhoohoo! Good luck Shana! Love ya!
ReplyDeletePlease visit me on your trip!
ReplyDelete