Bill Benson

(Below is my intro to a six month solo round the world excursion, but I've been doing some articles as a Editor's Pick Guest Writer for Realtravel so those are listed at the top of the Journal entries.

Thanks - Bill B - January 08)

Bill B's Permanent Vacation

Hi there, and thanks for stopping by my travel page. I know, this whole 'how important am I' blogging thing is a bit much but I wanted a way for the folks back home to keep track of me during the big trip I took in early 07 and the web just seemed the easiest way to pull that off. So why did I need a website to keep track of a vacation? Well, as the site name says, it was a looong vacation. I'm not yet as lucky as the boys in Aerosmith, but six months qualifies as a semi-permanent vacation in my not-nearly-a-rock-star world.

Who, how, where and what for you might ask? Well, my former employer decided to 'move' my job to Ohio. As much as I absolutely relished the thought of becoming a Bengals fan I decided to take the severance package instead and use my frequent flier miles for a six month, round the world excursion. The plan was to hit 14 countries on six continents. Huh?! Yeah I know, it was a busy six months but since One World was paying for all the long flights I figured I should try to see every dream destination I could. And I did. It was without question the most amazing six months of my life. Scuba diving with Mantas in Thailand and Cleopatra's palace in Alexandria , Big Cat roars and kills in the Serengeti, surfing and riding Bali , sunrise over Uluru, hiking the Great Wall in the snow, climbing Machu Pichu and skiing the Andes in June. Unforgettable and sometimes surreal. A trip of a lifetime.

So here's the itinerary if you're still curious and if you hit the 'Personal Website' link at the top of this profile thing it will bring you to the full list with a map and some details about each country for the kiddies.

Jan 10 - Madrid, Jan 13 - Cairo, Jan 24 - Kenya, Jan 27 - Tanzania, Feb 9 - Red Sea, Feb 21 - Barcelona, Feb 26 - Rome, Mar 6 - China, Mar 26 - Cambodia, Mar 29 - Thailand, Apr 16 - Bali, May 5 - OZ, May 31 - LA, Jun 4 - Peru, Jun 23 - Chile, Jul 2 - JFK

People still ask me why I undertook such an excursion and although it seems obvious to me, not everyone really understands why an out of shape, almost 40 year old guy from Brooklyn would willingly subject himself to the rigors of airport security, shared hostel accommodations, suicidal cabbies, and travelers tummy for six straight months. I guess it's just about life and the direction it takes us. Not that I've avoided the whole growing up marriage-kids-mortgage thing, but I just haven't landed there yet so I didn't have the responsibilities of that life at the time. Having enough miles and 5 months of paychecks coincidentally coming my way while I didn’t have all the big bill payments and such seemed to me a sign.

I completed what I never thought I could do. Six months without a job? Impossible. Only Europeans and college kids do stuff like that it seemed to me. It's crazy, my right brain screamed but I just coudn't ignore the opportunity presenting itself. So regardless of my sore back, snoring hostel roomies or pushy border guards I went off to see the world and came back six months later with a backpack full of amazing stories and recharged batteries for the career. Even better, I learned a little about life beyond my own boundaries.

Now it's back to an everyday life of work and family. Maybe I'll settle down and look back at these 6 months as my glory years. But this also might have taught me the true glory and ease of travel, and I'll never stop exploring. I'm hoping for #2, dragging a wife and kids along some day.

So feel free to peruse any of the postings but don't be surprised if they’re even longer than this profile. Just remember I'm writing for myself and that can be a LONG process. Most of my photos are hooked to this blog but feel free to check out my Flickr site too if you prefer. I also posted some of the ebooks I read and mp3s I listening to during the trip on MediaMax share drive if you feel the need to review my ‘inspirations’ as they say. Kidding, I just needed a place to store stuff and thought I might as well share the free media. My resume is up there too if you know of a job opening up after July when my semi-permanent world turns back to a reality pumpkin.

www.mediamax.com /billb333

www.flickr.com/photos /74445888@N00

Anyway time to wrap this novella up so Aloha, Sayonara, Gday mate, and thanks very much for the interest.

Take care,

Bill B July 07

PS - If you feel like leaving a comment great, just please keep it clean for my delicate ears.