What I Am: A Fearful Vagabondress

So now that I have thoroughly exhausted the whole topic of me being a fairly incompetent blogger who cries at the drop of a hat but is about to spend the next 8ish months abroad.... let's talk some more about me!

In my short lifetime, I have thankfully been able to travel to different corners of the world with a myriad of travel companions. I gallivanted in Western Europe with my best friends in high school and then again with my college friends; I traveled with my family to Japan and Central Europe; I spent a semester studying abroad in London and a wonderful month exploring the Continent with two very dear friends; and most recently I spent two Januarys (and two birthdays) in a row in Turkey, one of my favorite places in the world, with - again - a wonderful group of friends and peers on short-term study abroad programs.

Some - though certainly not all - of my favorite travel companions 

So you see the pattern? I am so pleased to have had many opportunities to travel with so many different companions, but I have never gone anywhere alone.

But I am not just a fearful girl from Virginia - I am a fearful girl about to set out on a few big adventures! (However fearfully I might do so). As you know, I'm currently in London for work until December. I've been to London a number of times, so I am excited to see some of the less-visited sites and do more exploration. I'm also hoping to spend some weekends traveling around England or the surrounding countries. Destinations have yet to be determined, so any suggestions are welcome! 

I will also be sharing what it is like to plan for three+ months of backpacking in Southeast Asia while living in another country. I'm nervous about the challenges I may have with just getting things in order - When will I possibly be able to buy everything I need? (I assure you, there will be no excess space in the luggage I bring over!) Will I have time to do such intense planning? Will I even want to set out on more traveling after I finish in London?

I fly out of London on December 13 (which, incidentally, is Taylor Swift's birthday). My plan is to spend a month at home for the holidays and leave shortly after my birthday in the middle of January. And then? It's off to Bangkok!