A travel manifesto of sorts

I am finding it hard to believe that the day is finally here and that I am heading off on my trip. After so long thinking about this, planning, changing, contemplating, researching and fantasizing, I am finally going. This first blog entry will be different from the others. I promise that in future missives from the back of beyond, I will not be as introspective. Part of the reason for this note is to try to explain why I am doing what I am doing to those people that I haven’t had a chance to talk through all my thought process (sorry Stamfordites, you will have all heard this before). Part of the reason is that I want to get down some things to remind myself why I am doing it. By publishing some of these thoughts, I will be able to look back during my trip and make sure that I keep true to myself. And finally, I want to test the blog site.

I guess the first question is why I am doing this. I am taking 8 months off in the middle of my career to travel and while Bank of Ireland could not have been more supportive, I cannot believe that this is good for my career. Firstly, this is something that I have always wanted to do a trip like this and oddly enough, the economic downturn has provided the perfect opportunity. I doubt that I will miss many deals and I am certain that bonuses this year will not be good. Secondly, I am pretty convinced that in particular, Russia, China and India will drive world events over the next 50 years and until I have actually been there, how can I accurately comment on, or project, how people from these countries will act? Finally, with the current freezing of credit markets, I am just not prepared to spend another year sitting around my office doing nothing and feel as though I am wasting my life.

The following are a number of pledges that I have made to myself on this trip:

• I will not waste money on this trip but on the other hand I will not miss a once in a lifetime experience because it costs a couple of dollars. I have been guilty of doing this on previous trips and I will not do it this time. I have a good paying job to come back to and so there is no excuse not to experience this to the full.

• I will photographs everything that I see but I will not miss the actual experience of being there because I am stuck behind the lens.

•I will try to have a conversation with a local at least every second day. I would like to think that I could do this every day, but I know myself. I do not meet people easily and by talking to locals I will go outside my comfort zone and have a much deeper travel experience.

•I know that I will have a day where I don’t want to do anything by lie in bed and read. I will, however, make myself at least go out and read at a café and watch the world go by, rather than relax in my room.

•I am going to break my Coke Zero habit. Even though there are zero calories, 2+ liters per day cannot be good for me.

•I am going to try to do 50 sit ups every morning. Lets see if that lasts more than two days.

•I am done with shaving until April next year. I reserve the right to shave if a nice young lass asks me to. Hakan believes that I will shave of my own accord and that no girl will ask me to shave. With friends like that, who needs ememies?

On top of this, I have a couple of other random thoughts that I might share with you all.

•I have been asked by almost everybody if I am nervous about the trip. Oddly enough, the only thing that I am in any way nervous about is the first couple of days alone in Russia. I have a 35 minute layover between my flight to Helsinki and on to Moscow, and missing that would be a huge pain. I have also not booked the train from Murmansk to St Petersburg and I really hope that they are not sold out and I am stuck there for days.

•I am in the best shape of my life for this trip and I am really interested to see whether I put on weight or lose it over the next 8 months. I was 187 lbs this morning. In an effort to keep this blog interactive, what do you think? Will I be above or below this level when I get back?

•I will be home for Christmas the first time in 10 years and four weeks later it is my grandmother’s 100th birthday. I am looking forward to these two things more than anything else right now.

•I think that it will be a very odd feeling to not carry a wallet, phone or keys while I am away. These three things are pretty much never out of reach back home.

•I must say a couple of thank yous before I sign off. Firstly to Mark, Peter and Mike at BoI for all the support in allowing me to take a sabbatical and have a job when I get back. To Zoe and Rich for looking after my place while I am away. To Noreen for watering my bonsai tree. And to Mum for not freaking out too badly when I told her my plans. I was more nervous about that than my first couple of days in Russia.

So I will sign off, and head out with the sounds of Free Bird, Rambling Man and Here I Go Again in my ears (I was going to add Take the Weather With You but it is raining).

Next stop Murmansk for a birthday Vodka in the Arctic Circle.

S

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Part of trip: The Big One

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