Who?

My name is Jordan. I’m a proud member of a loving family. I have many great friends and a girlfriend, all of whom I care for dearly.


I live a structured, secure life. Growing up I knew if I worked hard enough I would graduate high school, attend university, have a family, and provide for them like my parents did for me. Obviously I cannot predict the future, but I know I am fortunate to have been brought up in a household that gives me the opportunity to lead a happy, prosperous life. I consider myself very lucky.


I plan to pursue a law and/or business career after graduation, not necessarily because I love either, but more as a result of their credibility as successful career models. Some would call this conformity, others would call it predictably boring, but I call it structure and security.


Its this structure, family and friends that I will leave behind when I embark on the journey of my life. A journey around the world. As cliché as it sounds, its true. The comfort of home (financially and socially) will be replaced by the uncertainty, impulsiveness and unpredictability of traveling. The absence of the things I take for granted (the aforementioned) will force me to appreciate what I have. As Joni Mitchell once eloquently put, 'You don't know what you've got till its gone.’ This essentially leads into the next category. ‘What?’


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• Picture: http://www.aishcampus.ca/uploads/images/toronto.jpg

What?

My trip around the world is more about discovery, independence and appreciation than about sightseeing or touring. I will travel by myself to different countries and temporarily reside in one central location within each, for an extended period of time. The length of time I plan to spend in each country varies from one to three months, with a lot of flexibility. At the same time, I hope to find work locally in order to help finance the trip. This will help me integrate into local society. 

The tourist side of me will visit popular sites, cities and attractions in the surrounding area of each of my destinations. This regional traveling/ site seeing will be done during my free time from the jobs I will hopefully be holding within each visited country.

I will have a vague time frame for the length of my stay in each country. If I decide to quit a job, travel to another country and look for a new job, I will have the freedom to do so. At any moment I will be able to leave or extend my time living in each location. My stops in order will be Europe, Middle East, Asia, Oceania, Africa, South America and finally the United States, before I return home to Toronto. I will have traveled the world in a counter clockwise motion, living in 6 of the 7 continents.


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• Picture: http://www.travelportal.info/general-travel-info/maps-route-planners/maps

Why?

Why trade everything you love, care for and appreciate for the uncertainty, impulsiveness and unpredictability of traveling? Because people, in specific myself, often get caught up in their monotonous lives. The uniformity of daily routine starts to wear one down. Living in a world with so much diversity (culturally, physically and naturally) it is a sin not to experience everything that the planet has to offer.


Life is a beautiful thing. To live it narrow mindedly is a waste of the precious time we have on earth. Living and traveling around the world is the best way take advantage of it.


My trip around the world is designed to make me live from different perspectives. I want see new sights, meet new people, eat new foods, and gain new experiences. In doing so I hope to enlighten myself and become more appreciative of everything I oft take for granted.


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• Picture: http-//brandstrategy.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/world-in-black-and-white-hands-1

Where?

Part of the challenge of finding good places to live within each continent has to do with language barriers, proximity to tourist attractions, cost of living and job opportunities. Locations that can fulfill all four components are viable options to live, work and tour.


The problem with planning a trip over two and a half years in advance is that it is nearly impossible to find accommodation and job opportunities. In the slight chance that arrangements can be made, they will almost surely fall through. A lot will change in over two years, and during the course of the trip, as this adventure is designed to have minimal structure. Finding rental apartments, jobs and transportation will be sorted out closer to my date of departure, or upon arrival at each location.


In addition, working out job opportunities and places to live last minute will only add to my experience and make my trip more memorable. I’m not interested in being homeless, but what I am interested in, is an adventure.


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• Picture: http://articles.theglobalguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Greece06-36.JPG

When?

The context of this trip in my life is vital. During my final year of undergraduate studies, I will have applied for law school and if accepted, will defer a year.

After finishing my final undergraduate exams, I plan to spend all of May 2013 making last minute preparations for my trip. I will look into lodging, transportation and job opportunities at this time.

The trip is planned to last from June 2013 until May 2014. These dates provide a general guideline but are not written in stone. If I decide to come home early or travel a couple months longer, I can do so. The only time restriction I have is that I must return home before September 2014, when I plan to start my first year of law school.

This trip will be a great break from reality. After finishing four years of university filled hard work and stress, I will be in need of time off. On this journey I will have little to no responsibilities, other than survival. Knowing that after my trip I will be starting law school and soon entering the ‘real world’ will force me to cherish my time traveling. This trip will surely be one of my last chances for complete freedom and autonomy, in a life so chained down with structure and routine. 


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• Picture: http://www.k12alerts.com/main/imagemanager/img/221/graduation%20cap%20in%20air.jpg

How?

The intention of working while I’m traveling is to help pay for associated trip costs. These jobs will be the primary source of funding for lodging, transportation, food, etc during my travels. Throughout high school and university I have been saving money for this trip. This sum of about ten thousand dollars, will be used as a source of reserve funds, for whatever the need may be. If I struggle to find employment abroad, I will use this money.

I plan to spend as little as possible to ensure the nomadic feel. Having said this, cost is not a deciding factor. My jobs abroad, reserve funds, and nervous parents will guarantee economic security.

My method of transportation from Toronto to the first stop of my journey (London, England) will be by plane. Other than this flight, it will be my intention to find the cheapest forms of transportation from one destination to another. Whether it be by train, hitchhiking, boat, etc, I will aim to spend the least amount of money possible to get around. 

The next how, which often gets overlooked, is very relevant for a closely knit family like mine. How will my parents allow me to leave home and travel the world with little direction or agenda? My response to this will be that both my mother and father spent time backpacking through Europe at the tender age of 17. So, as a 22 year old I will be more than capable.


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• Picture: http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/940731/2/istockphoto_940731-canadian-dollars.jpg