Just as Phase 1 was 6 months, Phase 2 encompasses these next 6 months. I’ll be the first to admit I’m off to a pretty slow start. I spent the entire month of November with my sister and her family in Colorado. A loosely planned 2 or 3 week stay in October kind of morphed into 6+ weeks.
Reasons I Spent November in Colorado
- I was enjoying my time at my sister’s house
- I was struggling to come up with a good Phase 2 plan
- I was mentally exhausted from researching and planning
- I was thinking it was a good idea to spend Thanksgiving with family
Thank you to my sister and her family for putting up with me as long as they did. They made it a little too easy for me to stick around. Having said that, it’s time for me to continue on and give them a break for a little while (but I’ll be back!).
The Best Laid Plans
I had a few ideas about what I wanted to do with Phase 2, but I had neither the time nor the energy during my road trip to explore them. Once I did, I found it more difficult to plan than I anticipated.
Decision Factors
- I want to put my vehicle away for a while – the road trip is over.
- I want to honor what I’ve learned from my road trip and slow down.
- I want to remain in a manageable time zone with work concerns.
- I want to go somewhere warm – I’ve known nothing but Wisconsin winters.
- I want to continue to explore new places and seek out adventure.
So what is Phase 2? The overarching theme of Phase 2 is Central America. Why Central America? It checks all the boxes. I’ve scaled back on some of my initial ideas in an effort to simplify my plans, reduce stress, and hopefully increase my overall enjoyment. This is what I’ve come up with.
Itinerary Calendar
- November – Colorado
- December – Belize
- January – Belize / Guatemala
- February – Colorado (skiing)
- March – Costa Rica
- April – Costa Rica
Disclaimer: Plans subject to change
Contingency plan if I lose my passport: Hitch a ride with one of the many Central American migrant caravans heading to our southern border (bad political joke)
Final Thoughts
There you have it – Phase 2 in a nutshell. Since Belize is my first stop, I have been focusing most of my efforts there. Sadly, I’ve gotten to a place where researching and planning is more exhausting to me than actually traveling. Consequently, I’ve done a bare minimum amount of planning. As I eluded to earlier, I’m very much looking forward to slowing things down. As a result, that likely means blogging a little less frequently as well. I don’t know what experiences or challenges I’ll encounter during this phase of my journey, but it promises to be exciting. One thing I do know is that I intend on ending 2018 in style – with a drink in my hand, a warm sea breeze, and a hammock.“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson