Going to Montreal in a Hybrid and other tales from the road not taken
There's this whole big world that I haven't explored and for some stupid reason I just can't quite get going. I've got the vacation days. I've got a list of potential destinations a mile long, and yet nothing. The only way I end up somewhere is if I can manage to squeeze in someone else into whatever location I pick (or is picked for me as the case may be.) If there's no work, I can take a vacation if 1) someone else wants to go along or will be at the "final" destination. 2) Someone else is there and it's on my list. 3)Someone (see a pattern here) invites me. The only truly solo vacation I've managed in the last few years was to the Grand Canyon at the tail end of a work trip. It was great, but I struggled with the planning quite a bit. That's the real problem. I am paralyzed by the planning. The quick and easy solution to that problem would seem to be the tour group, but I think I've grown up with a bias against tour groups. Tour groups are for people who can't figure out what they should do. I don't want to admit to that and pay for the tour too. Humbling and expensive are just not my style.

I read somewhere that one of the cool things about traveling alone is that you can strike up a conversation just by asking to have your picture taken. Somehow that doesn't have me flying out the door with my camera in one hand and my swimsuit in the other.

I'm off to nowhere. I'll send postcards.