Money is not the most important thing when I travel, although you can’t do without it
I think the most important thing is my desire. If I want something badly enough and I focus on it, somehow, the universe finds a way to give it to me. I view each trip as an inner and outer “pilgrimage”. I “call” to what I want. Because I am most drawn to exotic destinations, nature trips and adventure travel, that’s what I often get.
I draw up a list of places I want to visit each year – so far, I’m on track. I visualize the destination I want to visit, why I want to be there, what I will do when I get there – and only afterwards do I plan the logistics of how to get there. I’ve always been an independent solo traveller so I don’t use travel agencies and do a lot of research on my own - two to six months for each major destination, depends – a lot of readings and data-gathering by internet. I construct an itinerary detailing how to get to each place point by point, from airport to hostel to trailhead (although I always allow for the unexpected – in case I have the impulse to do something else along the way, modify or change my itineraries altogether). I join travel forums and interview people who have visited the destinations before. Financing is always the last step.