Got Movin' on my Mind

Well, not that kind of moving...just getting the hell out of dodge!

My big vacation (relatively speaking of course...my non-USA readers won't think 1.5 weeks is that great, but for someone who hasn't taken more than a day off in a row in over a year, it sounds delish) is coming up in just over 2 months. 2 months!! So all I am thinking about is traveling.

Between the thinking...don't worry, I'm not hurting me head too much...and the reading of travel boards, it got me thinking about what type of traveler I am. This one site I frequent, www.bootsnall.com, has options like flashpacker, backpacker, tour taker, etc. People advocate getting out of cities, staying in cities, doing this, doing that...

So here's me, I think. I am a budget, independent traveler. I like hostels. I don't like resorts. I wouldn't take an organized tour from city to city (I will, however, take day tours, or city tours, etc.). I love being a silly tourist and ogling the sites like the Roman Forum, Eiffel Tower, and the Prado. I also like just blending in and watching people.

I like cities. I don't feel the need to go visit the country-side. I don't think "real culture" lies outside of city limits. I don't feel that way in my own country, why would I feel that way elsewhere. This is actually the point I find most grating. We often make fun of small USA towns, while at the same time toting the greatness of small towns outside of the USA. Whatever. Saying you don't experience the "real" wherever because you only visit the main cities is total bull.

I get bored easily, but am easily entertained. I need lots of things to look at. Like a child, bright, shiny objects fascinate me. Bring 'em on. I like the hustle and bustle, but at the same time I want to find the serenity of a place. I like to wander, so need places where this is possible. See: Santa Cruz in Sevilla, Barri Gotic in Barcelona, the pedestrian area in Buenos Aires.

I don't like to shop. I like to look at things, but I don't like to buy them, because I am cheap and don't like having a lot of stuff. Plus, I feel like I can buy most things at home. That said, I often find treasures and kick myself for not getting extra for presents. Things like the awesome leather purses in Buenos Aires, the rose petal rosaries at the Vatican, Kosta Boda on-sale items in Sweden.

I love travel because it just lets me be. I tend to like to move a lot. I can walk for hours on end, watching people, soaking it in, seeing things. This is my favorite part. I like to see a few places on my trips, but don't like feeling like I need to see everything or get somewhere else. It is the one time in my life where I don't like to plan everything out. While time limits have also limited how much "fly by the seat of my pants-ness" I can get away with...I still try.

I am so antsy to get traveling! I don't want time to pass too quickly, I just wish I was going in two weeks, instead of two months!