24 hour adventures in New York

This video is a sliver of the adventures in the story below:

I got my plane ticket months in advance using frequent flier miles for $10 round trip from Chicago to Virginia to see my family over Christmas. My layover on the way back was set for the 30th for about an hour and a half at the New York JFK airport. Tight squeeze, but doable. I've been wanting to visit New York for a long time, so I decided to jokingly post on facebook asking people to pray that my layover got delayed by approximately 24 hours hours... And you know what, God is funny like that: He answered my prayer.

It was like a movie scene. I first heard that my first flight from Viriginia was delayed by 40 minutes due to bad weather. The hostess assured me that I would make my connection however, since we were landing in the same terminal as I'd be flying out of at JFK, terminal two.  So I boarded my plane and took away, with this funny feeling in my gut about it all.

When we landed in JFK, the flight attendant turned on the over head speakers and announced, "there has been a change in landing. We will now be de-boarding in terminal four." Oh no, well, this changes things. I had approximately 40 minutes - so I wasted no time. I got right off the plane, walked up to a security guard who was explaining to other guests how to get to terminal two. "You're not going to like this, but you have to go down this hall, out those doors, cross two streets, go upstairs, take the tram to terminal two, then go through security." CRAP! So off I went. I hurried down the hall, out the door, crossed the street, climbed the stairs, took the tram, got off at terminal two, and waited in line at security.

I must have accidentally gotten in the foreigner line which looked shorter at the time when the lines split. But the security guard was going AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE. He looked so board. I took each passport, opened it, checked as slowly as he could.... Each time I got one person closer to getting through security, more people would come through the express lane and cut in front of everyone. I was staring unbelieving at my bad luck. When I finally got through security, I didn't even put on my shoes. I had about 5 minutes to take off, and I was at gate B6-I had to get all the way to gate B-56! So I grabbed my carryon items, my shoes, my coat, my scarf, didn't put anything on, holding it all in my arms and took off running down the terminal. I must have looked like a crazy woman.  The minutes passed. Sweat was dripped down my body and my face was beat red as I turned the corner and finally reached my gate. I looked out the window, and saw my plane - its load-in door was shutting RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT. I was panting I went up to the desk and a stewardess came looking very concerned... "That...was my flight!" "yes, I'm so sorry we cannot board anymore." "What do I do?" "Go speak with the help desk."

So I went over to the help desk to re-book my flight. There was another long line there - Delta was apparently having a bad day with flights... When my turn finally came, the lady could clearly see I tried my hardest to get to my connection on time. I had a stupid bun on my head, sweaty and beat red. She said the soonest they could get me on another flight was tomorrow at 4 pm. Unfortunately I didn't get a free hotel since the delay was due to weather though.

I walked away from the desk, and as soon as I was far enough, just started busting a gut laughing. God is so funny. I asked for this one. I always seem to have the worst luck with flying and traveling lately, but I couldn't complain about this. I asked for this. Perhaps it was God's way of telling my "Hey, I'm still here. You want to go on an adventure with me? I'll take you on another one. Let's go." What a funny Father.

So I did as much as I could. I slept for two hours, and took a train into the city. I saw times square getting crowded on New Years eve, walked in central park, saw the two towers memorial (which is incredibly beautiful), walked around the beautiful skyline over looking the city and the statue of liberty, played music in a couple train stations since I had my ukulele with me. It was a time to remember. One of these days I'll go there on a planned trip there..

What else is funny, is on my flight home the following day, I was waiting for my flight when the guy next to me says, "Heidi?" I look over, and it's my friend from Chicago. He was on standby for my flight. His seat number ended up being by mine, and we took a taxi back together. How small is the world aye?! (if you're reading this, hi!)

That was story time with Heidi. Hope you enjoyed. What about you? Have you had any crazy experiences with traveling and long layovers? Or what about bad situations that you turned into good ones? Tell me about it!

Cheers,
Your Songburd
http://heidiosborne.com
youtube.com/user/lillyofozland
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Five honest struggles of a world traveler

You read amazing blogs, see the pictures full of incredible stories from people's travels, and get inspired.  So you decide to take a leap of faith; believing that what's on the other side is so much better than whats here in your life now.  You sell your car, purchase your visa, set the date, buy your plane ticket, all with great anticipation bubbling inside you.  The day finally comes, and away you fly.
You land. Everything feels incredible - new, challenging, fresh, you go at life with this excitement and enthusiasm like never before.  However, as you go, some realities you never anticipated are dumped like coals on your head.  Don't be discouraged - its all a part of the journey, the excitement, and the growth that you'll really learn to appreciate, if with the right attitude...
Here are a few of my own personal struggles as a world-traveler, that maybe you fellow travelers can identify with....

 1.  People come and go. 

You get close so quickly with the special culture of travelers - (especially young backpackers or missionaries..) who tend to be open minded and free. You make emotional bonds only to have them gone from your life as instantly as they came into it.  The positive is that you know have dear friends all over the globe who'd love to host you in their country, and doors of opportunity open like never before... But they're not beside you like they were before.

2.  You start over and over and over again.

Once you feel settled into a place finally, you may have to pack up and move once again.  Make new friends again. You attach quickly to people, only to leave them just as quickly. For me, my life and my mind has become more scattered since becoming a sojourner. When I was younger, and settled into the house which I grew up in, my life was full of pattern and routine, and I HATED change.  My room was fairly organized.  I would sit in the same seat on car trips, have the same routines in the mornings when waking and evenings before going to bed.  But since world travel has entered my life - during which the past few years I haven't stayed in one place more than 3 months, my life has become less consistent, and I'm much less pattern/routine oriented as a result.  I now love trying new things; exploring new food other people wouldn't dare touch; or when I drive places with people, if we stop and stretch, I might go sit in a different seat when we return (a subconscious act for me, but others have pointed it out.) Which are all awesome traits I've gained. But, my organizational skills have taken a wee bit of a beating...

3. No sense of true security

A few things humanity tends to find self-security in are.... routine; having loved ones around; having financial security; food and a roof over our heads (no-brainer)... Some of which may not be possible when you're on global adventures (which is partly what makes it an adventure - a risk.) We live in an age where people move more than ever before in history. Live in the 1800s America and you're guaranteed to grow on the farm, get married, and work on the farm with your family till you die. Not always the case, there were certainly sojourners throughout history. But its safe to say that modern technology has made it easier than ever before in human history.  Life was simpler back in the day, and that is actually a very beautiful thing in itself.. The modern day opportunity is riddled with new challenges for our generation; we have more choices to make, more challenges and changes to adapt to, and more global awareness than ever.  Perhaps we aren't naturally made to live like this; and perhaps thats what makes it exciting...  Like rebellion- but to our nature?

4. Culture shock

Things that are obvious for them, aren't so obvious to you! In some cultures, sticking out your tongue is equivalent to the middle finger.  In Australia's case, the backwards peace sign, which is very inconvenient if that's your go to pose when taking pictures or saying bye to someone... Something is called one thing is called something different in another culture. Your boss asks you to go to the news agency and buy some scissors. "Wait, whats a news agency? Oh! A post office! Got it! Okay!" Things that should be simple tasks take a lot more effort when you have to translate it into your own cultural understanding.

Luggage

What do you bring and what don't you bring?  Bring too little, and you may miss some things. Bring too much, and traveling will be a hassle and you won't have extra space for the new things you buy to bring back. I have the problem of always over packing. I think I'm doing so well, then I just keep adding that one other little thing "It won't take up much space..." and another little thing, and another, and pretty soon my bag is bursting at the seams! The smaller the load the better. You'll learn to part with things, which you may miss later. But there's just not room for everything. You learn to be a minimalist and to not get too attached to material possessions. Which is good. But hard for the majority of people.

5. Re-entry

This may be the biggest culture shock you experience.  You come back feeling like a hero, but you'll find people back home won't understand how you've changed. You'll be stoked to tell them about the experiences you've had, but they often won't care.  You'll encourage them to chase their biggest dreams but sometimes they may see this as a threat more than an encouragement. That was the biggest shock for me personally... Something about travel ruins you for the ordinary cookie-cutter life-style, and its just hard to fit back into the box...  If you're gone for so long, you may even have started moving on emotionally from your friends back in your home town, and they'll have started moving on from you. That may leave you lonely - knowing your dearest friends are on all seven corners of the Earth... If home is where the heart is, then your home is everywhere.

It kind of reminds me of the Lord of the Rings when the Hobbits came back to Hobbiton at the end of their journey, and they were sitting in the green dragon, where everything and everyone was the same as before their journey, but they couldn't enjoy it the same way as they used to. You may not believe yourself if you told yourself this before embarking on the journey: you'll want to come home and stop adventuring eventually. You're going to want a place to settle and build roots eventually. It just happens naturally. It's a part of being a human. We can only embark on adventures for so long before they wear us out. Doesn't mean adventure won't call our name again later on... :)

So to any of you other world travelers out there, do you agree?  Can you add to this list? Comment below and tell me your thoughts!

XX Your Songburd
http://heidiosborne.com
http://youtube.com/user/lillyofozland

#songburdflock


Please enjoy this little music video I shot on my last 10 days in Australia...

Work and Holiday in Australia!

So you're an American, and you want to hit up Australia for a year of adventure? I applaud you! You're in for a roller coaster - but you know, roller coasters are exciting!
I get so many people asking me questions about my travels to Australia, so I figured this is a great place to share.  I'm here to tell of my triumphs and failures, and some ins and outs of getting around the land down under.

Understand your visa.

I wish I'd known that I couldn't extend my visa before I did three months of farm work. This was my biggest error. There are 2 different visas that are basically the same: The Working Holiday visa and the Work and Holiday. Being Americans, we get put on the latter. The only difference between the two, is that the countries on the working holiday can extend their visa for one more year by doing 88 days of specified regional work, where as the countries put on the work and holiday cannot.  It's kind of confusing on the government's website, so just take my word for it.  When your year is up, you're out. So unless you like farming, don't bother.

Timing

Coming in October/November is a good idea, as many places will be hiring seasonally.  Seasonal work in Australia offers better money - you'll get more hours, and better pay on holidays.  For me, working at a designer clothing store, on a normal day I'd make minimum wage - $20/hour.  On Saturdays it was $21, Sundays $29, and on holidays (Boxing Day and New Years, all stores are closed on Christmas day in Australia) I made $40.  Employers will be much more likely to hire you as a foreigner over the holidays as well.  There are many places that straight up told me that they do not hire backpackers, because we come and go so much, and they need employees for longer than 6 months.  Some of these places are many retail clothing stores, and several chain coffee shops like Gloria Jeans and Starbucks.

Come with work experience

It's much easier to get a job, especially in a foreign country, when you already have the experience on your resume.  So if you want to work in a cafe, start by getting cafe experience in America.  Same goes for retail - or most industries, really.  Especially when you are only aloud to work for 6 months at one employer in Australia, you are much less likely to be hired if you aren't already trained at a job.

Getting a job in Australia

The whole process of finding work in Australia is slightly different than America.  In retail and hospitality, first impression is key: the resume. Then comes in interview, then the job trial.  The interview process was much shorter, and there were less questions reguarding personality than jobs in America based on my experience.  How I found work, was by simply handing out resumes and getting a call for an interview, rarely did I fill out a lengthy application online.  After the interview, if it was successful, they'll have you in for a job trial.  What this means, is that you spend an hour or two getting thrown right into the job, to see how well you do, if they like you and will hire you or not.

Think like an Entrepaneur.

Traveling will help you think outside the box.  Create opportunities for yourself out of nothing.  If you're a musician, or have some other entertainment good for the streets (drawing/painting, ballooning, dancing, etc.) try some busking out in the cities. Just be warry of the areas that require permits.  In Brisbane, you must attend an audition for certain busy areas like South Bank and Queen Street. If you are accepted, you'll get a free permit.  Do your background research.  Use google.  Sometimes opportunities will just land in your lap unnexpectedly.  Someone might want to take lessons from you in English, or in music.  Post ads on gumtree.  Build relationships. Share knowledge and culture.  Get into the community where you're at.  Hang out with backpackers!  Traveling is a special kind of networking skill you'll learn, and it'll help you in your whole life. You'll learn to appreciate the little things.

Hosteling

Hostels are a great place to work part time for free accomodation.  As with most jobs, I'd reccomend going and showing your face to the front desk. Be friendly and open, and let them know your needs and also how you can serve them.  It's great when you're looking for work and can't really afford a place to stay yet.  YHA Hostels are a great option - they offer private staff rooms.

Beware of gumtree scams

Gumtree is the craigslist equivalent in Australia.  So beware of scams! If an offer looks too good to be true, it probably is.  If they cleverly ask you to send a deposit, don't do it!  Do your background research before sending ANY money, if it looks fishy, trust your instincts.  But at the same time - gumtree is a great place to find free things, couches to surf on (once again, do your background checks!), jobs in the area, or rides with other backpackers. 

Travel with other backpackers

Like I said above, many backpackers will post on gumtree saying that they're driving from one location to another across Australia, and if they've got an empty seat, they'll take you along, just pitch in for some petrol cost. This is an amazing way to get to know people from all over the world, and to save on travel expenses.  Once again though, trust your instincts.  If you don't feel safe with certain people, don't ride with them.

Public Transit

Within the cities, Brisbane in particular, you'll get a "go card". You touch on at your start point at the train station or on the bus, and touch off at your destination.  They charge based on the distance you travel.  You can re-fill your go card either at the help desks at the train station, or using the vending machines.  Each city has a different system, and with practice you'll learn how to work it.  In Brisbane, always come at least 10 minutes early to a bus stop.  Sometimes they come early and simply drive by - sometimes they are 15 minutes late. It all depends on traffic. You'll have to wave your bus down, otherwise they'll think you're a pedestrian and drive right by you! What a bummer.  Also be sure you know your stop, because you'll have to push the request to stop button before getting off - or else once again, the driver will drive right past your end destination!

Getting a drivers license

It's pretty easy if you've already got one in America. You can drive with your American license for the first three months, but after that time you'll have to apply for an Australian license.  All you've got to do is fill out the application form depending on which state you have your residency in Australia at the time. Visit http://www.australia.gov.au/content/drivers-licence-application.  Go to your nearest Transport and Main Roads customer service centre, and bring with you your current overseas license, proof of residency (a bank statement would work), your application, and pay the fee.  They'll take your picture, and send you your new license. Piece of cake!

If you've got other questions, please shoot me an email or comment below. If you've traveled, share your experiences as well!
I wish you the best journey to Australia.  May it be full of triumph, discovery, sharing, and exploring. I trust your mind will be blown by this beautiful nation.

Happy travels, backpackers!
xxYour Songburdxx

Tips for the Strawberry Picker, my full experience

So, you're looking into some strawberry picking work?  Your experiences will be different depending on which farm you choose: so choose wisely! At some farms you’ll make bank, but others will make your bank tank. And of course, it all depends on your physical fitness level which affects your speed; the amount you pick; and the money you'll end up making.

The opportunity to work on the farm fell on my lap – through connections, and a little divine intervention.  I find that making friends has been the best way to get work.  Also by being bold and going to the farm itself and speaking in person with the offices; even if it means you have to drive a little ways, and try out several farms. 

BEFORE YOU COME, THINGS YOU’LL NEED:

A fit body – workout before you come, strengthen your back especially because you’ll be bending over a lot!

Disposable gloves – Make sure they're thin, not the thick rubber cleaning gloves, as those aren't generally accepted. Gloves aren't required, but I highly recommend them to protect your hands from moldy fruit, and bugs.

Rubber boots – because sometimes it’s muddy.

Rain jacket – because rain or shine, freezing cold or humid hot, thunder and lightning, you’ll still be picking! (And I most certainly did!)

Sunscreen – seriously, especially in Australia… Don’t fool around with the shiny ball in the sky!

Hat – see above…

Nail clippers – because you’ll break your nails, so keep them short.

Lunch/snacks – pack protein! You’ll be workin’ hard.

Hand sanitizer – sometimes the restrooms don’t have it…

HOW TO PICK A STRAWBERRY:

On my first day, I was met by the tough manager, and he personally showed me the proper way to pick a strawberry. It varies per farm, but on mine, they were very particular.  If you pick too green, you get a warning. If you pick without a stem on the strawberry, you get a warning. If you pick bruised fruit, you get a warning. If you get too many warnings, you lose money.  The perfect strawberry is completely red, unbruised or marked - it can be green up to the 2nd seed line - and one cm of stem is left. You pick from the stem, being carful not to touch the fruit - as they are easily damaged.  You carefully check around and under every single plant, under the leaves to be sure you don't miss anything.

RULES OF THE PICKING GAME:

In the morning, a weight station
drives past the trolleys parked in
the rows to scan ID cards to
begin picking for the day.

As a strawberry picker, you wake before the sun rises, head to the field, pick up your trolley from the lot (which people marked their names on), and push it as far as a couple kilometers, depending where your first patch is.  The earlier you get there, the earlier you start picking! But before you start, you have to be checked in for the day, such as is pictured on the right.

You'll sit your booty down on your trolley, and push with your feet down a row, picking only the perfect strawberries on either side of your row; as many as you can, as fast as you can. Once you finish one side of your row, you turn your trolley around and finish the other side. Each trolley has 3 wheels.  You have 10 green trays, 8 on one side, and 2 on the side right in front of you, that you will pick into. Once the top tray is full, you change it out for the tray below. Once the two trays are full, you put them under the 8 beside, and take 2 empty trays to put back infront of you and continue.  Your bungee chord holds the 8 trays steady in place so they don't fall off - its a disaster when they fall off, and all your hard work gets ruined on the ground! The managers are very unforgiving when this happens, and there goes hours of work and wages.  There is also a rubbish bucket which hangs above your two trays, in which you put old, bruised, damaged inedible fruit, which also counts towards your wages.  Once all of your 10 trays are full, you take your trolley and push it to the nearest weight station where a supervisor awaits to check your fruit; weigh your fruit and rubbish bucket, scan your ID card, empty your rubbish, get more empty green trays, and get back to work.  The more you pick, the more money you make. The faster you are than other pickers, the more rows you'll get, the more strawberries you'll get, and the more you'll make. A certain number of fields are planned to be picked every day by the field managers.  Supervisors walk up and down rows, checking to make sure each plant is fully picked. If they find a lot of good fruit missed in your row, they'll call you back and you have to start your row over again, which causes you to lose money. They'll also yell at you if they see you picking improperly (throwing fruit in the tray, not being gentle enough, picking someones fruit in the row next to you, etc).  Pickers are highly competitive, and score sheets are printed weekly displaying the kilos of strawberries every picker picked per day, and it ranks the top pickers, to the bottom.

These are trolleys, all parked in rows next to each other.

We got a couple breaks every day, one called "smoko" when the majority of pickers would have their smoke time and a snack, and another for lunch.
 Portable toilets were available on the farm - a tractor driver would take them to the tables during break times.  They were absolutely filthy, unsanitary, and rarely cleaned.  Most of the guys would just go on the edge of the field in plain sight, honestly.


Now lets talk about...

LIVING CONDITIONS

I lived in the farm's backpacker accomodation, called a "donga" which was $100 a week for an absolutely PACKED room with 12 girls, a bunk bed, and a tiny shared fridge.  There was a separate building with a shared kitchen, a hang out area with broken chairs and lunch tables, and an old TV.  When I first arrived, there was no janitor.  The soap, paper towls, and toilet paper would run out.  Sometimes the water pump would die, or the hot water, during which times we'd go without showers (after working 8-13 hours), toilets wouldn't flush, and no running water meant holding off washing cloths, dishes and food.
The trash piled up so much that was over flowing in every bin and flies swarmed the place.  The lack of care that the farm owners showed for the workers was utterly shocking to me. To make it worse, there were threats that if a worker was to move out of the accomodation and into their own place off the farm, that they would be fired - because the farmers were after the $$$ by packing out the housing.  As a backpacker myself who had a limited amount of time to fullfill all of my 88 days to extend my visa before my current one expired, I didn't have a lot of options. So I was trapped, and I image many of the other workers felt the same.  Especially since a lot of them didn't speak English well.  Our room was broken into several times, and laptops were stollen. I had to hide mine every day before going to work.
A van would take us to the shops a couple times a week for groceries, at which we'd have limited time to buy everything we needed.

Lets get down to... the business  

tiny orange insects

Massive strawberry patches were killed when the manager saw that they weren't going to produce enough money - even if they still had large amounts of fruit on them. Knowing the amount of people every day in the world who can't afford simple delicacies such as fruit - this sickened me to the stomach - that so much would go to waste, all for the sake of the $$$.
In South Australia, we put bugs on the strawberry plants to kill certain other bugs that were killing the strawberries - seems like a good idea, but really it was just so that they could put a greener label on their brand to sell more and look better as a company. I found out that these bugs which we infested the plants with, later in the season would start causing problems of their own, which means the farmers would have to spray the strawberries with harmful chemicals anyway to take care of the new issue.  So at the end of the day, WHY? Just for the sake of a lable and up-sell? The strawberries were sprayed with so many harmful chemicals and injected with hormones.  To be big, fat, and to make more money.  And in a lot of ways, I can't blame them.  How else are they going to make money - when their whole lives depend on these little berries, in which so much could go wrong so easily?  Oh the world we live in...

The highlights

Okay so I've made it all sound like hell. And most of it was, to be honest. But with a positive attitude, you can bring light into the dark places.  Sharing cultures was amazing. Experiencing Korean barbeques during some evenings in the dongas, where we'd talk about our home countries, and I'd help them practice English - these are experiences I won't forget.  There was some hidden tallent that blossomed as well - one of the top pickers was an award winning bottle juggler in Korea during his bartending days. Its a multi cultural place - majority Asian, but a few Europeans as well. (And that one and only crazy American girl) I won't forget going to the beach with new friends, none of whom were from my own country.  Recording a cover with my Ukulele of "Strawberry fields forever" and deciding to make a rediculous video - because lets be real, I probalby wasn't going to see anyone of these people again, so what did I have to lose with putting myself out there? The positive response I got of all the farm workers, and even the supervisors and owners was surprising!  The news of the video being taken, all with my simple Samsung SII phone, spread like wild fire across the farm.  Check it out...

The Rundown

So, if you're American, don't bother.  Because in Australia, you can't extend your work and holiday visa another year, unlike people from Asian and European countries, even Canada. But for some reason, not America. I learned that the hard way, so learn from my mistakes. There went 88 days of my existence to the crappiest job of my life.  But I learned some of the biggest lessons.

Well, after reading my experiences, what do you think, do you still want to go work on a strawberry farm?  Maybe I'm biased now, but save the earth, a farmers back, and grow your own strawberries. Or pick wild ones, they're way tastier.

Peace,

Your Songburd

Comment below and tell me about your experiences on a strawberry farm, if you ever have!

Top Travel Tips - for when you leave the nest.

I've been around the block a few times.  Driven through 48 states from the rainy Washington to sunny Florida. Jumped over waterfalls in New Zealand. Bouldered the peaks of mountains, feeling free in the breeze at the top of cliffs.  Camped in the deserts of Israel, staying awake till the 3 am sunrise.  5 continents, 9 countries. But I'm just getting started.  I'm here to share my experiences with you and inspire you to take a challenge - a leap of faith that you'll never regret a day in your life.

I've compiled a list of top tips from the tip-top of my head to get you through on your adventures.  This is especially for those of you just starting out; maybe fresh out of highschool awaiting to get out of your hometown and see what planet Earth has to offer; maybe learn a thing or two about yourself and your part in the great big world as well...

1. Make friends

Make friends everywhere you go.  Friends who will become your family.  If you know people in another country, they may show you the secret things no typical tourist would see. The hidden treasures of the land only the locals know about. You'll experience the true richness of culture, much more than you ever would on your own.  An added bonus, you'll save heaps of money on travel expenses, if they offer you a place to stay! Do them a favor, clean, garden, buy them gifts, share meals from your culture and theirs, sing them a song or share whatever your talent is, pray with and for them, and your presence will be a gift in itself. It's not everyday they get to have a foreigner, and friend, stay and share life with them!  Your appreciation for their home and the beauty in their culture, will help them appreciate it more as well; because everything is "normal" for them.

2.  Travel light. 

This is a tough one for me, and a lesson I'm still learning the hard way.  I'm a girl and I love my accessories, you know!  But you find you come home with much more than you started with.  Things you think are small and will fit easily, you'll find will quickly add up.  Come with plenty of space in your bag; say no to things you only "might" use, and you'll be amazed at how little you need to live on! Think of all those people in the world who live with practically nothing. If they can do it with a smile on their face, surely you can survive. Besides, there will be plenty of places to shop when you get there, with foreign foods and trinkets that will strike your curiosity.  You'll need that extra space for the trip back home; or else packing will be a headache and lugging extra bags at the airport will be a backache!  Learn from my own mistakes:

When I spontaneously moved from Brisbane to Adelaide to pick strawberries. 

I've NEVER ONCE worn those hats. Other than in the airport :P

Don't bring the things you only "might" use.

3. Go with a group or organization to start.

When I started traveling independently, it was after I'd already been involved with an international mission organization. That's where I really gained all my friendship and global connections. If you're new to going overseas, I highly reccomend going into an organization where you can start making your own connections.  It will make a transition easier, make building relationships easier, and make adjusting to a new culture easier because you'll have all kinds of support around you.  Do a little research online and see if there are special programs you can get involved in for several months! 

I personally did a YWAM DTS in Brisbane, Australia to start. You can read more about my adventures on that at adventuresthroughozland.blogspot.com. Check out YWAM's website here: www.goywam.com.  

4.  Be Strong, be healthy

Work out, and eat well. Ok well - hopefully in normal life (traveling or not) you'll take this tip seriously.  But especially on your adventures - you never know what waits around the corner and will be physically demanding for you. Taking care of your body as if it doesn't belong to you, but was entrusted to your care - will help you be prepared to take on any challenge thrown your way.  Want to hike, rock climb, bike across country, surf, scuba dive, or help an old local woman carry their groceries across the parking lot....? Stay fit, and you can conquer.  Want to work on a farm while backpacking Australia or New Zealand? Then definitely, DEFINITELY come with a strong back.

5.  Don't be afraid to ask stupid questions.

Trust me, I've asked plenty.  What seems obvious in their culture, isn't so obvious to you. Figuring out public transport systems, what a "News agency" is and where to find one, how their government works.... Be prepared to feel stupid when integrating yourself into their cultural habits.  Whats normal for them, isn't normal for you. Whats normal for you, isn't normal for them.  So be prepared to apologize for mis-communications, mis-understandings, but learn to get past them. Basically, be mega respectful and you'll go far. Accept help, ASK for help, and offer it when you can.

6. Journal. Blog. Keep track.

You'll find you'll probably learn more about life in your travels than you ever did in your 12 years of schooling growing up. Experience > classroom - so try and remember what you learn. In a classroom, you take notes like a good student, right? Hehe, well, whether you did or didn't, be a good student to yourself, and consider journaling like your travel-school note-taking. But its your real world, real life experiences. You'll gain knowledge and experience that is more valuable for your life and future than you may know in the midst of it, and you'll be able to share it with others.

7. Hold your plans loosely

Your plans will probably change often.  Don't go anywhere with expectations, because they'll probably be crushed in one way or another. This isn't a bad thing at all -  it's all a part of the journey.  Yes it'll cause some tears sometimes when things don't go as planned...but keep your chin up and remember what the most important things are in life - and cling to them.  You'll learn a lot about what those are too, i guarantee it.

You'll learn how to be flexible, and adaptable to any and all situations. You'll learn just how much you truly are capable of handling.  This'll help you when you get home - suddenly your life's current problems won't seem so big anymore and you'll be left feeling like you can take on anything ;) It's because over-seas, it seems like you take on everything -- at once. But in the end, it's so worth it.

REMEMBER baby birds: Don't be flying from something. Fly to something. You're bringing who you were with you, and gaining more of yourself on the way.

Today, comfortable nest - tomorrow, the world.  Fly on, my crazy birds.

Yours,
Songburd