Ouch...I've been bitten!

...by the Travel Bug, that is!

And boy, do I have it bad. The weather has been beautiful, I'm two weeks short of reaching my one-year anniversary as a working stiff for the University, and my plans for the fall are all set...so what am I waiting for? I'd love to just blow this research popsicle stand and divide my time over the next four months between home, the beaches of the Mediterranean, and the various metropolises of Europe. I'm dreaming of brushing up on my Spanish or donning some good walking shoes and simply exploring a new place.

*sigh* As much as I love Ace Deuce, I suddenly feel as though the city is suffocating me and that I need to get away. I realized that I've now been living here continuously since the fall of 2002 and I think Ann Arbor and I could use a small break from each other before I dive into another four years here. I'm not thinking a major move or anything, just some quality time spent elsewhere. I've been doing some research on summer fare specials to Europe and trying to shuffle around my calendar a little. I'm planning on working until the end of July (these days, I've been toying with the idea of the end of the third week of July) so that I can have three weeks to relax and travel before school starts the 22nd of August. However, the end of summer in some parts of Europe is scorching, Julia said that, for all intents and purposes, Italy shuts down for the month of August, and the funds just simply aren't there. Right now, I envy my friends who are working and living at home because 60% of their income isn't being sucked into the black hole that is Ann Arbor rent. *sigh* again.

At any rate, I'm trying very hard not to get discouraged. I know the moons have aligned and I have the rare opportunity this summer to travel a little using some of my air miles and feel obligation-free. I just feel so inexperienced and poorly-traveled that I don't know where to start besides feeling overwhelmed. I don't want to get ripped off by a travel company but I don't want to get mugged taking the cheap route, either. I'm trying to adopt that Palit spirit of somehow making it work...I just wish someone else was making it work with me.

xoxox