After quite an incredible amount of dithering, and infuriating his friends with his indecisiveness, Daniel Wallace resolved to go travelling. His route will take him across the USA, down through Mexico and Panama, a wander through South America before jumping over to New Zealand and Australia. After that, who knows?
Introduction
Using incredibly dubious financial calculations and estimates of how quickly he'll want to move around, Daniel Wallace figures he can afford to travel for about 18 months. These same calculations led him to his travelogue title.
Latest Update
25: Conclusion: No ticket home
Daniel Wallace's travelogue is drawing to a close, but that does not mean his trip is ending. Rather, he's starting fresh, with a new perspective on his travels than he had when he started 6 months ago. Daniel's travels continue at No Place As Home.
24: An Often Depressing Paradise
Costa Rica and its natural beauty was one of the main reasons for Daniel Wallace to visit Central America. Reality was far different from expectation.
23: Christmas and New Year's Eve, but where was the fiesta?
Daniel crossed over into Nicaragua and found his favourite city in Central America so far: Grenada.
22: Diving on Utila
Daniel left with very warm memories of his very cold time on Utila. The diving was great and the people were fantastic.
21: Honduras
Daniel crosses the border into Honduras and immediately sees the differences from Guatemala.
20: El Retiro and the Day of the Devil
Those of a nervous disposition may wish to avoid Guatemala on December seventh as the Day of the Devil celebrations explode with fireworks.
19: Coban, Guatemala
Daniel discovered that the Gringo Trail is very heavily trafficked. He's also a staunch defender of the Chicken Bus.
18: Xela, Antigua and Chichi
Daniel found Antigua and Xela to be places that are pleasant enough for a holiday from your holiday, but any longer and he started to feel uncomfortable.
17: Todosantos Chuchumantan
Todosantos was exactly what Daniel was looking for in Guatemala. It wasn't Utopia by any means, but he was able to feel more a part of the community than anywhere else he had been.
16: Arrival in Guatemala
Daniel has only been there a week, but already he is sure Guatemala is a lovely, amazing country to travel in. Even a bit of mysterious illness and the upcoming general elections can't discourage him.
15: Riddles of San Christobal
San Christobal de las Casas is a place that requires much time to gain some understanding of its history and its problems. Unfortunately, Daniel could not take that time.
14: The End of the Beginning
Three months into his trip, Daniel Wallace wanted to review for himself the reasons why he decided to do this trip, what travelling has so far shown him about himself, and what he wants from travelling going forward.
13: Oaxaca
Daniel didn't think he had any conscious preconceived visions of what to expect from Mexico, but if he did, then Oaxaca was definitely it.
12: Mexico City
Daniel feels he has a better understanding now of Mexican culture and history which has come as much from his improved Spanish as the historic sites he's visited.
11: Guanajuato
Daniel is starting to wonder who came up with the whole round the world in a year idea. It's seeming all a bit ridiculous that a person could travel the entire world in any meaningful sense in a year, unless they adopted an extreme 'box ticking' mentality.
10: From Baja to Durango
Daniel suspects being somewhat informed is pretty crucial to 'seeing' a country rather than just 'viewing' it. He hopes some Spanish lessons will help his understanding.
9: Baja California
Mexico is a different kind of traveling for Daniel and it's had him down for a few days, but he's adjusting...slowly.
8: Some Reflections on My New Life
A month into his RTW trip, Daniel reflects on his change in lifestyle and the paradox of a richness in time, with a shortage of money.
7: Travelling down the West Coast
After leaving Canada, Daniel stopped in Portland, Yosemite National Park, and San Francisco on his way down to Mexico.
6: Under the Yoke of the Youth Hostels
Daniel was quite impressed with Vancouver....at least until he got to spend some time in Whistler.
5: LA and San Diego
Daniel's San Diego hostel was filled with a quite staggering collection of odd people, most of whom were allocated to his dorm room.
4: Two Nights in Middle America
Daniel relies on the kindness of strangers to find his Toledo hotel and enjoys a wedding with friends in Detroit.
3: Departure
Daniel takes his time adjusting to his new lifestyle. Leaving everything familiar behind to travel means adopting new values and appreciating things differently.
2: A short guide to London, and why I want to leave
London can be a difficult city to live in. Daniel Wallace offers some ways to survive the city, along with the reasons he's looking forward to leaving.
1: Planning My Trip
After making the difficult decision to leave his job and go travelling, Daniel Wallace only had to decide where to go, how much money to save, which tickets to buy....
