Sooo it turns out that working a nearly minimum-wage job for 20 hours a week isn't quite enough to raise money for a year of travel (who would have thought, right?). I've suffered some frustration at not being able to get more hours at my current job, and as I'm currently on a required 2 month leave from this position, I have to admit I'm getting nervous about money. My first line of attack to lessen this stress was to re-work my trip itinerary with a rational and discerning eye. My mantra throughout the planning process for this trip has been, "You can't do everything...you can't go everywhere." With this in mind, I woefully slashed several countries from my list, effectively shortening my trip to 7-8 months instead of an entire year. Yes, there are still a couple losses I'm grappling with (Fiji, Japan, China...), but the truth is, I needed to lighten up my itinerary anyway. I've lowered my travel fund goal by about $5-7,000, which means it's actually quite possible that I'll get to leave in August (which is what I've tentatively been telling people when they ask).
Stay tuned for more updates on my pre-RTW planning process! Here's hoping babysitting brings in the dough...
