Traveling to Turkey

This morning me and my wife are heading off on our first international adventure together. It’s her first time in an airplane, first time leaving Morocco, and first time going through airline security. It’s all bound to be interesting and surprising.

We’re both excited and anticipating the adventures ahead of us in Cappodocia, Istanbul, and along the Bosphorous. I’ve been wanting to go to Turkey since the day I decided to quit being a stock broker back in 2003 when a strange client told me “You know, you’re a great stockbroker, but you seem to hate it (He was right!) Why don’t you quit and go manage a guest house along the Bosphorus?”

It seemed like a better idea than staying in Portland and making myself miserable with worry over other people’s money. The problem was I didn’t have any money but I had just written and published Rough Living: Tips and Tales of a Vagabond and so I got in my VW bus and set out to do my 20 book tour, since I only had 20 copies.

Since then, that book has passed through the hands of plenty of folks and inspired more than a few vagabonds to hit the road. Anyway, it’s funny that I was heading there when I got sort of sidetracked by falling in love in Morocco, then getting married, and now I’m heading there with my wife.

Of course, I’m having to adapt my travel style a bit but it’s exciting to see if we will be able to globe trot for pennies together. Of course, this is our honeymoon too so there will be some hotels and probably not much hitchhiking. Definitely she has said that there will be no scrounging for food in dumpsters! This is International Vagabonding 101 for her…and it’s time for me to see if we have what it takes to live the Vagabond Lifestyle on the Go.