20,435
That is, approximately, how many kilometres I traveled in 2012. That’s about 12, 698 miles.
I’ve done more traveling this year than any other. Perhaps my trip to Europe in 2008 might be a close rival, but still I think I can call “2012 a travel year” – at least for me.
I’m not usually about numbers. I don’t care to brag about who has gone the furthest from home, or who has the most travel miles. Some of you might be studying abroad, on a RTW, or maybe you travel a lot for work. My travel tally this year might not seem like much travel to you at at all. Other people might be the opposite. Maybe you didn’t get to travel a lot this year, or at all. Maybe my travel tally might seem impossible to get to in one year.
I’m bringing up this number not to brag but to express how genuinely shocked I am at how much travel I was able to do in 2012. Even though I’m in University, and even though I have a pretty limited travel fund, that’s pretty much depleted at the moment (I have about $150 in my travel account at the moment) I still was able to travel.
For this tally I counted the little road trips I did for travel: to Red Deer with my friends, to Calgary, and out to some small towns in Alberta. This tally includes the family trip I took to British Columbia, and my annual drive to Saskatchewan to visit more family. It includes all my flights for my US trips, plus the estimated driving, walking, and public transiting I did in each city. After all it’s not like I just stayed around in the Houston Airport for 2 days. I explored… about 100km worth in Houston (it’s a big city). Of course winning a trip to New Orleans also helped to bump up my travel kilometers (or miles). I used good old Google Maps to estimate ground distances, and Travel Math to estimate the flight distances. I tried to err on the conservative side though, so it’s likely I probably traveled more than 20,435km this year.
Downtown Houston. The city is pretty large.
Last year I wasn’t sure where I’d go in 2012. I had bought a ticket to TBEX in Colorado, but I had no way of knowing how and if I’d get there. I had dreams of going to New Orleans, but no idea how to make them happen. And this year I got to go… twice. I got to go to Colorado, and to Houston. I got to take a trip to BC that was impromptu, and showed me family I had never met (yes I still haven’t gotten to that trip yet). I got to go to Saskatchewan and visit new small towns, and more family.
Lake Okanagan in Kelowna, British Columbia. I didn’t expect to go here in 2012.
2012 is close to ending, and I haven’t even made a drop in the bucket with all the travel stories I can tell. There are photos to show, stories to share, wisdom to impart. So what’s next?
Honestly I have no idea. I don’t know where I’ll travel to in 2013, or when I will be able to go. A large part of my traveling next year depends on my schooling. I’ll be able to apply for a practicum, hopefully starting in May. What exactly that will be, and where that will be is open-ended at the moment. Again I have a limited travel fund. I have a ticket to TBEX in Toronto, but no clue on if/how I’ll get there. I have travel dreams, but no idea how I’ll make them happen.
Yet somehow I know that I will travel. I’ll find a way to go somewhere; maybe I won’t travel as far as this year, and maybe I’ll travel further. It’s hard to tell right now, but I can look back and say that 2012 was a great year of travel for me, and I am hoping somehow 2013 will top it.
What about you? Excited for 2013? Any great travel plans coming up?
Looks like you were able to see a lot in 2012! Here’s to hoping 2013 is just as adventurous.
2013 has been a slow start for travel for me, but I’m hoping to make up for it after I’m finished school. Thanks for the comment Tawny.
Looks like you were quite busy and had lots of fun. Congrats. I hope to be able to travel as much as you some day.
Keep up the good work, looking forward to seeing you travel the rest of the world.
Thanks for the comment Faisal. Hope you make 2013 a great travel year.
That’s a good number of ravel miles to get under your belt. Hopefully 2013 will be even better for you.
Thanks Nico. I hope 2013 is a great year of travel for you as well.
Hope 2013 is filled with awesome travelling! (take pics!!)
Thanks. Awesome travel in 2013 is my broad, generic goal…and more pics are always good.
If you make travel a priority it’s amazing what you can do on limited funds. I have traveled since I was a teenager – and for years I traveled on fumes – hitchhiking and living for days on end on peanut butter sandwiches. Things are different now and money isn’t as much of a stumbling block but time is. Still where there’s a will, there’s a way.
At the very least I hope to see you at TBEX again. I have a ticket too.
Happy New Year and may you travel unexpectedly many times in the coming year.
Thanks for the comment Leigh. I think travel is about prioritizing…I could definitely handle more PB&J sandwiches if it means more travels. Hope to see you at TBEX.
I’m logging in from Bangkok. I made it to Nepal last March; and am hoping to make it to Madagascar next September. I’ve no idea what that works out as in miles, but it’s certainly fun!
Jo it looks like you’ve done a nice amount of traveling in 2012. Good luck with your trip to Madagascar in September.