One Month Down

So yesterday made one month of van life! And in 15 more days i take off for my travels. So far everything is going good. I get my shots next week, tuesday, which is the last thing in the list of things i need to do. I haven't made an arrangements for places to stay or things to do when i get to thailand, the first stop on my trip. I figure i'll just play it by ear. I do have two friends that spend 3-6 months a year in thailand so i'll probably talk to them before i go. A friend of mine just got back from Bali and said she had an amazing time :) I have ALOT of contacts for Australia, friends of friend, and my friend Carolyn and Elle just got back from Australia and N. Zealand. As far as Fiji goes i don't even know what to expect. The Gen. Manager from the resort i use to work at is a GM of a resort over there so maybe i'll try to get ahold of him?
I can no longer park in the area i've been parking my van and jeep. Appearantly someone called the police and made a report that i was living in my van. I have friend that lives right up the road and thats where i said i live. Last night i slept at a friends house and tonight i'll try another spot out.

Pictures of my new home!!!!

Here are some pictures of my new home, the first picture is how it looked when i bought it, then followed by an "after" picture of how it looks now that i've moved in.





If you click on the picture it will open in a new window, bigger.

Let the journey begin

Aloha,

Sorry so long since I last wrote, i've been very busy! June 29-July 2nd I was camping at Kahoolawe, then July 5-6 we were camping on Molokai. Then when I got back on sunday my landlord told me I had to be out the next day: July 7th, instead of the 10th as previously discussed. So I frantically packed and was able to get out by that tuesday. So since the 8th of July I've been sleeping in my van. So far I've slept at the beach, up-country and in front of friends houses. Sleeping in a van isn't bad at all, its just trying to find stuff to do during the day or places to go. I've also realized I don't need as much stuff as I originally thought i did. I've downsized the van 3 times already. I do have a full size bed, 6-drawer dresser, gas stove top and lots of underbed storage. I also have a converter so i can plug electronics (cellphone, laptop, coffee grinder) into my cigarette lighter. For Internet I've been driving around apartment complexes until i pick up a wireless signal or using the wireless at the surf shop i work for. I found out Maui is a really good place to be homeless!!! Churches make dinner for homeless people that is actually really good. Starbucks gives me pastries when they close at night, which i eat for breakfast the following morning.
About my travels: I've purchased a ticket for $3,000 which includes travel insurance. I fly from Hawaii to Thailand on August 25th. Then from Thailand to Perth Australia on October 8th. I'm currently trying to change that ticket so I can fly into Darwin, Cannes or Sydney. During my month and half stay in Thailand I will be buying a separate r/t ticket to Bali. I fly from Sydney Australia to Auckland New Zealand on October 28th. Then from New Zealand to Fiji on November 28th. Then from Fiji to Oahu, HI December 9th and back to maui on the 10th!!! I'm sooo excited. I've already found tour guides for my Australia leg of the trip. Two of my students for surfing are from the Gold Coast and they have put in contact with some of their girlfriends. So everything is coming together really good. I also have friends that frequently travel to Bali and Thailand so I'll have good contacts for those places as well.
Ok so thats it for now. Oh Ya, being a van guy isn't bad at all... i've already had a dinner date and movie night in my new house: the van!!!

UGH!

So today I sold alot of stuff from my house and packed alot of the stuff I plan on keeping. I loaded my new house, the van, full of boxes and for where I'll be storing my stuff. On the way I stopped for coffee and when I came back out the van wouldn't start!!! Luckily the guy I bought it from is a Mobile Mechanic and he came and replaced the battery. He put a re-furbished alternator in it before I bought it and he said he thinks its bad. So tomorrow he's going to fix it. So thats one day down with not so much accomplished. I think i'm gonna load the jeep up and head to storage so its not a complete waste of a day.
Travel Plans: I've also talked to some people who have lived in N. Zealand and traveled alot. Apparently Nepal and N. Zealand are going to be freezing when i'm there and India might be during Monsoon season. My former bosses wife is a travel agent and she suggested I buy a ticket to N. Zealand and then just get one way tickets independently from there to where ever I want to go. Or she also suggested a "Circle the Pacific" ticket for around $2000 that would allow me Australia, N. Zealand, Fiji, Thailand..and such. Then if I wanted I could take train/bus/independent flights while i'm using that ticket. Sooo much to think about. I'm a little confused!?!?!

"Van Guy"

So here's the latest developments... Today I found out that I no longer have until the 10th of July to move out, but that I have to be out by the first?!?! That gives me ten days, however I have a very full schedule and I'm leaving to Kaho`olawe on the 29th to return on the 2nd of July. So really I'm down to 8 days. I haven't even begun to pack or get rid of my stuff. Needless to say this next 8 days is going to be very crazy!
I've looked more into travel and apparently I should cut out South America, cause its gonna drive my flight cost up at least another $1000. I'm also thinking about cutting out Africa and traveling a lil more in Asia and Europe since I'll already be in those continents? Today I began looking into what countries I will need a VISA to visit and already received my VISA for Australia.
Another new development and title of this post is, I am now a officially a "Van Guy". Yep, that's right. I bought a full size cargo van($1200) today and it will be my home for the next few months til I leave Maui. I'll post pictures of it in the next post.

Flight Itinerary

Ok so my initial dream itinerary was: Maui -New Zealand-Sydney,Aust- Bali, Indo- Thailand- Nepal- South Africa- Buenos Aires- Maui. Yesterday I started researching flights and the first website (Airtreks.com) quoted me $5,200- 7,800 depending on my dates. They also added in the following places, which i can stay over in or just get a quick layover: Kuala Lumpur, Delhi, London, San Jose, LA. However with them i would have to buy my own ticket to Honolulu and back to Maui. Today I called (airbrokers.com) and was quoted $5,300 for the following route: Honolulu-Fiji-Auckland -Sydney-Bali-Singapore -Bangkok-Kathmandu-Bangkok-Johannesburg-London-Honolulu. Again I would have to buy my ticket to Honolulu and back. Tonight I found a company called OneWorld, they offer up to 16 stops in 3 continents $3,900, 4 Continents $4,100, 5 Continents $4,900. With them I can start from Maui and I only have to confirm the dates/location for my first flight. I can make the rest up as I go!!! Some minor fee's might apply the for that kind of flexibility I'm willing to pay a lil more. The downside is that without having a fixed schedule... I might not come back for a while :) I'm gonna call them tomorrow!! If anyone else knows secrets about how to get the best fare/route for traveling the world, please let me know!!!

How did this all come about?

How did this all come about?: I just recently returned from an 18 day vacation to Atlanta and Florida. The purpose of this trip was to attend my graduation ceremony, be home for mothers day, and possibly buy an investment property. I had saved $10,000 for a down payment, but prior to leaving on my vacation I decided it would make more sense to pay off the remaining $7,000 of debt I owed. On the plane home I had mixed emotions about returning to Maui. I absolutely LOVE living on Maui, however I was having a good time in Florida and could have stayed another week or so. The only reason I had to return was so I could get back to work so I'd have money to pay rent. The thought occurred, "wouldn't it be nice not to have to pay rent". There are a lot of homeless people in Hawaii due to the expensive cost of living and housing prices, cuppled with the amazing weather year round. After returning home I found to my surprise that I wasn't missing much work. With the economy in bad shape, the cost of fuel and the fact that Hawaii recently lost two major airlines, tourism on Maui is down at least 20%. I work as a Kayak Guide, Surf Instructor and Photographer. All are have been directly affected. Today is June 12, I returned on May 18th and I've only worked 5 days since being back. Two days ago I found out my landlord is moving to O'ahu and that I won't be able to continue to live at my place and I have exactly 30 days to move out (July 10th). I've spent the remainder of my saved money this past month and only have a small cushion left. All of a sudden living in my tent began to look like a really good idea! I had the idea that I would do for just a month or two, as an experiment. Then I thought that since there isn't much work on Maui maybe it would be a good time to travel. I've always wanted to travel internationally. With the exception of Canada, I've never been out of the U.S. So long story short I've decided to give away, sell and store all my personal belongings and live out of my tent/jeep for the next few months. With the money I save I will be buying plane tickets to travel the world. As of now I'm thinking about New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Indo, Africa, Mexico. However I'm open to whatever the universe presents to me on my travels. I plan to couch surf, camp and stay in hostels while traveling. Without having to pay rent, on Maui, while I'm gone I will have more money to travel and nothing holding me back from traveling as long as I need to. I feel that the universe has opened this opportunity and I need to take advantage of it. If I don't do this now I probably never will. If you wish you would have done this at some point in your life but didn't, this is your chance to live vicariously through me. I will be posting blogs, pictures and much more. Starting with my "Homeless/Camping" adventures on Maui and all the way through my world travels and my return home. If you would like to assist me on my travels it would be greatly appreciated and I will post another blog detailing ways you can help. A Hui Ho (until we meet again) -Tim The Traveler