Sometimes, analog is just better. I sketched out the months of July, August, and September on paper so I could scribble and think. I determined ideal start and end dates, then started investigating bike trips across Vietnam.

The Tour Radar website (www.tourradar.com) quickly became my favorite place to research. After a lot of comparing to determine which tour operator had the most interesting routes and miles in the saddle, the 15-day trip in mid-August by Intrepid won my vote. I penciled it into the homemade calendar.

Since I would be flying over the Pacific, why not stop along the way? The allure of exotic Tahiti and Bora Bora was hard to resist. I wondered if there were sailing trips there, much like a trip we did in the British Virgin Islands. A Google search turned up some catamaran options for weeklong, crewed charter trips in French Polynesia. Luckily, a late July sail had one cabin remaining out of six: perfect timing in both terms of travel planning and finding it before it sold out.

I still had some time to play with before Tahiti, so Hawaii was investigated since it is also “on the way.” Unfortunately, it is NOT easy to go directly from from one island group to another, even though they are only a few hours apart. Instead, Vancouver was identified as a fun place to visit.

But what to do between Tahiti and Vietnam? I’ve been curious about Bali for years, ever since taking an undergraduate ethnomusicology class. When Dr. Renee Lorraine played a recording of a Balinese gamelan performance, I was enchanted. Reading guidebooks gave me great ideas about hiking, biking, snorkeling, and yoga options around the island.

With the weeks now accounted for pre-Vietnam, there was time for more adventure afterwards. I knew I wanted to visit Thailand, but how? Though I would have loved to explore the gorgeous coastline and islands around Phuket that we so often see in movies, it sounded very crowded and unappealing.

I kept poking around and stumbled into a bike trip offered by Spice Roads leaving Vietnam at just the right time, going across Cambodia via Angkor Wat to Bangkok. I would have one day in Ho Chi Minh City between tours, so I would be on a bicycle for nearly a month. Fantastic!

The puzzle came together perfectly.

Taking off across the globe has not only been a dream, it has also been a goal. I’ve always known that if I had the gift of time, I would use it to go exploring. This interlude will also be an important and necessary break between careers; a resetting of the brain and body from stress to hopefully success.

My wanderlust rests at the intersection of both nature and nurture. My grandparents were, and parents still are, wanderers who shared their journeys with me.

Unlike most people, my brand of travel is one of doing rather than just seeing. For several years I’ve wanted to bike across Vietnam, so whatever trip I put together would revolve around that axis.

I realized in mid-April that the day dream was going to become a reality, and therefore I had a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. Though I generally knew where I wanted to go, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do once I got there. I raided the local library to get serious about my “homework.”

The majority of travel books I read provided good ideas for interesting destinations, tours, accommodations, and culture. Unfortunately, the Insight Guide for Bali left me cold; I considered skipping the island after reading it. Thankfully the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet books re-engaged my interest in spending time there. After a lot of reading, writing, and mulling, I was ready to start planning.

Here’s the rough outline:

Vancouver (bike, kayak, eat)

French Polynesia (sail, snorkel)

Bali (yoga, hike, bike, snorkel, gamelan)

Vietnam (bike and eat)

Cambodia (bike)

Bangkok (visit a friend and eat)