We’re all travelling somewhere whether you like it or not. Staying in the same place for long can’t be a long time goal, s travel we must if we want to move to a better place. It’s not an easy thing to do and the best most of us can do is make tiny changes and even they can take a lot of time effort and money. So what to do?

My first plan, and pretty much the only plan I have is to do the things I was doing, but somewhere else. A nine hour drive up to Aviemore is my different place. It’s a dot on the map I’d heard about and thought about and knew it was miles away. Really, it feels like forever to make the drive, but the roads are good and it’s an easy drive.

Weather report: Changeable

Air report: Excellent

I’ve found myself somewhere where I can be outside in clean air. Given that the best I’d managed this year is about 30 seconds I’m thrilled about it. I can run and ride and not give the air a second though. I do of course. My thoughts are how great this is. It takes a air quality monitor to know about this, so I’m guessing that I’m one of the few people who would know. It gives me more confidence that the 160 pound were well spent.

I’ve bought a Eurorail ticket too! And if the on-line payment worked, I’ll be on a train to Paris and off to other places for two weeks. Then I’ll be back for an annual bike ride and then off on my travels again, hopefully wiser and smarter than I was when I started.

The blogging will increase in volume and hopefully improve content wise. I will have to spend a few coins on a new laptop though. My Chromebook is good when it has a wifi signal and useless when it doesn’t. So I’ll get something cheap with a long battery life.

When I’m away I’m going to have to keep my costs down. So old as I am, I’ll have to consider staying at some hostels in the expensive countries. Camping will be an option too, if I limit myself to the essentials. The tent gives me other options on where to stay, so I think the mountains are calling! Not real mountains. Well they will be, I just mean somewhere where I can see them. I might ride up a few of them if I can hire some bikes. Then there’s the option to run up a couple of the. It’s almost as if I’m in training for something. Perhaps I’m just training for life.

With all the good feeling, good air, and exercise I have given in and had a few beers (I need to keep an eye on that), but you’ve gotta live life. If I’m ill when I wake up I may have a different view. But one thing is for sure, and that’s to get out and live, because no-one if going to do it for you. Get fit, learn things, and be nice to people. This is all the obvious stuff we think we know and don’t do. We don’t do it because life if hard. It’s fine to be stuck in a rut, as long as it’s an okay rut to be in. And if you’re in a bad rut they are tough to get out of. Sometimes, you might read old blogs and realise that you’re typing the same stuff over and over again. But I suppose that it doesn’t make it wrong.

So, this time next week I’ll be packed and ready to go. I may even have a plan. These are a couple of aims:

1. See some great places
2. Learn bits of other languages
3. Don’t go crazy on the spending
4. Look for a source of income
5. Look for a source of income that earns me more than that
6. See if I can find somethinhg that will help me travel more
7. Move somewhere cheaper to live

That’s it then. Tomorrow, I’m going to ride a little, run a little, and get used to the idea that things are going to change.