There’s quite a lot going on for me right now. Many things are in the works and they all seem to involve travel. I’ll talk about them in no particular order.

Work is winding down but there’s still plenty to do. With the recent big changes I had at work it is really going to be a good winter.

I have a long weekend coming up soon and that you know what means – yep… there’s another adventure on the horizon. I will be posting updates daily while I am out and about so be sure to check back. I am excited to finally be able to get the trailer out and have the chance to get away. It will be time to fully relax and take some serious me time and maybe even work on some new music.

I have begun the process of trying to narrow down some countries to see in Europe. I hope, and plan, to see a few new countries this time. There are some great sales going on right now so I need to get some decisions made in short order concerning where I want to go. As of right now part of the trip will be solo and that is the only part I am trying to figure out. The part where I am traveling with Jim and his wife we have already discussed some options so we know pretty much where we want to go.

With the process of starting to plan another trip, I have been considering a change in my choice of travel backpack. The one I have, the eBags Weekender Convertible, worked great on our trip but I want to get something a little lighter to carry. It has a lot of extra pockets with organization that I just do not use – I do not put anything in unsecured pockets. I want simple and functional and that has been what I was searching for.

There are two that rank very highly for travel packs, but they still are too overthought for me. They are nice, however, and difficult to not consider given the mesh back panel and padded hip belt. Then I thought I might just take my Osprey Stratos 36 pack. I already have it so it is “free”. It has a comfy suspension and is pretty simple. It is a little lighter than my current one and not a lot of gimmicks and cannot be locked.

Then, on Tuesday, I was given a new backpack at work for helping out with some things. It is a pretty nice pack – an Outdoor Research Dry Payload Pack 32 Liter. Perfectly simple! One outside pocket that I could use for a map, and 100% waterproof. It has a simple waist belt and shoulder straps but it is quite similar to the suspension on the eBags pack I used and it was comfy on the shoulders. It weighs half the eBags bag. There’s also no way to lock the bag zippers but that’s okay since I only do a carry-on. My bags do not leave my side unless locked in my room.

I think it would work just fine but I have to really think about that. Being halfway around the world for several weeks, carrying everything you need on your back in a bag, means there has to be no doubts it is going to be something you are happy with. I really like the Osprey I have because it is simple and comfortable and a little bit lighter than the eBags one. There are some trade-offs to consider.

There’s also going to be a road trip to KS at some point to start going through stuff in the house. This time I’ll be driving back and I’ll stop and pick up Meghan and Addy so that is exciting and will make a better trip. It will be good to see all my girls and sister again even under the circumstances.

So as you can see I have a lot going on. It actually looks kinda busy now that I have typed it out. I am excited for all of it though.