In two weeks I’ll be packing up the rest of my belongings into my small, 145,000 mile Nissan Sentra for the first of 30 days on my roadtrip from Alfred, NY to my new home in Austin, TX.

Donating almost everything I owned is already proving to have a significant impact on the time and mental energy I need to dedicate to relocating. Though it just hit me last night, how little time I have to get all my ducks in a row. So, here’s what’s going down…

I originally wanted to take my time and spend all of June, July and August on the road, but I soon came to the realization that it was a horrible time to migrate South, and I’d never survive the heat. A problem you never have to think about here in upstate NY. A three month nomadic adventure by myself is setting the bar really high, stir in 100+ degree weather and it would have almost certainly resulted in failure. I’ve now trimmed my trip down to only a month on the road; two weeks in the Washington D.C. area, and two weeks exploring the South.

Alfred, NY to Washington D.C.

It will be a straight shot (6 hrs.) from Alfred to my Dad’s place in Gaithersburg, MD – my first temporary “hub” – only a 30 minute drive into the district.This will be the perfect opportunity to spend some time with the many close friends and family who are scattered throughout the Greater DC area. As great as spending quality time with friends and family can be, returning to your hometown can also be stressful, but more than anything else, things become stagnant and dull, and there’s nothing I want to do more than get out of there.

I’m hope to be back on the road by June 15th, but if there’s some cash in my pocket, and a reason to leave sooner, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

Washington D.C. to Austin, TX

This portion of the trip is still very much up in the air, and I’ve intentionally kept it that way. I don’t want to feel obligated to go certain places or to see particular things, and playing things by ear will allow me the opportunity to really take in the local sights, people, and cultures.

There are some places/activities that I’d really like experience, but this trip is much more about the journey than it is about the destination anyway, so I won’t be to upset if I can’t make all of them:

• Spend some time in Asheville, NC to see what all the hubbub is about
• Revisit the beaches of the Outer Banks, where I spent many childhood summers
• Hike the Great Smoky Mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee
• Explore Nashville and maybe even Louisville
• Visit some friends who have moved to NC, SC and TX since leaving the D.C. area

I have no idea how all these activities will fit into my schedule, or if they will at all, because I also have my eyes of other great ways I can spend my time. I honestly have no plans or expectations at this point, but I do know that this will be one badass nomadic adventure. The downside to this spontaneity is that I’m still clueless as to which route I’ll be taking, and could very well end up zigzagging the entire Southeast.

There’s still a lot of preparation that needs to be done before I can leave Alfred with confidence. The itinerary is bound to come together more over as moving day approaches, but only time will tell if this is an effective way to “plan” a trip. Because I’m such an amateur when it comes to this stuff, the coming weeks are sure to hold many unforeseen obstacles that I look forward to conquering.

Be sure to stay tuned via RSS or Twitter over the next couple weeks for updates on how I’m getting prepared, both mentally and physically. It will certainly be a learning experience, and I hope you follow along so you can learn from my mistakes.

Photo by Ian Broyles