My name is Van Dang and I have started a voyage around the world. I’ve backpacked a few times for short periods but now I’m taking it to a whole new level. I started this blog to keep family and friends updated and to better log my journey. But as I started creating this framework, I discovered that I wanted to do more with this blog. I wanted to inspire people to travel more and to show them that it’s within their grasp.

For most people, vacations are far and few in-between, with time being a rare commodity. So we all try to make every minute of our vacations count. I hope to take my traveling experiences (good and bad) and distill them into helpful advice to make the most out of your vacation.

And if you’re willing to take the plunge, I will also be writing lifestyle guides to show how you can budget and plan for the journey of a lifetime.  As to how to sustain this lifestyle in the long run, I’m figuring that part out as I go and I hope you’ll learn with me!

It feels as if I’ve spent my entire life meeting goals, reaching one destination after another. The first of our formative years, the goal was to graduate high school. Then college. Then get a job. And then succeed at that job to get the house. The car. Then get married. Have a family.

These goals have been laid out, one step in front of another, never questioning if this was right for me. And I was never sold on the journey, only told that greatness lies at the end. I arrived at the job and the house, but felt no more alive for it. And I was definitely not ready for the next hurdle.

But now I’ve decided to break from all the expectations that life has laid out for me. I’ve had a taste of travel from my various trips over the years. They granted me a sense of freedom, and liveliness that was never found in the routine. They taught me to enjoy the moment. But like all vacations, they came to end. What had always eluded me, was the open-ended trip. To be able to travel with no end in sight, and truly experience other cultures on my terms. To no longer live a life based upon the destination. To travel with no end date or goal. The indefinite arrival.

I plan to keep this journey open ended. Perhaps I travel for a few months, get tired of the rigors of traveling and wish to return home to my comforts. Or perhaps I fall in love with the constant journey, and extend this trip for years to come. I’d like to think there’s a middle ground. A sustainable way of life based around traveling and change. This is my pilgrimage to learn who I am and learn to enjoy the ride. This is a learning journey, so you’ll find the occasional philosophical musings as I ponder life and self-growth (or possible lack thereof).