My New Blog: From Couch Surfing to Jet Setting

Hello! My name is Jack and, in the Summer of 2021 after a year of shutdowns, I realized there was so much more to see other than my TV from the comfort of my couch. Now don’t get me wrong, I still very much love a good dark drama on Netflix or the latest mindless reality TV show, but having the opportunity to travel taken away, made me want to take advantage of it that much more.

Growing up in one of Americas Top 10 worst towns to live gave me a very narrow view of the world. I didn’t know much existed outside of shopping at the local Walmart or dining on the next best thing to grace the McDonald dollar menu. I am the son on two parents who have made a career out of teaching in the public school system. Traveling for us was always dictated by the school calendar and meant most vacations were in the summer. I once read that people who live in the Carolinas only vacation in other parts of the Carolinas. I found that funny because as a native Carolinian I can tell you that is true. For us vacations usually consisted of yearly trips in the to Myrtle Beach or visiting family in the mountains of North Carolina. Although I have fond memories of riding the Hurricane with my siblings at the Family Kingdom Amusement Park or renting a paddle boat to feed the ducks at Santa”s Land in Maggie Valley, it isn’t something that I would say satisfies my thrill for adventure.

As I sat down to write the about me section, I am struggled with how to write about myself in a way that would give you an accurate depiction of who I really am.  My whole life I have had to make up stories about who I am, many times to blend into whatever social situation I found myself.  I never thought about telling others who I really was, but instead more so about who they wanted me to be.  As the years passed and more and more of the hairs in my head turned grey, I have begun to care less and less about what others think and focused more on what brings me joy.  As I have begun to travel more and more it has helped me to see the world in a whole new way, to discover that there are so many different people in the world, and it is ok for me to be different as well.  Each new interaction with a place or person expands and challenges my point of view and helps continue my evolution into the person I want to be. It is my hope that you will join me on these journeys and that from my experience you will also be able to find yourself more and more along what ever part you choose to take.

The name for this blog pays homage to growing up knowing a little bit about everything and a lot about nothing.  The same goes for me in my life as a traveler, I don’t have the time nor the patience to learn everything there is about the places I visit, but I want to make sure I know enough to get the most out of my time there.  So, for the very same reason you happened upon this blog today, I too looked to others for help.  It is not my intention for these posts to be everything you will learn about a destination, but to offer you some direction to start you on your way.

My name is Jack, and this is my journey.  Thanks for coming along!