Sarah Who Wanders -Travel Series Part 1: Introduction

 It has been a hot minute. 

Okay, in all reality, it has been almost 10 MONTHS since I have written. 

I thought maybe I just stop...maybe I start a new blog when I want to write (again), then I thought nope-just write Sarah.

 I have excuses (don't we all?)-I started a new career in 2021 and grad school again in 2022 and then found a job I loved and decided to stop grad school (I may be a slight quitter BUT that was my 3rd time in grad school hahaha!). All that to say: life happened. It has been grand though, really and truly. 

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to travel (which might be a HUGE understatement). I could spend days, weeks, and months creating the perfect itinerary and months after travel reflecting on and e-scrapbooking my journey, not to even mention the complete aphrodisiac for the soul that the actual travel is. It is like breathing to me, necessary but also exquisite when I reflect on it. I am frequently in awe of God's creation in my travels, and of the history of man.

Since this blog is travel themed after all, I wanted to begin a series about (you guessed it!) travel.

 In this series, I aim to take each country and then each state we have been to and rate it in 5 categories and then give you my percentage overall as well as if I would return. 

My categories are natural beauty, affordability, sights to see, relaxation, and comfort. You could argue that some of these categories are similar, but here is my breakdown. 

• Beauty= the natural beauty of the surroundings (this may encompass geography, weather, topography)
• Affordability= travel to/from, meals, accommodations, sight-seeing
• Sights to see=how many really cool things are there to visit? These may be items of natural beauty or man-made wonders.
• Comfort=how comfortable as an American woman was I in this destination? Did I feel safe? Were the locals welcoming? Was it easy to order food and find toilets? How FAR outside my comfort zone was I? (This category will change some for states.)
• Relaxation=this is not is there time to relax (as some trips are very busy!)-this is were the accommodations, travel between sights, and general atmosphere one that a person could feel relaxed in. Were there ample accommodations to feel relaxed (whether I used them or not).

HUGE DISCLAIMER: This is all opinion guys and gals. This is my take on how I felt and how I enjoyed the space. Sometimes I travel with family, sometimes alone, sometimes with friends, and sometimes with just my hubby. That can affect some of the things we do and see. I have included an overall budget and duration for each country and some states that is based on the type of trip. Family trips cost more (duh)-so cut in half for a couple. When we travel as a family we stay in home rentals mainly with room to spread out. When we travel as a couple we stay in a combination of rentals and resorts. I am not a budget traveler nor a luxury traveler, and all trips involve lots of fun excursions which add up. I work hard and tend to play a bit hard as well! Can you do it cheaper? ABSOLUTELY. My budget is just an idea of what the type of trip with the activities we enjoyed might cost. If you want a better breakdown ever, let me know. 

Onward: as of today I have visited 12 countries and I believe 19 states. We have another state (New Mexico) and I have 2 countries (Bahamas and France) planned in 2023 and 3 more countries (Thailand, Cambodia, Greece)in 2024. Yes, I plan that far out. 

To travel is to try on multiple possibilities, to experience different lives, to spark wonder and imagination.

Follow me as I rate and provide brief reviews of the highlights of each journey.