Day 0: Expecting the Unexpected

So tomorrow, I am going to embark on a number of things which I have never done before in my life.

1. I am flying on a plane completely alone (three planes, in fact).
2. I am visiting a region of the world I have never been to before.
3. I am going backpacking!

I will be catching a plane to Madrid in the early hours of tomorrow morning, and I then get a connection to Miami, where I will be spending a few hours. After that I will catch my last flight to Antigua in Guatemala, where I will meet my travel group and tour guide. The trip is over a period of 17 days and is called the ‘Volcano Trail’.

I am travelling across Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica – stopping off in the Caribbean for a short time. You can see my itinerary of exactly where I am going here. The trip is primarily adventure and sightseeing; I should also have the opportunity to walk up volcanoes, try my hand at white-water rafting, climb up waterfalls, relax in hot springs and even experience a zip wire through the jungle.

As well as having a whole lot of fun on my trip, there is a serious side, too. I not only want to use the trip to improve my travel journalism and photography skills, but would like to donate a little to the local communities over the short time I am there – for example, to the nature reserves I visit, and other local businesses which need help. I will experience a variety of both rich and poor areas, and I am travelling with a lot of people from different backgrounds. I want to learn more about the world I live in, the people in it, and how I can fit into it.

So what am I expecting from this trip? Naturally I would like to gain some of the things I have mentioned above, however other than that and the things outlined in my itinerary, I really have no idea. I have been told by other travellers that I will have many an amazing tale to tell, and incredible memories and experiences, some of which only I will be able to understand.

However, for those of you reading this blog, I have decided that I will attempt to convey the experiences I have, and my feelings towards them. And then I’ll be able to look back on my travels in the future! I have no idea how often I will be able to access the internet – I have been told there are plenty of internet cafes across the region – so I will write my blogs offline, and then upload a post for each day of my trip when I can find a connection.

So hopefully the next time you hear from me will be when I’m in a different time zone: wish me luck and I’ll see you all soon!