LashWorldTour World Travel Plans 2022

For the first time in 24 years of full-time world travels, I find myself without a clear travel plan for this year. And it’s all because of Covid.

Since the latest Omicron variant began sweeping the world recently, yet more renewed country border closures and Covid regulations have made it just as complicated, unsure and costly to travel internationally as it was in 2020 and 2021. Damn.

I just spent the past 1 ½ years repeatedly researching changing border situations, planning on visiting various countries only to end up abandoning my plans, coordinating and paying for costly PCR tests, and generally wasting a lot of time & effort trying to travel.

So I find myself loathe to do that all over again for another year. I’m sick of all the extra hassles & complications, sick of forking out more money on yet another PCR test. It has all made international travel a lot less enjoyable.

Traveling Around the USA…

So I latched onto the idea of staying within US borders for a while and take the opportunity to explore some amazing US states that I’ve yet to visit. In particular, Hawaii and Alaska are two US destinations that have always been high on my list of places to explore.

I decided that was a great idea, one that could potentially carry me through half the year, if not longer. Then, possibly by mid-year or autumn, Omicron might pass through, allowing countries to once again open their borders and to lighten up on their stiff entry procedures and other Covid regulations.

However, there is one big glitch to my US travel plans: Hawaii and Alaska are both very expensive. Far more expensive than what I can afford.

So my hopeful Hawaii and Alaska travel plans depend on finding some house-sitting/pet sitting gigs or work exchange hosts to bring me onboard at their homes/farms/businesses to work a few hours per day in exchange for room and board.

My tentative plan is to explore Hawaii from February through April or May, then head to Alaska for the summer months, June through August.

After summer, I’m currently stumped though. Potentially I could travel from Alaska down through Canada for 2-3 months, eventually returning to Florida for another Christmas season? Or perhaps by September I could finally head overseas to continue my international adventures? Those plans will have to be determined later.

Hawaii plans…

So in the first week of January I diligently began preparations to visit & explore Hawaii. First I checked out hosts on two major work exchange platforms: HelpX and Workaway. I updated my profile on HelpX, joined Workaway, and started writing to hosts.

Major glitch: As it turns out, it’s not so easy to get a work exchange position in Hawaii this year!

Part of that is due to Covid. Many Hawaiian hosts have decided not to take on any new workers until Covid clears up. Others are being especially choosy & careful about who they do select, such as taking only guests who are already in Hawaii.

But mostly the difficulty is due to the types of hosts available in Hawaii. Of 96 hosts listed in Hawaii on Workaway, there are only 12 that I would even consider trying to volunteer at. The majority of hosts have small children. Not my thing at all. Several others are hostels. No thanks, especially not during the pandemic. Several others are looking for carpenters & builders or other jobs for which I’m not really qualified. Others require volunteers to have their own medical insurance. I do not.

Eventually, after long, tiresome searches, I found 11 hosts to write to. Of those, only only replied. Of those, four already have workers scheduled until April. One isn’t taking any workers due to Covid. Just one host was interested in having me…Quite unfortunately, that’s fallen through as well.

So, to date, I’m back to square one. No way to visit Hawaii. Yet. And no clear alternate plans.

Other travel options…

What can I do? How can I get back on the road by early February?

First, I can search around for other options in Hawaii. Again. I can look for house-sitting/pet sitting opportunities and other work exchange hosts.

Secondly, I can search for work exchange options in other enticing US places that I’ve yet to visit. Like the Florida Keys and New Mexico.

I can also research various Caribbean Islands. Or research South American countries again…

But as I write in mid-January, 2022, I still don’t know where the heck I’m going to travel this year!

So I now appeal to my dear readers and fellow travelers:

Do you have any ideas? Suggestions? Leads on work exchange or pet-sitting options? If so, please let me know!

Stumped, Lash

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