Travel | 1. Left everything to find something

Helsinki, Finland

This is the first entry on my journal.

So, the plan is simple: there is no plan. Except a rough sketch which I believe will change form as I go along with the journey.

Here is a travel map for current projected route:

I have taken off 13 months from work so that’s a start. However I have no set plans after that so there really is no way to tell how this will turn out.

For the first time in my life I am alone with no-one else to take care of. No-one else to consider but myself. Also, this is the first time I travel completely alone.

I have done my fair share of traveling around the globe during the years past but never alone.

This will be my time for myself. I will leave everything behind to find something I’m not even sure exists or even what it is. Scares the s*it out of me.

My name is Niko Laamanen. This is my story. I am currently 28 years old, I have an MSc in Sustainable Building Technology and I’m tired.

This is what I look like now:

I will embark on my journey on 2nd Oct 2011. I will only use ground transports starting with a long overdue dream of Trans-Siberian railway. I have booked tickets currently until Ulan Ude, Russia, making a stop in Moscow. From there, I intend to continue to Beijing, China via Ulan Bator, Mongolia. This is the only certain (or almost certain) part of my trip. I will be using the cheapest available fares and classes for economic benefit as well as added excitement and opportunities to meet new, interesting and authentic people.

I want to find something else than these mindless games we play day-to-day in our so-called normal life. And, I want to be happy again.

(First published 05/09/2011 at LiveJournal)