Brian: Congratulations! I'l elated for you and I hoped to see it in the movies! Mike Burris Cambridge, Mass --- Brian Rynott <latinaviation@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > SOURCE: www.elliotthester.com > FLORIDA - USA > > CONTINENTAL DRIFTER > Miami departure by Elliott Hester > click on photos to enlarge > > For the first time in my adult life I am keyless. I > no longer own apartment > keys, car keys or work-related keys. The keys to my > bicycle lock, storage > facility and mailbox have either been returned or > tossed away. Keys are no > longer necessary because, as of a few weeks ago, I > own almost nothing and > live essentially nowhere. That's when I quit my job, > sold all my > possessions, abandoned my apartment and took off, > alone, on a one-year trip > around the world. > > Well I didn't actually quit my job as a commercial > airline flight attendant. > I secured a leave of absence. This gives me two > options: return to work at > the beginning of 2004, or accept another one-year > leave. With any luck, I'll > be in a position to accept. > > The idea for this around-the-world trip took flight > in 1989 when I set out > on a three-month global excursion. Armed with $4,000 > in travelers checks, I > nickel-and-dimed my way through the South Pacific, > Australia, Bali, Thailand > and Nepal. By the time I reached Europe my funds had > been depleted and I > returned home, abruptly, having failed to reach many > destinations on my > itinerary. > > Nevertheless, the experience was an epiphany. Rather > than spend hard-earned > money on new cars and electronic toys, as many of my > contemporaries were > doing, I began using my disposable income to travel. > Two weeks in the Greek > Islands. Twenty days in Spain. Quick jaunts to > Central and South America. > But rather than satisfy my appetite for traveling, > these trips simply made > me hungry for more. I developed a taste for > authentic Thai food, learned to > scuba dive at Australiaís Great Barrier Reef, became > mesmerized by the > Balinese sunset which, for those who've never seen > it, is like watching a > huge ball of orange sherbet melt into the sea. With > each new outing the > world became more intriguing and I became more > comfortable in it. But like a > fisherman snagging the proverbial flounder, reality > kept reeling me back to > shore. There were bills to pay, after all. To > satisfy my travel habit I had > to work. > > Thanks to good fortune, however, I've finally made > the ultimate getaway. > Sales of my first book, "Plane Insanity: A Flight > Attendant's Tales of Sex, > Rage and Queasiness at 30,000 Feet" (St. Martin's > Press), were healthy > enough to help stave off creditors and breathe life > into my defunct savings > account. Believe it or not, Whoopi Goldberg read the > book and thought it was > funny. Her people spoke to my person and voila! > Through her production > company, Whoop Inc., Ms. Goldberg purchased the film > option for the book. > No, I didn't get rich. But if the movie goes into > production cha ching! The > payday will be sweet. I"m taking fifty of my closest > friends to dinner at > McDonald's. > > Plane Insanity's success led to a second book deal > and a modest advance of > royalties. This new book ? which, incidentally, > focuses on my > around-the-world trip ? is scheduled for publication > in Sept., 2004. With > the moderate windfall, I paid off my debts and > cleared the runway for > departure. > > I plan to spend all of 2003 as a "Continental > Drifter". I'll travel west, > from continent to continent, beginning from my > former home in Miami and > continuing to South America, Australia, Southeast > Asia, Africa and Europe. > The timing of this route allows for a perpetual > summer. My travel wardrobe > will consist primarily of T-shirts, shorts, > loose-fitting cotton pants and > sunglasses. I'll live out of a duffle bag, eat in > low-cost restaurants, > sleep in hostels, discount hotels and occasionally > in the home of a > benevolent friend. > > After a year of continental drifting, perhaps I'll > rent an apartment in the > posh Buenos Aires neighborhood of Recoleta. (With > the devaluation of the > Argentinean peso, a stylish one-bedroom apartment > costs as little as $300 > U.S. per month.) Maybe I'll move to Barcelona and > join my sister who has > lived there for the past ten years. Or maybe I'll > "go" Hollywood. By some > quirk of fate, the "Plane Insanity" film option > names me as co-producer. If > the project gets green-lighted I could be living la > vida loca in la la land. > But first things first. > > I called American Airlines to get ticket prices. The > "OneWorld" alliance > with British Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific and > other carriers allows > passengers to book itineraries at American's > "around-the-world" desk. When > attempting to make reservations, however, the > problem with airline alliances > is that you're only allowed to fly on partner > carriers. This limits your > itinerary and in some situations forces you to fly > hundreds of miles out of > the way. The result can mean higher ticket prices > and a more arduous travel > schedule. > > Rather than face similar restrictions with United, > Delta or USAirways > alliances, I contacted travel agencies that > specialize in around-the-world > trips. Two leading agencies, both based in San > Francisco, purchase deeply > discounted one-way fares from a variety of carriers > and pass on the savings > to customers. Air Brokers International provides > excellent services. But in > the end I went with AirTreks.com, mainly because > their website's "Trip > Planner" allowed me to add, subtract and shuffle > destinations until my > itinerary reached near perfection. Then I clicked a > button and within > seconds received an estimated price. It took a few > quick phone calls to > workout kinks in the itinerary and obtain a final > price. > > My flight itinerary looks like this: Miami - Buenos > Aires - Miami - Los > Angeles - Papeete, Tahiti - Sydney - (overland to > Darwin, Australia) - > Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei - Bangkok - (overland to > Singapore) - Bali - New > Delhi, India - (overland to Bombay) - Addis Ababa, > Ethiopia - Cairo - Athens > - Prague - Helsinki - Barcelona. Total AirTreks > price: around $3,500 (not > including the Miami - Buenos Aires - Miami segment > which I secured with an > airline employee pass). After Barcelona I might end > up anywhere, so I > haven't purchased a return ticket home. But along > the way I'm planning trips > to Vietnam, Russia, Estonia, Hong Kong, and will > probably pop in at a few > unexpected places. > > > > > Due to recent terrorists attacks, some say this is a > bad time to travel. > Immediately following the October, 2002, Bali > bombing in which nearly 200 > people were killed, for example, the U.S. State > Department (and similar > agencies in the United Kingdom, Australia, and other > countries) warned > citizens to refrain from traveling to Indonesia. > Bali's beaches emptied; the > terrorists won. But we can't let terrorism dictate > our every move. I've > === message truncated ===