Wanderlust

Tomorrow I leave for Iceland! While I’m there, I plan to focus on the Iceland Writers Retreat workshops, but I have posts – mostly book reviews – scheduled while I’m gone. Bonus: all of the books are by authors who are involved in the retreat, and whom I will very likely meet this week.

I will take lots of photos and notes, and you can expect a lot of posts about the trip after I return. You can follow my adventures in real time on Twitter @gemmadeetweet.

Dirt Bag Style

I may be a writer, but I am hard pressed to tell you how excited I am for this trip. Not only am I finally getting to scratch my itchy feet after a year and a half moldering at home, but I am going to be learning from some of my literary heroes in my favorite city. Even so, I confess that I am also more nervous about this trip than I have been about any trip since the time I moved to India to do construction work.

I usually travel in a style I like to call “dirt bag.” When I travel, the budget airfare is almost always more than the rest of my trip costs combined. I sleep in dormitories, carry a backpack, and move around at will. Sometimes I make spontaneous connections with strangers, but just as often I observe new scenes in quiet isolation.

Discomfort Zone

This week I will be staying in a four star hotel. I will pack dress shoes and makeup and follow a carefully planned itinerary developed by someone else. Professionals in my chosen field will surround me at all times, and I will be expected to interact with them.

In other words, I am stepping way out of my comfort zone. Which is the best way to travel.