Counting Down to Departure

• 5 months until I submit my notice at work
• 6 months until my lease ends
• 7 months until I leave

The numbers continue to get smaller in the multitude of ways I track the ever-decreasing time between this moment, and when I depart the country for my world travels.

• 7 episodes of The Sopranos before I downgrade my cable TV
• 1 season's worth of DC United soccer games left to watch

I'm a TV addict, though there are only a few shows I'll truly miss (and watch the DVD's later).  Lost, Heroes, and The Office come to mind.  The Major League Soccer Championship game is being hosted in Washington, DC at RFK Stadium this year, keeping alive the idea that I could see my team win the 2007 season on their home turf, a few weeks before I leave.

• 2 calendars (1 at home, 1 at work)
• Countdown plugin for blog (upper right corner)

Every few days, I cross off a batch of dates from my home and work calendars.  Special joy is taken on the days I can flip the whole page over to the next month.

• 2 months before my brother leaves for Iraq
• ? months before my parents sell their house and leave Virginia

My small family is about to head it's separate ways.  While my trip was planned ahead of my brother's enlistment, his number is up after two years of waiting.  He'll be gone 7 months, and I'm not sure whether I'll find it helpful to be abroad during part of that time.  My parents are retired, and while I hope they remain in VA a little longer, so I can live with them for three weeks in November, I'm more hopeful that they'll continue to live long and happy lives while I'm away.

How do you count down the time to departure for your trips?

Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.