Truth be told, I am not a planner.   I am like the anti-planner.  I plan to not plan but then think that I am planning so I scrap the plan and go with no plan.  You follow?

Well a few days ago I committed to creating an iPhone guide for a few of Utah’s lovely National Parks.  Super excited for a project like this but totally screwed since I am getting ready to take off for nearly the entire summer.  I am heading to the Midwest for half of May and then I return to Salt Lake City for a week before heading off to Hawaii for a month via a weekend in Portland.

Long story short, I need to either learn to plan or drown.

Tomorrow or the next day I need to speed down south and hike every single trail in two national parks.  Well not every single trail… I already know these places well.  I’ve got a list of sights I need to photograph, restaurants I need to visit, and facts I need to check.  Can I do everything I need to do in 2 or 3 days without falling behind in my other projects?

This is the life that I wanted but sheesh it feels crazy to already be here and is it going to be worth it? I am soon to find out.

I think I might actually be able to start telling people that I am a writer now…  When people ask me what I do I usually just shrug my shoulders and say nothing really.

Now as it stands I have two blog posts a week to write for an area business – the Front Utah.  I have a ton of content to write for my new project with BootsnAll – TravelGearBlog, a couple posts a week to write on my Salt Lake City blog with NileGuide blog and an iPhone App due ASAP.  I was also planning on launching a new blog June 1 but I guess we will see about that.  Oh yeah and there are those 20 hours of contract work a week with the University of Utah thankfully ending June 1 and a bunch of other mini projects.

I know there are plenty of y’all out there that do ten times as much work and have children, live out of your suitcase, or have full-time jobs.  Now I am figuring out that the busy you are the more you actually accomplish and the better you manage your time.  Onward and stokeward – let’s go kick some ass!

For any of you following DirtbagWriter I have obviously abandoned my publication schedule during this last week and have well… decided to abandon it completely.  My gears have been churning and many new opportunities have risen from the dust so I’ve decided to make some big changes here.

Have you ever felt like starting over?  Well I am (sort of).  I am taking everything I’ve learned from the blogging world, Matador U, and all the peeps I’ve met over the last year and launching a whole new site dedicated to traveling the “Dirtbag” way.  I think I’ve finally narrowed in on that oh so elusive niche and am totally stoked to start a new site as well as several new projects that I will be announcing soon.

I will keep DirtbagWriter as my personal site and update it with news and updates on my writing aspirations as well as random thoughts or anything else I feel like sharing.

Stay tuned for the new site launch on June 1.

I am about ready to take a dart to the world map that is sitting over my desk.  The list of places I would like to visit is growing larger by the minute and I can’t honestly decide where to go.  I never imagined myself in the following situation: no real job or commitments or anywhere I really need to be, plenty of money in the bank in a fund specifically labeled TRAVEL, and so much STOKE – I can’t believe my head hasn’t totally exploded.

I’ve decided to enjoy these winter months skiing and writing away in Salt Lake City.   But come April I am out of here.  I have been scouring the web, you all’s blogs, and guidebooks for ideas on where to go.  Sometimes I feel that I get too overwhelmed by the world’s offerings that I never end up going anywhere.

One of my favorite bloggers, Nomad Needles, offers the following advice (along with much other totally inspiring advice) on her blog:

Make Your Plan. Or Plans – Write down all the different scenarios you envision. This is where you set yourself free and brainstorm all the ideas that flutter through your head.

Here are some of the many ideas churning through my head.  I want to travel but I also want to do something positive in the process whether it is volunteering with an environmental group or teaching or learning some fabulous new skill.  I am open to suggestions so leave a comment if you have any great volunturism trip ideas.

Seasonal Job at a National Park – Last year when I was wanderlusting from the confines of the cube I saw a job call for Interpretative Rangers at Mesa Verde National Park.  Oooh if I did this I would not only learn a ton and most likely have a blast but I would get to cross that sucker off my life list – #82 To Work in a National Park.

Europe – Travel all over the rural European countryside.  Do a bit of rock climbing and running up mountains and stuff.  Get an awesome WWOOF-ing gig and squash grapes with my toes.

Crazy-Ass Desert Trip – It is pretty apparent that I am thoroughly desert obsessed and the spring is the best time to visit.  There are still so many deserts in the Southwest that I have not thoroughly explored and I have never even been to the Sonoran and the Chihuahuan.  I could travel for months and months on the uber cheap – paying for not much more than rice, beans, and gas and hopefully wind up somewhere in Mexico.

NOLS Course – I have always wondered how people become “guides.”  How sweet would it be to somehow get paid for leading people into the lands that you so absolutely love.  During a trip to Lander, Wyoming last summer, every single bearded hippy type guy in the Lander Bar was talking about NOLS.  I had heard of NOLS but didn’t really know what it was.  Now I know it stands for National Outdoor Leadership School and that it is one of the largest wilderness education schools in the country and that it is based out of Lander.  I was intrigued.  Turns out they have this instructor course that consists of 6 intensive weeks in the backcountry and you learn all these guiding, teaching, and wilderness skills.  And it sounds amazing but sooooo expensive.

Random Archeological Gig or Conservation Type Job – When I first moved to Salt Lake City it was to do an Americorps program with the Red Cross.  I taught HIV prevention courses like how to clean needles and handed out condoms and (chap stick) during the 2002 Winter Olympics.  I did some cool stuff and leaned some crazy ass shit but the program basically blew.  I spent too much time in the cube and not enough time in the field, a pattern that would repeat itself for the next 8 years.  Now I just want to get dirty, I recently found this organization called the Great Basin Institute and they have some Americorps positions starting in the spring with such titles as Desert Tortoise Field Technician and Restoration Team Member – how awesome does that sound?

Intensive Spanish Learning – Head to Central American and immerse myself in Spanish and find an awesome volunteer gig.

Sure I understand that not everyone can live out of their car without the reasonable comforts of life (i.e. running water, toilet, electricity). But you can take steps to drastically reduce your living expenses and thus cut back at work and spend more time writing, networking, and pitching.  The following are 5 ways to cut back on living expenses:

(1) Downgrade the Living Space

Whether it is giving up the cable or downsizing to a studio apartment, we could all probably go with a few less luxuries.  If making a career out of writing is really your highest priority, you may need to sacrifice your cushy living situation to get more freedom to write.

(2) Get Roommates

If you have the space, consider a roommie or two or quite possibly a live-in-lover.  It is easy to get accustomed to our space and can be difficult to even consider sharing with others, but remembering the end goal will get you through it. Less rent = less time at work and more time for writing.

I know a few people that rent a 3/4-bedroom house and charge enough for the other rooms that their own rent is very little or non-existent. A little bit scammy and the risk is on you -  if people don’t pay rent or you can’t find any good roommies you are basically screwed. Brilliant plan if you can get it to work.

(3) Seek Alternative Living Arrangements – House sitting, Co-ops, etc.

While transitioning from 9-5er to vagabond blogger bliss, consider alternative living arrangements. Get creative. Find a part-time job that includes housing as part of the compensation. Work for a college dorm, hostel, bed and breakfast, ski resort, or organic farm. Not only will you get free or discount housing, but a wealth of experience and potential material.

(4) Dirtbag It

Personal favorite. Wing it. Couch surf, camp, or trade in your car for a VAN.

(5) Move Back Home

Last resort.  Sounds dreadful but is it really as bad as rotting the next year of your life away in a cubicle?

Any other ideas?  How have you minimized your living expenses to free up time and energy for writing?

I believe that I am in quite a state of denial about the upcoming events.  In a mere 6 weeks I will enter the land of the unknown and the slightly unemployed.  In contrast to what I had expected, I haven’t had many “What am I doing?” freak outs.  Either that means that I am truly doing the right thing or a big one is going to hit soon.  Oh no, now I feel one coming on…  I am leaving a wonderful job with incredible benefits, moving 6 hours away from my loving and completely supportive boyfriend, and giving up my bed and a roof for some tent stakes, the wide-open sky, and the beginning of my writing career.

With 6 weeks to go I have barely started tackling my massive to-do list.  Here is just a sample.

Start this Blog (and that other one too)

Preparation is a vital part of the journey – so start documenting now.  This blog will hopefully help me get organized and plan out all the steps I need to make this journey a success.  There is so much to learn about blogging and widgets and plugins and tweets – good thing I got started now because this stuff could take years to figure out.

Also check out my other project Dirtbagger Guide. Dirtbagger is a blog that is focused on finding the most adventure-laden, experience-driven, sustainable, community-oriented, and CHEAP ways to travel the US.

Need to Find Some Health Insurance

I think the biggest disadvantage of self-employment has to be the health insurance.  Although I am young and relatively healthy I do seem to be injury prone and going without health insurance coverage is something I simply do not want to do.  I am looking into some short-term high deductible plans, which are basically catastrophic plans.  They will not cover anything preventive or any pre-existing conditions and have a $1000 deductible or higher.  The plans I have found cost around $60/month.  I think this may be a good place to start and bide me some time to figure out what else is out there.  Finding an affordable health insurance plan is definitely going to take a lot of research and I will definitely share as I go.

Finally Going to Get That Root Canal

My mouth will probably be numb for the next month while I get some dental work I have been putting off while I still have excellent dental coverage.   I should probably add looking into private dental coverage onto my ever expanding to-do list.

Keep an Eye Out for Sales on Instant Meals

Start stock piling just-add-water meals for life on the road.  Need to find someone with a Costco membership to stock up on bulk necessities (beans, rice, etc).  Also need to order bulk vegetarian “beef” jerky – try Stonewall it is superb.

Live It Up or Start Conserving?

I have been a bit torn over starting my frugal, stingy existence now or living it up big time while I am still receiving a paycheck.  Well I have been on an extreme budget for the last year while preparing to take this leap… and it is summertime – well maybe I can afford to turn the fun up just one notch and really get out and enjoy my last 6 weeks in Salt Lake City.

Welcome to Dirtbag Writer!  Dirtbag dreamer may have been a more adequate name for this blog – definitely more of a dreamer than a writer at this point. Goals are definitely not unique to me – give up the grind of the 9-5 for a more creative, artistic existence – quit my job, live the dream, yada yada. The desire to create, inspire, and share is growing stronger every moment. That desire to stop and listen to the stories, to create pieces that inspire, and to get out and explore rather than read about the lives of those doing it.

Why am I writing this blog?

I really wonder if the world needs another ‘I quit my job to be a writer’ type website.  The web is packed with sites of people chronicling their journey from corporate existence to a wandering, vagabonding, self-made digital nomad.   But in searching the net for advice, how-to guides, and job leads – I became completely overwhelmed.  It seems like everyone is a “writer” these days but I am not really sure how all these people are doing it.  Where are they publishing?  Are they making enough money to live off of or are they relying on savings or trust funds?  Are they taking on part-time work to foot their bills?  How do you get gigs without a wonderfully filled portfolio?  How do you bust into the travel guide market?  What about health insurance?  Stress!

I want to take the freelance writer’s blog to the next level and detail the total process including but not limited to the following:

• Where to start.
• Writing query letters (perhaps even share some samples).
• Internship or Graduate School? How to get experience.
• Writing conferences, networking, and marketing the self.
• How to find paid writing gigs.
• How to make some cash while waiting for the freelancing to take off (probably waiting tables).
• Supreme-o cheap-o living beta – simplify, simplify, simplify…
• All the dreams, fears, loneliness, and ‘why did I give up a stability and a paycheck?’ freak-outs.

The Plan

On September 1, 2009 I am leaving a pretty darned good job (amazing benefits, dental insurance, retirement, etc.) and heading off to Colorado for 3 months to begin an internship (unpaid) to hopefully learn the ins and outs of magazine publishing.  I am going to dedicate myself to writing full-time – something I have been dabbling in for a few years now.  I have been contemplating quitting the job for awhile now so I have saved up some cash and seriously minimized my expenses.  The next few months will require me to live fairly simply – I am not talking about giving up a night at the bar but more like living in my tent and subsisting off of beans and rice for a bit… all in the name of some dream.

It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by.  How else, indeed, to clap the net over the butterfly of the moment?  For the moment passes, it is forgotten; the mood is gone; life itself is gone.  That is where the writer scores over his fellows:  he catches the changes of his mind on the hop.

~Vita Sackville-West