I suppose it’s high time I give a little life update on here, as anyone who hasn’t been talking to me daily (and that’s basically everyone because I’m a hermit) might not be sure what’s been going on. Why am I no longer in London? Where am I? What’s happening? Is this real life?

I finished my master’s degree at the end of August and, long story short, decided to move back to the United States. It all came about rather quickly and was really because I felt that was the wisest choice, not because I truly wanted to leave London. In fact, I would love to be back there someday. But for now, I’ve got to focus on the adventures ahead!

London was where I really learned how much I enjoy both experiencing and writing about travel and different cultures, and I began to hone the focus of A Life Exotic more because of it. This blog used to cover anything in my life I felt like writing about – and if you delve back into the archives and see how random they are, you’ll understand – but the common thread, from the first day I posted from New Zealand, has always been travel.

Luckily, there’s a bit more of that on the horizon. The fact that I love exploring new places is one of the things I am most sure of about myself, and I’ve finally gotten to the point where I’m confident enough to say that’s an okay thing to base my decisions around.

So anyway, here’s the update: I’m off to California! I’m feeling the need to go someplace that I’ll really enjoy getting to know, yet probably won’t settle in forever, and California fits the bill (don’t take offense, Californians – I’m just an East Coaster at heart). To make matters more exciting, my trusty flatmate Amity and I are going to take our time getting there and spend three weeks roadtripping through the west, living in a campervan which has a paint job that will give even Hip Hop Yellow a run for its money.

On that note (sort of), I’ve created a Facebook page for this little ol’ blog! I always held off on doing that because I didn’t feel like I was legit enough – but that’s the kind of thing I’ve decided to not worry about anymore. I’m not legit but I have a Facebook page – so there. Anyway, if it’s easier to follow along that way, or you just feel like it, go give it a “Like” by clicking HERE. I figure it’ll be easier to share random photos from the road that don’t necessarily fit into a whole blog post.

So that’s it: we’re setting off in about a week and a half. Until then, I’m continuing to practice my perpetually-in-use skill of fitting my life into suitcases and geeking out over National Parks websites (Leslie Knope would be so proud!).We randomly discovered Roadtrippers and have been using it for planning and, for the most part, I really like it! However, suggestions for western USA must-sees and/or how to survive in a van in Montana in the winter would be greatly appreciated.