I couldn't do it. I simply couldn't sit still for a whole season. I had originally planned on staying home all winter, catching up on projects, etc.... but I had barely made it through October before I was getting antsy. So I began thinking about where to go. I applied to several different Workaway and Helpx hosts... all in warm, tropical locations. Within a week I got accepted at the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. But then my travel buddy, Darren, mentioned he was going to spend the winter in Maui. Hmmmm... I weighed the pluses and minuses and eventually decided to choose Maui (and save the Caribbean for next year).

I applied for several work exchange jobs on the island and got quite a few prompt responses. Mostly I was looking for organic farming or working in a B&B, but I also found one for designing a book. But then things got weird. The hosts started asking above and beyond the normal questions. I could understand any job-related questions, but here are samples of some other ones:

> What is your height and weight?
> If you own a car, how often do you drive? How many miles do you drive per year?
> Where were you raised? How many siblings? What are your relationships like now? How often do you talk to those in your nuclear family? Have your Mom and Dad been good providers?
> Any allergies or communicable diseases (HIV, Hepatitis C, giardia)? Ever fracture a bone, get a back or neck injury, or have significant accidents?
> Do you smoke or chew? Drink alcohol? How much and often?
> Any history of chronic pain, chronic fatigue, mental illness, bad stresses, anxiety, phobias, fears, depression?
> Are you political? Do you vote?
> Do you practice a particular religion or spiritual practice?
> If interested, please submit a resume, photo, 3 references (2 of which should be former employers and at least one from a close friend or family member that you have lived with for several years), a letter of interest explaining previous experience and skills, and reasons for interest in this position.

WHOA! And this wasn't just an isolated incident. Most of them were like this, to one degree or another. I've done work exchanges on a couple different continents, gotten good reviews, and tend to function based on the concept of trust. Apparently not on Maui! I kept looking.

In the meantime, my sister used her connections to get me a Delta Buddy Pass. These passes are amazing perks given to pilots and other airline employees in order to allow friends and family to fly standby for incredibly low prices.

I was originally thinking of flying out in January. After all, I didn't have anything lined up yet... Darren was already out there but busy with family and friends; it wasn't too cold, etc. Then it snowed. Then Darren was available to travel earlier than planned. Then when we checked the Delta flights, everything was already booked up for the holidays. If I wanted to go, I had to go IMMEDIATELY.... as in a mere two days away. I had to pack, get ready for 4 months of being gone, and on top of all that, I was having a new roommate move in the next day!

But I suppose there's that old adage of if it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger. To me, travel is all about flexibility, being creative and not panicking... no matter what happens.

There really wasn't a plan as to what to do over there. Darren had rented a car for the first week so we had a bit of initial flexibility (including sleeping in it). From then on, it was day by day...

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