More than a few times, Ive caught myself sitting at work day dreaming about dropping everything and just jumping on a plane. In October of 2003, I did just that.
Life can grind you down when you get in a rut. In my case, I had a particularly bad case of the blues in October 2003. My girlfriend and I had apparently come to an agreement that there was no need for me to exist on the face of the earth. My glamorous and exciting Internet business had become a bore. All and all, I was in a rut and needed a change. The travel gods apparently agreed.
On a Wednesday, I made the final decision to sell my business, get what I could for it and hit the road. The next day, I received a call from a man in Chicago what wanted to buy my web sites. This was particularly interesting since I hadnt actually told anyone the sites were for sale. By the end of the day, we had agreed on a price, signed a contract and he was wiring the money.
First thing Monday morning, my bank verified the wired money had been received and credited to my bank account. I picked up a couple of American Express checks, packed a small backpack and headed to the airport in Los Angles, known as...