The fine folks at away.com have come up with a list of 30 Things Every Traveler Must Do Before They’re 30.  Of those 30, I’ve managed to accomplish 12 of them, or roughly 40% of them, some of which was even before I turned 30.  Today we look at #4 on their list, Take a Vacation that isn’t Spring Break.  I graduated from college in the spring of 1997 and didn’t start my job until August because I was going to take a trip.  The only problem with that plan was that travelling takes money, and, since I hadn’t started my career yet, I didn’t have any.  So, rather than moving on to the working world I had prepared the past 4 years for, I went back to my old job at a bank for 2 1/2 months.  The next summer, though, was going to be my first real adult vacation: San Diego Comic-Con!

Back in 1998, the Internet was not as advanced as it was today, and instead of social media and message boards, we had email lists dedicated to topics of interest.  One of those lists, devoted to fans of the comic series Strangers in Paradise, had a number of people heading to San Diego for the big convention that summer.  If I remember correctly, there were 8 of us and we were all staying in the same room at the lovely Days Inn in downtown San Diego.  While most of the group was just coming out for the con, I headed out early, spending the entire week out on the west coast.  Along with two other guys who had traveled down from Canada, we explored all San Diego had to offer.

One of the advantages of travelling when you are 23 is that you’re able to stay in a crappy hotel room with 7 other people.  I most likely would not stay in a Days Inn by myself these days or anywhere with 7 other people, unless it was a suite of some kind.  But when you’re young, stretching the dollar is your number one priority, not necessarily personal comfort.