Now Runaway Juno is out of 9-5 job, (well, actually it was more like 8-7 or 8-9..but you get the point), the next expedition is in order.Ā Time for bucket living! Have no idea what I’m talking about? Read this post!
Long story short… Guess what?
Runaway Juno is going to America!
*photo credit: Breakaway Katie (@Breakaway_Katie )
Now I am free as a bird, I can do whatever I want. I mean, seriously, WHATEVER I want. My grand travel plan is, the famous, one and only, Juno-go-round Tweetup-couchsurfing RTW. This is pretty a huge plan.
Before start all that, I’ve decided I need some transition time. During the last decade, I was always on schedule, working, studying, waking upĀ ridiculouslyĀ early in the morning (it was an agony because I am not a morning person at.all.), wearing suit and high heel, worrying about test, and studying some more. But, I now have new thing to study about and need new place to think, away from all the wrong things.
I set some goals what I want to do outside of the cubicle. Bucket list for bucket living! Few things on the list are..
– be myself, as awesome Juno
– have a morning coffee, freshly brewed
– make a list of all the possibilities on a big fat notepad
– be a better writer in English
– have afternoon tea time everyday, if possible
– surrounded by right kind of people
– upgrade Runaway Juno blog
.
.
.
and some more.
On travel-wise, I have so many ideas, plans and desires. My notepad is filled with these ideas but before I decide anything big, I need some time to just be myself. So that I really think straight about what I really want and what I want to do next. Hope the result won’t be ‘go back to the cubic farm’!
Next business in order was.. “Where”. Where shall I be? Not Seoul, that’s for sure.
The ‘where’ did not actually matter. I’m sure wherever I’ll be, I’ll be just awesome. Thought about few places for my transition time, and I landed on the result as the United States of America.
It’s not the ideal place to go in budget-wise, I know it’s nothing like Thailand, but the experience will worth it, I believe.
Few obvious reasons, a) I’ve never been to American Continent yet, b)Ā I might have to go (relatively) expensive place when I have some money in my bank, and most of all, c)Ā I have so many friends in the US! Well, not sure they will be there since most of them are travelers but…
I might can do Juno-Go-Round Tweetup – Episode 1. America.
So,
Where in the world, or where in the States are you?
I want to know your whereabouts, so I can finally meet you.
I will be in the States three months, July, August and September. I don’t have specific itinerary yet. I was super busy getting out of this cubicle. This is whole another story but resignation process took me about three weeks, with tons of paper work. Phew! Anyhow, July will be early stage of transition time. Think, write, plan and be. August and September will be travel months. Ā Mostly I will be at east part of the country. America is just so big! Phew! Not sure if I’ll reach to West coast but who knows?
Departure from and when: Incheon, Korea — 02 July, 2011 (a week from now, wow)
Arrival to: Washington DC, USA — 02 July, 2011 (after 30 hours of flying + layover)
America, here I come!
Would you like some drinks or coffee or lunch or dinner or tea or .. oh I don’t know whatever things Americans do, with Runaway Juno?
Comment me please! Let’s have some epic tweetup!
Looking forward to hear from you!! Yes, YOU!
Awesome, America cannot wait to have you š
So excited!!! Chicago, here I come!
Hi runaway Juno!! Hope you can make to west coast! Me and my umma, yes I’m half Korean, have traveled all over and welcome
You to the states! Any questions, we’ve been all over 50 states! Be safe! Enjoy! Laugh much!
Anyung!:)
Oh hi! Wow, Korean out in the world š Nice to hear from you! You are based on West coast then, hu? if I have anything to ask, I’ll come look for you. Thanks for your offer Melby!
Absolutely Juno!! America is a huge country with sooo many things to see!!! ī plus if wish I can get you into Disneyland, my cousins work there! Lol but anytime, ne jip, nu jip ī be safe and my twitter is @Bunkeeya xo! Can’t wait to read all about travels!
So sad I will not be in America when you go visit. My sister has offered to give you a tour of DC when you arrive. Just look her up via facebook. I know you will have an AMAZING time on your travel of america, the only thing you might have trouble with on that to do list is the afternoon tea. Iced tea is very common in the states, hot tea not so much…
I know, right? We’ll have our meetup sometime, somewhere in the future, don’t worry sister!
But I’m looking forward to have cheap AND good coffee in America!
I already have trouble with.. how big this country is. I was looking at the map yesterday and just little piece of your land is bigger than my whole country! That’s insane!!
Awesome, Juno! I think you’ve made the right plan–come to the US while your bank account is full. I’m in Vermont (New England region) of the US, and you are more than welcome to sleep on my couch if you make it this far North. (Assuming I’m still here; my life is a little up in the air right now, too.) I’ll be in Vegas Labor Day week, so if you’re there then, we could meet up there too. I imagine the hardest part of visiting the US is choosing where to go. It’s such a big country. I can’t wait to read what you think about it!
Great! Hope our paths could cross in time. š Thanks for the invite! When is Labor day? Thought it was in May.. no?
And you are right. The hardest part… is just so many places I want to go and so many places are there to see!! I was looking at the map of the US.. and phew! my whole country is smaller than your state!!
So excited for you! I highly suggest including Denver, Colorado on your itinerary. In addition to being a really great city, you will be able to explore lots of gorgeous areas nearby.
Great! Thanks Stephanie! Isn’t that the city where TBEX12 is going to held? š I’ve heard Colorado is beautiful. Great. I bought that guidebook yesterday. A lot of reading to do !
I can’t wait for you to come to the USA!!! I’ll be in NYC for most of July and August and am excited to meet up and show you my city š Our tweetup will be epic!
Of course you’re going to visit Las Vegas right? Save money and do the outside Las Vegas thing, mountain biking in Blue Diamond and at Bootleg Canyon. Visit Hoover Dam, visit Red Rocks and Valley of Fire, Mt. Charleston nearly 4,000 meters and less than an hour from downtown.
Juno āthis is soooo exciting! Do you know youāre arriving on the weekend of our Independence Day celebrations? Independence Day is the 4th. DC will probably have fireworks on the Saturday of your arrival, but youāll probably be beat from the 30 hour flight.
I donāt have a couch available, but I would *love* to meet up. Iām not far from Washington DC ā about 2 hours north. What kinds of places are you hoping to experience while youāre here?
I could give you a tour of Baltimore, Philadelphia, beach towns of Maryland/Delaware/New Jersey (Jersey is my favorite. Assateague Island in Maryland with the ponies is cool, tooā¦and the pony swim is in July. What about the mountains of Pennsylvania? Iām headed there to visit a friend the first weekend in August. She might have a couch available. There are also many parks in this area, some great gardens, and mansions to tour. I could even get some time off from the cube farm. ļ Things are pretty slow at work right now, so itās perfect timing.
Message me on Facebook if youāre interested in meeting up.
P.S. I love a freshly brewed morning coffee, too. My hubby makes a custom blend and grinds the beans at home. The other day, I made Mexican coffee (added chocolate and cinnamon) and it was awesome. I think I drank it in my āIām Irishā mug. Funny.
I wish I was in America! *sigh*
Anyway I am sooo happy for you hun and I wish you aaaaall the fun and the epic experiences you deserve!
Super big virtual hug sis:)
I know! But I know you will be out there soon enough, so hopefully our paths will cross at some point. Or, we can arrange that, right? š
Thanks for the big hug and really really looking forward to meet you!
I hope you include Chicago on your list of places to visit here in the US! I’m happy to show you around if you do!
Yay another Chicago invite! š I know a lot of people live in Chicago, I had no idea!
Thanks for the invite Katie. I think I HAVE to drop by Chicago!! I will drop you a line when I head there!! š
Sounds like an awesome plan! Washington DC should be a great place to start your time in the US.
Think so!! I’ll be arrived at your country by the time you leave though, right? š
Hey Juno! I’ll be in DC for the DC CouchCrash for the July 4th weekend. Let’s meet up.
I’m so sad we aren’t there so we could finally MEET!! But if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line – I’ve lived in Miami, San Francisco, Birmingham and New York City – have family in Chicago too. Have an awesome time!! =)
Thanks Andrea! I know, you are out in the wild world now! But I know our paths will cross someday. Looking forward to meet you and John sometime in the future!!
Awesome! I’m so happy you’re going and getting what you’ve always dreamed of!
I’m moving to my home state of Maine this August! Send me an e-mail and maybe my fiancee and I can show you some of the beautiful North East Coast!
Oh you are from Maine? Actually few of peeps at twitter answer me through this post that they are in Maine. That would be awesome. August, Maine, Andrew. Got it. š
What a lovely idea! I live in Chicago and pride myself on being an awesome tour guide! I can put you in touch with a lovely lady who loves couch-surfers because sadly I can’t provide one. However, let’s please meetup for a drink/coffee/lunch/dinner whatever and share stories and laughs!
Another Chicago friend! š Wow, if we have a tweetup at Chicago in the right time, there will be like more than 10 of us! That would be epic!
Chicago is definitely on my map. I will give you a shout. Thanks Sami!
Drinks, coffee, lunch, dinner, AND tea! No,but seriously it will be great for the States to have Runaway Juno for three months…I think you will fit in well there…
Drinks, coffee, lunch, dinner, AND tea? That’s an awesome plan! Hope I fit well there also.
This is great Juno. I’ll be in DC on the 11th speaking at the Smithsonian. Will you still be there at that point? I’d love to meet you!!!
Oh that’s right! I totally forgot about that! That would be awesome! I’m dying to see Smithsonian anyhow. Wow. I will let you know if I can make it.
That would be epic!
And you’ll be making it out to San Francisco, right?! Cause it – and me – are too awesome to miss…haha š You know I’d love to show you around if you make it out here, so keep me posted.
I know! if I go, I will see the famous “Sister’s City”! West coast is not in my plan right now (cause you know, your country is super duper big!), but I will give you a shout when I decide to go west coast. I know SF – and you- are too awesome to miss!! God, 3 months is just not enough!! š
Oh you are coming to DC! I’m actually leaving town for NYC on the 4th but would love to have lunch with you or something on the 3rd if you’re not too tired. If not maybe we can meet up somewhere else on the East Coast this summer.
July 4th in DC is a lot of fun but a little crazy so watch out for all the crowds and security and be sure to find a good spot to watch the fireworks!
Thanks Steph! I’m not sure about 3rd, due to 14 hours of time difference + jet lag š but yes, would love to meet you up this summer! Are you going to be in the States the whole summer?
I will keep you posted about my upcoming schedule which I don’t even know at this point. š
Totally understandable.Having just flown back from China I can tell you that the jetlag is pretty awful. Give yourself lots of time to recover!
I will be on the East Coast all summer- moving around a bit between DC, NYC, Pennsylvania and more, so hopefully our paths will cross somewhere!
Hola Juno! when you make it to LA (you can’t miss USA’s palm-tree studded post-modern megalopolis) drop me a line…
I’m not sure about West Coast yet but I will definitely give you a shout when I go! š
If only we’d be home we’d take you to our hangout spot and one of the most beautiful places in the world, i.e. Yosemite.
Regardless, I’m sure you’ll have a blast! And you have to make it to the west coast or at least South west region (Utah, Colorado, etc). The natural beauty is amazing.
Wow, reading this almost (teehee!) makes me wish I were based in the U.S., so I can participate in this epic tweet-up of yours! Good luck, Juno, I’m sure you’re going to have tons of fun. Can’t wait to read all about it.
I live in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit is not as bad as it’s reputation. My home state of Michigan has lots to offer, especially the Lake Michigan coastline.
Hope your travels are everything you expected and more!
Woohoo! You’re going to have an amazing time there. Make a massive list of ‘To-Do’s, and I guarantee you’ll have done half of it without even noticing it. š
Juno,
It just dawned on me–you will be in Washington DC for 4th of July our Independence Day celebration!
When you come to the midwest, you have my email! I will be happy to show you around.
xxoo
Stephanie
Yes exactly! 4th of July! š
I’ll let you know when I am heading to Chicago. Really, really would love to meet you! Oh and I think I owe you a pack of Kimchi..or a recipe? Either way, I will let you know! Yay!
Wait a minute!!! That means we won’t be meeting in Seoul! Booooo! I was so looking forward to it too.
But I’m sure we’ll be meeting in the states then with Stephanie. We’ll keep in touch.
Hey Michael! That’s right š But I hope you are having a great time at Seoul! It’s beautiful weather now. Rainy season is gone for now. Beautiful summer.
Hopefully our paths cross at some place in the States! Keep in touch!
I am currently in Beijing but will be returning to Iowa in August. If you need somewhere to stay in Iowa or someone to show you around, let me know
Hi Juno! I know you don’t really know me, but I read your blog sometimes and you seem like such an interesting person. I would love to meet you! I’m in Washington state, so if you ever make it up here please let me know. =)
Hi Juno!
This is such an awesome adventure you are undertaking! I’m in North Carolina if you want to come visit the area.
Hope your travels are everything you expected and more! Wow. Iām not sure about West Coast yet but I will definitely give you a shout when I go!
Hi Juno!! Unsure if I’m late to the party, but I’m in Florida at the moment! Let me know if you are heading here anytime soon š
Another Chicago friend! And youāll be making it out to San Francisco, right?!