My “Grand Tour” Plans

Now that I’ve wrapped up the MBA at Berkeley, what comes next?  Well, I’ve accepted an offer from Bain & Company (a management consultancy) here in their San Francisco office that I’m really fired up for.  BUT before you all think that I’ve finally grown up at the ripe old age of thirty, there’s a catch: I won’t start work until early/mid 2007!!!

Of course I’m not going to let a chance like this pass me by, so I’ve dusted down my trusty blue backpack in pursuit of some more worldy adventures before I head to the office.  I’m leaving California tomorrow and fly back to Switzerland to get started.  I haven’t nailed down my travel plans as such but it should looking something like this:

• June-July: Eastern Europe (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria)
• August: Either Morocco or Greece/Turkey
• September-October: Silk Road from Turkey, through Iran and into Central Asia (the ‘Stans), eventually into China/Tibet
• November: Either China or south-east Asia, or back to Australia
• December: Australia, or South America
• January-February: South America (Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Chile…), climbing in the Andes (Aconcagua maybe?)
• March: TBD – back in Australia?
• April: East Africa for volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity
• May: Travel around Africa, climb Kilimanjaro
• June: Start work in San Fran?

(The idea for calling it a Grand Tour came from the cultural pilgrimage made by 18th & 19th century British and Americans who completed their educations by observing the great sites of the classical age and Renaissance in person. Their adventure abroad was filled with history, architecture, fine art and good food, and over time it came to be known as the Grand Tour.  I’m planning something sorta similar, so I chose to name my trip the Grand Tour as well.  FYI all my blog entries during this trip will be under the category "Grand Tour" on the right-hand side of the page.)