Yesterday was chaos. You can see it in my apartment. Laundry strewn around the bedroom; dishes in the sink – six inches away from their intended resting place in the dishwasher; the darkened half of an avocado, exposed and ruined on the cutting board. I would never waste an avocado! But things kept happening and I kept not getting around to putting it away.
First there was the Passport Freak Out of ’07. My passport expires six months after we leave for Scotland, and I’d just read an article about how a valid passport really isn’t valid if it expires in… you guessed it… six months. I shot of an email to my mom (two heads are better than one) and the Internet research began. And you know what I found? Not a single person, government website or travel agency could agree whether or not the countries on my fall itinerary would let me in. So then, I started calling travel agencies. And consulates. It was truly a reach out and touch someone kind of day.
Now, I don’t want to read any comments (not a one, do you hear me?) about how I’m going to be in trouble, stuck at some border because of my decreasingly invalid passport. I won’t. The British consulate told me they don’t care what people on the Internet are saying; so long as my passport doesn’t expire while I’m away, I’m fine. Same with the Italians.
Good. Great. Grand. Molto bene.
After that, I mellowed out a bit and got down to work. I know I’ve been teasing you with the details of the new gig, and here they are at last. I’ve signed on to do some travel writing for a student travel company. You know those international student IDs you get when you go gallivanting around Europe? That’s what they do. And what I’m going to do, is some gallivanting of my own. Then I’m gonna blog about it – the ins and outs of hostels and Eurail and eating on the cheap. On the Road with This Fish. The blog will be strictly travel – all the other stuff about life, love (and sometimes, the lack thereof) will be right here. Stories about tours and tourists? There. Stories about just what I did with those tourists? Here.
My trip to Scotland then, because someone wants to pay me to see the world, is turning into my trip to Scotland, Spain, France, Italy and possibly Greece. While some aspects of being away for so long are overwhelming, there’s always Tuscany in the fall. how lovely does that sound? Tuscany in the fall. I say that to myself when I’m stressed out over logos and blog design and wondering how Hal will take to living at my mother’s house for a month or so, and it all starts to melt away.
So, while things are a little stressful, they could certainly be a lot worse. I’m betting that whatever the word for ‘chaos’ is in Italian, it sounds perfectly lovely.
Holy cow! Congratulations! I totally had one of those gallivanting student IDs and am completely jealous of your new gig. Can’t wait to see the new site!
Ohhh, you lucky! That is so awesome. Way to go on the new job. It sounds like a dream!
Yay I might be the first comment!!
Can I come? I could go in a suitcase….
I am so jealous of you!
baraonda = Chaos.
Yep. Sounds pretty lovely to me.
Wish I could figure out how you got this gig! I’m insanely jealous!
That’s amazing! I am currently green with envy. Perhaps a torridly steamy travel romance with a dark, sexy, enigmatic Greek or Italian stranger is on the horizon?
O.M.G. you are living my dream;). Much love to you hon
Having travelled a fair amount and having had some passport issue, my best advise to you is to call the State Department. They are usually very helpful and there advice has been spot on every time.
WOW, congrats!! That certainly does sound like a total dream gig! You deserve it :0)
Stephanie,
The State Department now tells people to contact the country’s consulate directly. So I did. They don’t keep track of entry regulations for individual countries anymore.
Congrats on the new job! If you find the need to have your passport renewed before leaving (if just for peace of mind), visit http://www.cibt.com. I work for a travel company, and that site, although expensive, will get you a renewed passport v. quick.
Congrats! This new gig sounds great. Maybe that’s why you lost your old job–God wanted to make way for an awesome adventure for you, at someone else’s expense.
HOLY CRAP! this is great news – i’m so excited for you!
I can’t wait to read about your travels here and there.
Excellent news. Looking forward to reading about your adventures. Tuscany in the fall sounds almost as good as Tuscany anytime.
Sweet! Being in London for work makes that blog a perfect guide for me too
And don’t worry about the passport thing. Mine expires in less than six and I’m not worried.
…
…
wait, maybe I’d better check this thing >.>
Congratulations. What a wonderful job to have. Really, really great (and I’m really, really jealous Fish).
Katie
Long time reader, second time commentor – CONGRATULATIONS!!! I always envy those people on the travel channel that get to travel around the world for a living, and now I envy you!
I’ve always wanted to be a travel writer, I’m completely jealous of your new gig! Good luck
Hello!
Congrats! I have been reading this blog for a while now and you are a great writer – you deserve this. If you will be on the Mediterranean coast of Spain at all, email me. I am living in Valencia (just moved here two weeks ago!) and would love to meet you for a coffee or what have you, if you desire. jeanniemarie111@yahoo.com
Enjoy and congrats again!
Jeannie
Long time lurker, first time commenter. I just had to say that your new gig sounds like my ultimate dream job. Enjoy it and I will enjoy living it vicariously through you!
Congratulations! You’re an international Fish!
Nice! That is so envious! =)
Yay! Another venue in which to read Fishy writing!
I am SO JEALOUS. Can you take a companion? OK fine, even if you could, I would want you to take a hot Grecian man and then blog about it, but seriously…I’m still jealous. Congrats! (I’m also so happy for you!)
congrats. i’m so happy for you and wish you all the best in your latest adventure.
Carpe diem!
I just found your blog this afternoon and am so excited for you. Getting paid to travel!? What a dream…!!
For real though, how did you get the job? What do you do for a living? I assume you’re a writer? Sorry, I just found your blog and read today’s entry and got really excited!
Congrats! Tuscany in the fall… I’m heading there this fall, too!
baraonda is not the proper word for “chaos” in Italian. That is the technical definition. The Italian colloquial term is “casino” – as in: “e il verro casino”.
Also, Tuscany is far too touristy. Cinque Terre is far, far better.
No, I’m not Italian.
Too neat for words! Congrats, Fish. I’m sure you will meet and exceed their expectations.
There is something to be said for Transcendental Meditation using the phrase “Tuscany in the fall” for a mantra. I think that “Scotland, Spain, France, Italy and possibly Greece” might work well, also.
Congrats on the new writing gig!
Ha ha, how funny. Ever been to Las Vegas on a holiday weekend? “Casino” certainly makes sense.
CONGRATS FISH! That is most definitely my dream job.
Passports are a royal pain in the arse, but indulging in your Highlander fantasies may leave you with pain…elsewhere. Believe me. Not to say it’s not worthwhile
WOW! That is the coolest gig ever!
Add me to the list of people who want to tag along/get a similar gig.
What an amazing adventure you will have! I can’t wait to read your stories there and here.
oops – misspelled that..
“e il vero casino”
Also, if you need any local input I’ve lived in Scotland, Italy, Greece and (currently) France – to name but a few.
I’d love to give some travel tips on Greece if you do end up going there. I’ve spent the last three summers living in Athens and traveling through the islands as a student on a budget.
What an amazing opportunity! Congratulations!
You are my hero!!!!! How did you score such an awesome gig? I love it! Wow! Have a blast and I will definitely be reading. Can’t wait.
What everyone else has said. Fantastic!!!
I’m so jealous right now I want to punch you in the face.
JEALOUSY. So luck, Fish. Enjoy.
Travelfest!
Congratulations Fish!! I’m very happy for you and more than excited about your newest adventure! Believe it or not, your new situation gives me hope, on several levels, as to where I am now in this lifetime. Seriously. Thank you so much for sharing “your life” adventures, good and bad.
(One door closes and another opens…. Carpe Diem!!…. Leap, and the Net Will Appear!) Looking forward to reading about it! God Bless and Good Luck!
****! (sorry, but that is what word actually popped into my head when I read about your new job!) YOU ARE SO L-U-C-K-Y! Traveling, writing & getting paid – three best things around! You go girl! You’re an international girl now! Plus your single – wowie wow wow! Are YOU gonna have fun!
Now THIS is a rocking job! I am a little green-eyed right now…lol
One more congrats to add to the list, along with an invitation. I’m living in Paris, so if you’d like to meet up for drinks or need a bit of company while you’re here, I’d love to oblige.
Urgh SO jealous!
Why WHY would you renew your passport? Go get stuck in Italy
Right now I’m in a foreign country (your’s in fact) and my passport is in a Fedex plane on it’s way home. I suspect it isn’t legal to be in the States without it but the Australian embassy back home needed it to finish processing my visa. I’m trying really hard not to think what will happen if they don’t get it back to me before I leave in a week and a half.
Have heaps ‘o fun on the trip.
Here’s something to sink your writing and traveling teeth into. If you get to Sicily by way of Tuscany take me along as your translator (I pass for Italian and my dad helped liberate Sicily – shameless plug for NY War Stories/Ken Burns), then take the autostrada to the shore town of Taormina, order the fruit bowl (the size of a Botticelli painting). Then pick out a peach, savor the aroma, then taste one. The avocados are the size of houses, too. Must be the volcanic soil.
Congratulations! I’m so happy for you! If you go to Madrid, make sure to try the hot chocolate. It’s like a melted chocolate bar in a cup–totally decadent!
Oh Heather! That is perfect combination of what you love and what you do best! I can’t wait to read about the trip. Congratulations!
Wow, awesome news sure brings out the weirdos, huh? Anyway, add my congrats and best wishes to the heap.
Hey, did I tell you my colour RIGHT NOW is green?!
congratulations! i wish i could land a gig like that. enjoy yourself!!
Why are you skipping Belgium? Belgium rocks & many people don’t realize it. It’s especially perfect for student travelers – beers galore!
- an American living in Belgium
Pack warm for Scotland; Autumn hasn’t made much of a show and even the locals are grumbling about being cold.
Sounds like the perfect job. Congrats!!
Oh, shiznit! That is too cool! Congrats!
in reading about your life and your woes of losing your job…..i recently left my job…and have been looking for a new one….reading your blog about your new work really gives me hope that it all works out for the best…i can only be so lucky as you…best of luck to you and enjoy your travels…
Do foreign countries have souvenir spoons, similar to those that each state has? If so, can you bring me some?
Any time you have questions about entry or exit requirements, the best place to go is http://www.travel.state.gov. The State Department has Consular Information Sheets for each country, and includes this information in the second paragraph of each one (see Ukraine for an example of a country with a 6 month requirement). While the state department does always defer final say on these matters to the country’s embassy or consulate, they do indeed keep track of these things, and try to update the information regularly (at least annually). Trust me. Whoever you spoke with (probably the public liaison’s office) gets inundated with calls, and might not be that familiar with consular issues. Really, you just have to know where to look.
From This Fish: Actually, the second paragraph on most sheets fails to address the issue of passport validity. Because it depends on the country you’re coming from. Italy, for instance, has one requirement of Americans, one of UK citizens and another of countries in the EU. Believe me, I know where to look. And I know just how inconsistent the quality of information was there. At the consulate, I was directed to someone who deals with passports and visas. Pretty sure they knew what they were talking about.
Ah, félicitations! Much happiness to you… This sounds like the perfect gig for you, and it just goes to show you that in fact you were meant to find this new job! So perfect. Everything happens for a reason…
I got my passport renewed in 24 hours. Yes, it could have been only because I live in Miami, where people travel internationally on a whim’s notice, and it cost me a little over $200, but it can be renewed, and swiftly. Look around.
From This Fish: I did look around. And unless I drive to Houston, I put the fate of my trip in mailing off my passport. Not going to do it. I did my homework, you guys.
So much for asking for no comments about the passport issue! Sounds to me like you’ve got it all worked out and will have a great time. I’m jealous, and wish we could trade jobs.
Wow! This is probably the best job ever, up there with astronaut and journalist for National Geographic… Congratulations! Fish, when are you coming to Greece? I could be your translator if you find yourself in Athens!
Oh, and don’t worry about the passport thingy, I used it a week before it’s expiration with no problem!
State Department consular information sheets are written for the American traveler going overseas. So they address what Americans need to travel to that country. If it’s not mentioned in the second paragraph, then it’s not an issue for that country. That’s why it IS mentioned for Ukraine, Venezuela, etc., because for Americans traveling to those countries it IS an issue. Passport validity restrictions are usually based on reciprocity. Since the US has 6 month validity restrictions on passports for foreigners traveling here, some countries choose to impose those same restrictions on us. Like I said before, embassies and consulates of the countries you’re traveling to are the best source of information. But the Consular Info sheets do list that information (when it’s an issue), too. Just sayin.
In LA, I got my passport in 2hrs. I had a flight the following day and I had left my passport in Boston. So, I walked to the passport office and within 2 hrs (and under $200 later), I had a new passport in my hand. they took my picture and everything. It was stamped “this is a replacement passport” and I never had to mail in my old one I had left behind in Boston. You should do this! Super easy, 2 hrs. and under $200.
Congratulations! Sounds like a lot of fun.
Have a wonderful time – travel is always a blast. I lived in Paris for a summer in high school and still wish I could go back years later.
That said, if you are looking for good hot chocolate, I recommend Angelina’s tea house on the Rue de Rivoli. Get off at the Tuileries metro stop, walk across the street, turn right, and it will be down a little ways. Get the dark african hot chocolate. If you add the cream they give you to it, you can stand your spoon straight up in it!
Oh so jealous. We want all the dirty details!
LOL, the souvenir spoons. Wow.
awesome! what could be better? paid to travel. do you have companions on the journey? other than us?
safe travels!
You are one lucky girl! Have fun and I can’t wait to read your new blog!
Congrats Fish! Hopefully, this opportunity will lead the way to other fantastic opportunities as well. On a side note, it’s amazing how many of your blog fans cannot read or have the inability to honor your requests. Is it really that difficult for people to keep their passport stories to themselves?! Some days I don’t know how you put up with the unsolicited advice.
Don’t you hate it when people give you advice, even when you ask them not to?! So annoying!
Anyway, so jealous of your new adventures! And it sounds like the perfect job! Good luck, can’t wait to hear all about it! (That’s a lot of exclamation points, sorry!
Giant avocados? Peaches?! Oh ****. Oh ****.
Wow, awesome! I am SO jealous (but the best kind of jealous)! I’m working hard now on writing and travel writing is my dream. I can’t wait to hear how it is!
Annoying people: 3
Supportive people who follow directions: 70 and counting
wow, that is so awesome, you lucky girl. getting paid to travel? wo0o0o!!!
not a bad word about expiring passports – an encouraging one. US immigration let me in when my visa was 5 days expired. Just smile prettily
I am an avid reader of your blog but this is my 2nd time commenting.
Congrats on the GIG. Have fun and I can’t wait to read about it
Now if I may be ever so daring to ask “HOW DID YOU LANd THIS GIG?”
I am in need of something similar in my life and would so be ever GRATEFUL and ALWAYS INDEBTED to you FOR LIFE if you would be so very nice and point me in the right direction, PLEASE?
NB: I will be checking back to see your answer:)
Congrats on the great new job!
Coelacanth: they will give you a trip home for free!
I am so green with envy. How do you get such cool gigs? Is it pure talent and a popular website. Do you search out these opportunities? Sigh, as a disgruntled editor for a weekly small metro newspaper I wanna know!
Oh, and congratulations.
I am sure the passport will be fine. I’ve been a reader for a while now. I am always amazed at how no matter how “freaked” this fish gets, things always turn out peachy. You are one amazing girl.
awwww fish, i’m sooo excited for you!!
I can’t wait to read all about your world tour!!
You are SO lucky!! I cannot wait to read it all
you know what you should do?
you should google “travel” and “passport”. i bet you’ll get lots of good information.
then try “how to breathe in and out”.
i use that one all the time.
ooh…and wikipedia is great for this kind of stuff too.
let me know if you need anymore help! i’m feeling very helpful today.
Congrats! Hope you have a blast!
If you’re in Italy 13 – 21 Oct, check the Euro Chocolate Festival in Perugia. Soooo good!
Congrats, Fish! Can’t wait to add yout travel blog to my list of regular reads. Sounds like one of the best jobs pretty much EVER! Yay
And by “yout” I meant “your” as I am not the judge in “My Cousin Vinny”…just to clarify =P
Please let us know what the name of your new travel blog is so we can follow your adventures and tell those kids we knew you when…
i knew it!
this is so awesome – and so perfect! back when you were bumming about losing your job and i went so far as to say it was the best thing – and that the last thing you needed was a “job” – and now this!
this gig is ideal! instead of working for a living you get to LIVE for a living! yay!
i’d wish you good luck, but you don’t need it…you are perfect for this!
jaime
How exciting! What a way to to turn the page on unemployment! Enjoy yourself Fish, its your turn!
I got held up in the US with a passport that expired in 5 months, they let me out of the country to Ireland, finally after 1 1/2 hrs of discussion…you might want to call the airline direct at your airport and get a name of someone who says ok!
oh my gawd! u lucky lucky lucky bum!! can you read the envy in my words?? u have the best job in the world! this is so great though! a friend and i are planning a trip through europe next summer and i could SO do with a ready-made plan AND single girls’ views on good (safe) hostels and good (and not so good) eateries!! cant wait to hear all about it! are you going to be blogging about it on this fish, or another one?