At the start of the year, I laid out my hopes and dreams for a year of travel, for 12 months of adventures at home and abroad. Six months on, and a lot has changed – or rather, my expectations have.
I cannot leave the country.
Now, this isn’t news to me. It’s the situation that any non-U.S. citizen married to an American finds themselves in as they wait for their final, legal piece of paperwork – that Green Card you hear so much about in movies.
While you wait for your official acceptance as a resident, you can’t leave the country – except in a dire emergency – without running the risk of your application being cancelled, and your right to return to the States being rescinded. (Obviously something I want to avoid, being a newlywed and all!)
The issue here is that I naively thought it would be a quick, easy, and painless process. I assumed that six months was a reasonable time frame to expect, and made mental plans for where we would (and could) travel once the summer set in.
Maybe we’d go to Zanzibar on our honeymoon, or finally make it to Cuba, now that my husband can legally visit too. We’d plan that drive north to Canada, to Montreal and Toronto and Niagara Falls. There were plans for new discoveries at home in Lewis, Harris, and the rest of the Outer Hebrides, and some spots I wanted to see in Edinburgh and London.
It was an emotional moment when I realised that I wouldn’t be crossing any borders this year. There were tears, not for the travel, but for the milestones missed. For the two weddings of dear friends back in Britain. For the housewarming I’d planned to celebrate with another. For the gurgling smiles of first birthdays. For the university graduation that I had hoped to smile and cheer proudly at.
But the travel? Although I’m disappointed, I’m not too concerned. I might not be able to make it to Cuba this summer, but how about Custer State Park? This paperwork-induced staycation could turn out to be one of my more interesting suitcase stories to date: after all, this country is huge.
As a result, I’m recalibrating my travel plans for 2015, and they’re going to be all-American. I’ve entertained the idea of visiting all 50 states, but I might have to give myself a little longer than half a year for an expedition of that size. It’s not like I need an excuse to go exploring (I was bitten by the travel bug at a young age), but as an expat, I’m excited to experience as much of my adopted country as possible.
Talking with travellers at the Travel and Adventure Show and Women In Travel Summit this year has inspired me to look at places like South Carolina, Louisiana, the Garden State (aka New Jersey), and upstate New York. Even Queens right here in the city that never sleeps has been heralded as the number-one domestic destination by Lonely Planet. Already set in stone are returns to Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Maine – and I can’t wait to start planning even more excursions!
In short, travel plans change, life goes on, and new adventures await. Where are you going next?
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How do you react when plans change unexpectedly? Do you have any travel plans for the rest of 2015?
Plus: stay tuned for my All-American Travel Bucket List, coming soon!
What a bummer! Though, I suppose there are worse places to be stuck 🙂 I’m excited to see where your travels take you.
Very true, Marie – I certainly can’t complain! I’ve got lots of ideas of places I want to visit here in the States, and even my New York to-do list is never-ending 🙂
Bummer about not leaving the country! I just sent in my passport for renewal and I’m super anxious about not having it. My cousin married a Brit and it took them about 2 years to get him over here and a lot of money and headache with the lawyers. It’s amazing how hard the US has to make it for people. I’m so glad to here you’re heading back to Maine! That’s where I live! 🙂 Where you going? Let me know if I can help you will any questions or suggestions in Maine. I hope you’re coming this summer or September. Those are the best months!
Yes, moving to the US is a very long and complicated process – but for me, at least, things seem to be moving in the right direction, even if they are moving slowly. I’m disappointed about not leaving the country, but excited to see more of America! I’d love to hear your Maine tips. I was up in Acadia National Park and Grand Lake Stream last month, and I’m going to visit family in Kennebunk this summer 🙂
My cousin from Shetland went through the same process. She lives in Hudson and owns Flowerkraut: she arranges wild flowers and her husband makes sauerkraut! Definitely worth a visit if you’re upstate and fancy a chat with a fellow Scottish islander!
Thanks Eilidh! I’ve actually been in touch with Mairead (via your Mum who told my Dad… small world!). She’s been super helpful in directing me to the right info and advice etc. I haven’t made it up to Hudson yet, but it’s definitely on my to-do list though 🙂 Her flowers are so gorgeous!
Hi! Im loving all of your posts! I am a tad curious how you manage to afford all of this lovely travel! I dont mean in terms of telling us your financial situation! I just mean- do you work as you travel? Or do you travel as part of work? I am 31 and cant imagine going to any of these places bc of flight costs alone! Thanks for your insight!
Hi Amanda, happy to hear you’re enjoying the blog posts! I have previously lived and worked abroad (e.g. for a year in China), but most of the time I travel around work: I save money to travel, and then use all of my time off and make the most of weekends. I’ve spent most of my life in the UK, where the majority of people get at least 4 weeks holiday a year, and it’s also relatively cheap to travel to Europe and further afield (with budget airlines, good public transport etc). Travel is something that is really important to me, so I do my best to prioritise it 🙂