I have the Midwest blues. I feel like I am stuck in a rut. At times it seems like my day-to-day has become as common as a wash cycle: school, work, sleep and repeat. I want out.

I’m what some people call a “daydreamer.” I often find myself dazing off in class or at work thinking about what I could be doing besides this mundane routine. But this whole “trapped in the four states feeling” has brought me to my most recent dream – traveling the world. I mean, there’s got to be more to life than Joplin, right?

Somewhere between my ten-minute morning drive to school, English 102 class and late nights at work I have my “world tour” all planned out. Although there is one kicker: I’m going to do it practically for free by working odd jobs where ever I am at the time. After researching world travel I have come across blogs and social networks for people that have the same dream and have accomplished that dream. I figure my best bet is to work seasonal jobs at tourist resorts that need employees who speak English. That way I can pay for rent or, better yet, meet new people and couch surf.

First off, I need to finish school. As much as it seems like a drag sometimes, “a quality education is invaluable.” While I’m finishing up school I will need to save up some money for initial and returning plane tickets.

After I graduate I will take a road trip west and end up in the City of Angels. I will take my time and be sure to make some stops along the way; maybe check out the Rocky Mountains and roll the dice in Vegas.

From LAX I will take the first flight to Japan. After spending the summer watching Japanese baseball games and eating at real Japanese steak houses, I will head to China.

I will spend the fall drifting from town to town and walk the Great Wall. That winter, I will head somewhere warm like Australia.

Once in the outback, I am going to put another “shrimp on the barbie” and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. From there I will head off to India, stop by the Taj Mahal and work my way North to see the Himalayas.

From the peak of Everest I will head east to Europe. I will travel by train, watch some real football games (soccer), and end up at the Colosseum or the Louvre. I will then work my way to Africa, go on a safari and then head south to Antarctica.

That’s right, Antarctica. What’s a world tour without stepping foot on all seven continents?

After an extremely short stay in the Antarctic I will head to South America and work my way up to Brazil. From the rain forest, I will cruise through the Caribbean and then head to South Beach or the Keys. I will then travel up the east coast, taking the essential stops in D.C. and N.Y.C.

Lastly I will make the trip back home.

Well, maybe …