After six months of planning a route, saving every centavo and wishing desperately for it to be here — it finally is! I’m off on a two-month backpacking adventure across five countries in South America.

My friend Nora and I are flying to Bogotá, Colombia, and will then take buses to about 16 other cities on the way back to Santiago. We’ll live out of our backpacks on a bit more than $40 a day as we jump from hostels to Hashes through the Amazon Jungle to Inca ruins, around Lake Titicaca to the world’s largest salt flat and over the Andes to the driest desert on Earth.

To see where in the world I am in the next eight weeks, check right here. My goal is to update you once a week.

I’ve just celebrated my one-year mark here and I’ve experienced a lot of great things from learning a language, meeting lifelong friends and adapting to a new culture. But this trip is the reason I moved to Chile. I’ve traveled a bit here and there, but this — two months out of a backpack — is what I’ve been waiting for. Santiago is a convenient home base for vagabonding around the rest of the continent, and I’m so thrilled I finally get to do that.

Beyond the sheer excitement, I have a few nerves bubbling in my stomach. Did I pack enough socks? Too many pairs of shorts? Will I be able to scrimp on my small backpacker budget? What will I do if I get robbed? Or do something stupid like leave my debit card in the cash machine? Will I be able to sleep on the several 10-hour (or more) night buses?

I know I’m a bit high-strung when it comes to planning and well, life in general. But it’s something I’ve been working on since moving halfway across the world. I’ve survived a year so far in South America, and this trip will be no different. I’ll fumble through my Spanish, but manage to communicate. I’ll get terribly lost, but eventually discover something cool because of it. I’m going to try the local cuisine, even if it looks a bit “exotic.” I’m going to meet new people. I’ll improvise, be spontaneous and adapt. I’ll learn. I’m going expect the unexpected. There’s really just one plan I know won’t change: To have the adventure ride of my life.

—JDF