How to deal with your first mid life crisis

As I approach my 40th birthday I have decided how to deal with my first mid-life crisis. Some people buy cars, some buy new mates, some just go crazy. I have decided to take a trip around the world. I am waiting for work to give me the final approval this week, but here is what it looks like:

48 days to go from US - Europe - Asia - Hawaii and back home.

The first question that people ask me is how the hell can you do this. Well, I have been very fortunate with work, but I have also worked my tail off. I find it funny that my employer is still deciding if they can let me, they actually created this situation. I work hard, too hard in fact. Most people that know me, from my boss to my parents, know this is true. Work established a new policy that I can no longer carry over time from one year to the next. Fortunately I have 8 weeks of vacation which I need to take from now until the end of the year.

So world, here I come.

I'm looking for this trip to open my eyes to the world. I hope to see its beauty and its charm, but also its inequity and its coldness. I want to learn from this, and understand how alike we all are, as well as see many places that I have dreamed about.