You’re here!  Which means that you’re either a seasoned getaway artist or you’re harboring some serious wanderlust.  Either way, you’re not alone.  In fact, 70% of Americans dream of taking time off from work—and thousands of us will be gathering on September 14 to discuss how to make that happen.  It’s the “meet” part of Meet Plan Go!

In the Twin Cities, your humble (and sometimes hilarious) host will be  Kirk Horsted, a guy who’s taken 4 sabbaticals in the past 20 years and blogs about the subject at makeyourbreakaway.com.

We'll be joined by savvy travel writer Leif Pettersen, who writes for Lonely Planet (guides to Eastern Europe and Tuscany/Umbria, among others) and blogs about his adventures at killingbatteries.com. Leif is an expert on Romania and Moldova and publishes an online guide to these less-traveled destinations. For a taste of his philosophy, check out his great article Choose Your Own Adventure, espousing the benefits of the long-term travel, on Vita.mn.

We'll also get perspective from wise financial guru Ross Levin, a noted author, speaker and planner who helps people align their money and their values and expand their financial, spiritual, physical and emotional resources. Ross is the author of The Wealth Management Index, founder of Accredited Investors and writes a monthly column in the StarTribune called Spend Your Life Wisely.

Our group will gather in the fun & funky Honey lounge on East Hennepin (by Nyes) to talk tales, trips and tips. We’ll even dive head-first into murky topics like finances, job security, and stuff and pet management.

The bar will serve specials ($3 tap beer; $5 wine); you can order food off the Ginger Hop menu (or eat there before or after).  And of course, there will be some sweet giveaways—including a few free trips to Peru, Cambodia and France from our national sponsors Gap Adventures and GeoVisions.

Won’t you join us?  And by all means bring a friend.  It just might be the green light—or kick in the butt—you’ve been waiting for!