Two weeks until classes begin, and I??????m thinking I should go somewhere. But I don??????t have a lot of money, and I don??????t have anyone to travel with.

So I??????m thinking about taking a road trip and visiting a few friends along the way. To make it more interesting, I??????m considering camping here and there. However, I don??????t have a tent.

Next thing I know I??????m looking at tents at REI. But what do I know about tents? So I call my brother, Matt, who just got back from a five-week backpacking and ice climbing adventure in Peru.

I tell him I want a tent for an unplanned road trip. But I want a good tent, one that I can take backpacking, and that sleeps two people, should I ever require it to sleep two people.

He advises I get the lightest tent I can. I recall a five-day hike we took along the Appalachian Trail from Maine to New Hampshire. I packed way too much, and paid dearly in sweat and exhaustion. Matt said at one point he looked back at me, and I looked like death.

??????Light is good,?????? I agree.

He says I should also check out Campmor. ??????Oh yeah,?????? I say. I get their catalog.

But wait. I don??????t have money to buy at $200 tent, or gas, or food. I??????m a graduate student. And I??????m borrowing $35,000 for this year alone. And I have $50 in my checking account.

Still, the road is calling, and my mind moves numbers around, rationalizes, creates an acceptable logic. I will find a way to make up the cost, I tell myself.

Two weeks. Can I not afford to travel?