Jumping In...Head First

This will be a quickie....

The hub and I have been talking and we finally made a decision.  We know we're finally committed to the decision because we've begun to take action and compose a new to-do list.  Just the other day we were talking and both realized how much lighter we feel.  I didn't realize it but the decision was weighing me down and now I feel liberated....So what did we decide?

We're selling the house!

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We kept going back and forth, but finally agreed that if we're going to do this, we're going to do it right.  And that means jumping in completely.  There is no halfway on something like this.  A safety net (of holding onto our house) would do nothing for us but hold us back.  We will hold a garage sale this summer to get rid of things that we don't need, rent a storage shed while we are gone (so we don't have to burden anyone with our stuff), and leave the country feeling the full freedom of our adventure.  Nothing to hold us back, cause problems we can't deal with while we are away, or cause feelings of obligation or worry.

It's awesome.  I've already cleaned out a lot (in my head, at least!), and have begun to compile a list of things we need to do to prepare our house for sale, etc.  It's going to be a busy year ahead, but the reward at the end will be so worth it.

I'm so excited and energized - wanted to fill our readers in!!

Exploring Options...

One of the things we want to do while on our RTW trip is to (obviously) find ways to make money or spend less money.  One way recommended to us by friends and found in my research is to join an organization such as Workaway.info.  The basic premise of this is stated on the Workaway.info website under their philosophy:
"A few hours honest help per day in exchange for food and accommodation and an opportunity to learn about the local lifestyle and community, with friendly hosts in varying situations and surroundings."

My husband and I are obviously looking to travel and explore, but so much about traveling is the people you meet and experiences you have.  We're very adventurous, open to trying new things, and very curious individuals.

My husband surprised me by signing us up for the website (taking initiative!) and sending me our login information so I could explore it.  I was instantly enamored and managed the self-restraint to close the page after a few minutes because I was at work and knew I could easily get sucked in (more than I already was) and spend hours exploring the options available.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

During my few minutes searching I looked at opportunities in Iceland, Croatia and Turkey.  The options are so diverse - it makes me so excited!  It also prompted me to asked my hubby if should start planning on staying away longer so we can fit more of these awesome-sounding experiences in.  (He basically told me to calm down and that he wanted to continue to "plan" on six months, but continue to keep the option of extending our trip open if we still want to while we're abroad.)  OK, I can deal with that.

I'm just so excited!  How cool that I could work on a farm for two weeks (seriously!)!  Or I could teach English, or help out at a hostel, or work on developing a trail system through a national park, or assist people in growing their business or running their bed and breakfast?!  I am interested in trying just about ANYTHING once.  What an amazing idea that I can try out many different types of jobs, industries, and opportunities in countries around the world, and yet still have time to play and get a feel for the culture, sites and location!  And they feed me and give me a place to stay!

I'm in heaven and every time I look at the site I get more excited, impatient, and motivated!

Technology is truly amazing, and I'm so glad that people have developed these tools to help people like me and my hubby connect with others and set up opportunities BEFORE we even leave our zip code.

Truly amazing and awesome!

Go With the Flow...

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Friday night we drove to visit my husband's sister and her husband.  They live about 40 minutes outside of Pittsburgh and we had a big day planned for Saturday.  We would go to brunch in the city with them, then they had to head off to a wedding, so we had the day to do whatever we wanted - the plan was the meet for dinner at 6pm at a specified location.  So the hubby and I developed a great "unplanned plan" in our heads.  We knew we wanted to go to REI to look at backpacks for me, but other than that we just wanted to wander around the city and explore....

Obstacle #1:  The weather

In our minds, Saturday would be a nice day.  Instead, it was a bit gloomy, rainy, and pretty much just gross - making us not want to just wander around for hours on foot.  So, after a delicious brunch at Pamela's (which happened to be in an adorable little area with lots of fun shops!) we said goodbye to the fam, wandered around the street's boutiques for a bit, and decided to get back to our car.  We had been in Pittsburgh the year before for a wedding that the hubs had been in, so he wanted to take me to the park where they took pictures - Schenley Park.  It was a very pretty park, with a big hill overlooking a portion of the city.  We walked around and took pictures, but again, the gloomy weather made it less than ideal.  Next we wanted to check out a place we passed on the way to brunch - Church Brew Works.  This leads me to...

Obstacle #2:  Traffic

Living in a city that you can get pretty much anywhere in 20 minutes or less, we tend to forget that driving in other cities is not so easy.  Not to mention not really knowing where things are makes us dependent on a GPS.  Getting everywhere on Saturday took longer than expected.  We waited in traffic a lot.  We took wrong turns several times and had to turn around.  We just felt like we spent more time waiting than actually being anywhere. 

Anyway, we got to Church Brew Works, were wowed by the stunning interior and awesome idea of turning an old cathedral into a brewery and pub.  We shared a flight of beer and enjoyed sipping, chatting, and admiring our surroundings.  By then the weather was only getting more wet and gloomy, so we decided to head straight to Southwide Works, REI, instead of downtown and look for my pack.

Obstacle #3:  Too many people, too little help

We arrived in the backpack area that was taken up by a tent that some woman was testing out.  Another woman inside the tent said she would be able to help us in just a minute.  She was super helpful, knowledgeable, and great, however, clearly she should have had some extra help in the department.  Not only was she helping this lady figure out her tent situation, she was helping a young family find the right baby backpack (if that's the right term I'd be shocked), and now helping me figure out what backpack would be best for me.  After an hour or so of trying on backpacks, walking around the store with what would end up being "the one" (almost) on my back, and scoping out a few other things, I decided to use my RedLaser app to see if I could find the Gregory Deva 60 for a better price than the $269 that REI was charging.  Yes! e-OMC had it for only $198 and free 3-day shipping.  Score!  The power of the internet :)  That was it - we left the store frustrated, but satisfied, feeling that hey, we finally won today!

We did a few more things, and then it was time to meet up with our hosts for dinner at Hofbrauhaus.  We had to wait about ten minutes just to put our name in for a table.  "45 minutes to an hour" they told us, "we'll text you when your table is ready."  We were still waiting for hub's sister and husband, so we thought we'd get a drink to finally sit down and relax.  The bar in this place was PACKED so we walked over to Claddagh Irish Pub just across the way.  We each ordered a beer - I was so looking forward to the Strongbow I ordered.  I went to the bathroom to wash my hands, came out, and...

Obstacle #4:  Unreliability/Surprises

Hubby said "they just texted us - our table is ready!"  :( What?  We were there literally 10 minutes ago!  So, long story short, we had to chug our beers (still sad about this b/c it was so delicious and perfect and I couldn't even enjoy it!) and get to the restaurant before our table was given away.  In the end, dinner was delicious and the day and night all turned out well, but we talked about how we were both frustrated with how the day turned out.  It was nothing like the day we had expected.  But...

Lesson Learned (once again):  Travel, along with life of course, really doesn't ever go as planned.  Some days will be better than expected, others not as great.  But if you can say at the end of the day that overall it was positive and meaningful, and you enjoyed the company of the people you were with....that's all that really matters. 

I know that we will face countless obstacles on our trip around the world, which in all honesty, is part of the fun and excitement.  It's important to remember these things and not let the obstacles frustrate us, cause us distress, or ruin our time doing what we love.  The whole point of our trip is to go with the flow, which I suppose is sometimes easier said than done when we're so used to having to plan our our weeks, days, and even minutes.

Really looking forward to embracing that change...

His and Hers...Finding the Right Fit

I posted back in January about our shopping trip to EMS to find our backpacks for our trip.  We both bought packs, but I later returned mine because I just didn't feel satisfied with it.

Tonight we're heading to see some family just north of Pittsburgh.  Tomorrow they have a wedding in the afternoon, so while they're out we are going down to the city to check out REI and hopefully find me a pack that I can be excited about.

Me being me, I of course had to do a quick search on the website to scope out some of their products and check for coupons :).  Going strictly off of first impressions and website descriptions, I am optimistic about finding a pack here.  There are only five women's packs on the website (being 5'3" with a short torso and relatively petite frame the women's sizes are all I consider), but the features they have are pretty awesome.  All of the ones I've seen have a detachable day pack - way cool!  A lot of them have several access zippers, a couple have laptop areas, lots of compartments, etc.  I could go on, but I won't.

I am really excited to try on some packs tomorrow and hopefully find my perfect fit!  I'll be sure to let you know what I find and if I buy one!

Wish me luck :-)

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Don't Just Think Outside the Box...Get Outside It!

Yesterday I read another great article from BootsnAll (http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/12-04/full-time-family-travel.html). 


The story is about a family with four children who pick up, leave their "six-figure" jobs and their "castle" of a house to travel the world for a year.  While they are away, the stock market crashes, but instead of freak out and return home to find a stable income, they decide that they don't want their journey to end, and they find ways to gain an income wherever in the world they happen to be, and have been traveling around the world as a family ever since.  How cool!


As much as I try to think outside the box and maintain my positive outlook on life, the world, and the trip we are planning, it's easy to get weighed down with the "what ifs" and "real life" problems that we face constantly.  My other half is much more the realist, which is beneficial to us both, but can also frustrate me when I feel like he is always drawn to the negative while I'm focusing on the positive.


For example, I emailed him the article above yesterday with the subject: "When you have a few minutes - inspiration!"


Whether due to lack of time or focus (he was at work, so I can't be surprised), he responded about ten minutes later, "Wish we had 6 figure jobs and a 4 story castle of a home to sell right now…it would make pushing off on our journey that much better."


I wrote back calling him "Debbie Downer."  He wrote back defending himself saying that the story was awesome and inspiring, but we're in a different financial boat.


Wait, what?


I quickly realized that he didn't read the entire article.  I wrote back and told him to re-read the article because it wasn't about flaunting what they had and how they were able to travel - it was about confronting what they lost while they were away and carrying on with their dream regardless.  It's about hope, passion, and following your path.


I got a surprising response that made me happy, excited, and reconnected to my husband and our dream.  He said,  "Wow.  I missed the whole point of that article!  Wow and wow.  I was almost getting choked up.  Lets look at the calendar tonight, and try to nail down and semi concrete date of departure, based on commitments we know of etc. 

I am ready."

Me too.  Can't wait to be outside of the box.