So, where are we going?

For those who have been curious, here is a quick glance at our route as planned thus far. For some reason I couldn't add our stop in the Galapagos (off the coast of Ecuador) so that is missing. Plus our route from Rome to Istanbul is going to be a day by day adventure, so no stops are mapped out in that region.  But this will give you a general idea of our destinations! 

We should be visiting a total of five continents...and the number of countries is yet to be determined...

Gratitude, Support and Inspiration

I've dreamt of our upcoming adventure since I studied abroad in college and got the international "travel bug" (which, by the way, is absolutely a real thing - travel truly does get under your skin). It's incredible to be getting so close to our date of departure because it means so many things to me. It's a dream come true, years of saving, hundreds of conversations, hours of research, many moments of sacrifice, and a million daydreams, questions and answers.

I was always worried about what other people would think. I'd gotten snide remarks and uninformed comments for trips I'd taken before, so going on a trip like this would certainly entice even more of these comments, wouldn't it?

Sure, I've gotten a few. A few people have asked me why I would want to do this. A couple people have commented that "it must be nice to be rich" or something similar without really asking for or listening to any details of how we've gotten to this point. 

But overall, I've received so much support, excitement, and yes, a bit of envy from family, friends and coworkers. Most people think what we are doing is amazing, inspiring, and awesome, and so many have commented that "now is the time to do it."

Yes, we couldn't agree more.

I am so flattered and proud that a trip born in my mind evolved into an actual event that will not only become our reality in just over a month, but also has the power to inspire people that I know and love to do something similar, or to at least get out there and plan their dream. A few of our friends may meet us along the way, maybe some will begin to research and save for something that they've been dreaming of, and still others may simply reevaluate their budgets and priorities and see that the things they truly desire are attainable with a little bit of sacrifice and hard work.

I hope I am not coming across as boastful, fake, or naive. I admit that I am an optimist. I grew up believing that anything was possible if I wanted it badly enough and was willing to put in hard work. 

It hasn't been easy and there have been times when I was fearful our trip would never be a reality, but I continued to believe and learn and communicate and move toward my goal. And now...I am leaving in 37 days.

Imagine that. Oh, that's right, I did.

Ready to jump the fence and explore the world again!
(photo taken in the Grampians National Park, Victoria, Australia)

I am so excited to begin this journey, and am equally excited to share it with the people who want to follow along with us through this blog. Stay tuned...

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a happy, warm and relaxing Christmas and is able to enjoy time with the people they love the most.

As we prepare for our time away beginning in February, we are looking forward to this special time with our friends and family, some of whom we only see at this time of year.

We are thankful for the love and support we have in our lives, and that we can share our excitement with everyone for the year ahead.

Merry Christmas.

We're Really Going!

Our flights are booked! It's official! We leave on February 2!

43 days!!!!

This is our biggest milestone. We had to celebrate!

Cheers to the saving, sacrifice and planning thus far; the planning and excitement of the coming 43 days; the next month full of time with family and friends; AND the four months of adventure, fun, learning, growing and friendships ahead!

To Connect or Disconnect?

In the beginning of 2004 I spent five months studying abroad in Australia. I left my laptop and cellphone at home. I only went online at the library. Facebook? What's that? Twitter? Hey, don't call me that! I only spoke to family or friends when I was in my bedroom and heard the phone ring,which wasn't very often (come on, I was in AUSTRALIA!). At that point in time I was nowhere near as connected as I am now - with my iPhone that's always nearby and accessible internet at all times. After a day or two in Australia I got over the initial weirdness of not having a cellphone on me 24/7 and actually kind of loved not being accessible ALL THE TIME! I was more present with the people I was actually physically around. (You know - you would be at a party or a bar and everyone was talking to each other, not looking at their phones or texting the person across the room). It was a more difficult adjustment to be so connected again when I returned home.

I'm not saying I don't love being connected because I do. I love social media and that I can share pictures or thoughts on Facebook and have feedback seconds later. I love that I can post a question on Twitter and get an answer in less than a minute. I love that if I'm lost I can simply tap my iPhone screen a few times and find out exactly where I am. I love that if I don't know if I can eat a food because it might contain gluten I can Google it and know right away if I am "safe."

I want to keep up my blog while I am gone and connect with other travelers via Twitter. However, I don't want to lose the authenticity of traveling to a new place and getting truly lost. It's in those moments where I feel the most alive and connected to the world around me.

Would we have a richer experience if we left the gadgets behind?

I'm hoping that we will be able to find the right balance, utilizing social media and connectivity periodically in order to update our family and friends on our adventure as they are all requesting, and researching places we are or will be going to be more knowledgeable. However, I don't want to carry our phone with us constantly to Google where we should eat for dinner or stay for a night or to find our way to a local landmark. I want to ask the shop owner or the elderly man who stops to ask us what we are taking a picture of because these are the experiences I remember. These are the memories that make a trip an adventure that will stay with us forever. These are the connections that make me feel alive. And what's better than that?

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

Joe Lewis

Living Life on the Great Ocean Road, Australia

Making Many Lists, Checking Them Twice

As our date of departure quickly approaches, there are so many things we need to do. It's extremely important and helpful to make lists and write things down whenever I think of them or read about them because with all the busyness of work, regular life and the holidays, it is easy for things to slip through the cracks.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It's been an eventful week.  Here's what's been done trip-wise, and trip-related:

• Been diagnosed with Celiac Disease
• Booked our Galapagos live aboard diving trip and made payment
• Secured dive insurance
• Made an appointment for our immunizations
• Made a doctor's appointment for a checkup and to acquire Malaria pills (needed in South America and possibly other places we may be)
• Connected with other Celiacs on Twitter - even traveling Celiacs!
• Shared our plan, tentative destinations, and excitement with more family, friends and coworkers
• Began writing up a list of all of the things I do at work that the replacement will need to do
• Finalized the intern we will be hosting starting in January
• Crept closer to figuring out what flights we are going to book ahead of time so that we can make our flight booking appointment with Airtreks.com in the next week or so! (Can't WAIT to have our departure on the books!!)
• Finalized (for now) the things we need to purchase for the trip
• Visited other travel blogs to get packing tips, last-minute planning advice, and ever-growing inspiration and excitement from people who are living our dream right now!

On top of all that, we have to fit in decorating, shopping and wrapping for the holidays; weekends full of visits with family and parties with friends; researching and learning about my new Gluten Free lifestyle; and simply the back and forth and up and down of everyday life!

It's tough planning such an extensive trip at this time of year and with the big life changes I am going through. However, we're lucky because we're not planning TOO much; we're leaving a lot up to whim and decisions in the moment. Not to mention, I sort of thrive under pressure and deadlines and being busy. So, we're making progress, visiting with loved ones, and trying to enjoy every moment of this time of year all while that fabulous date of departure creeps, make that races, towards us. We both know it will be here before we know it and somehow it will all get done, because it has to!

How to Decide Where to Go on Your RTW Adventure

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My Tips for Deciding Where to Go:

• Research, research, research
• List your "top ten" (or 15!) destinations (not even taking into account this trip and logistics yet, just in general) You may already see that most of your locations are close to each other and would make for a good trip or you might see that they are scattered all over the globe and you'll need to take more things into account.
• Decide why you are doing this trip. Is it to go to every continent? Get to know a specific region really well? Visit the wonders of the world? To literally go around the world? Once you have a true purpose and know what you want to get out of this adventure you can better formulate a vision and break it down into smaller goals.
• Look at your time frame and budget and start researching costs: flights, accommodations, food. Long haul flights across continents will add up fast. Certain regions of the world are just cheaper in general and your money will go farther. If visiting one of your "top" destinations is important to you because you want to do a certain activity or see a certain event, take those costs into account as well.
• Consider timing. If you are traveling from January to March and want to enjoy tropical weather, don't plan a Trans-Siberian trip from Russia to China!
• Talk to people. Again, more research. The more you learn, the easier it will be to figure out what you are OK with sacrificing, which brings me to my final point.
•  Focus on your main goals and be OK with sacrificing some places to save for later. Let's face it...at some point you're going to have to say, I just can't do that on this trip. It doesn't mean you'll never go to that specific destination or that your trip won't be everything you've dreamed of and more.

Happy travels!