BIG tiny World Travel

Guess what?? We have hit 100 posts on our site!  Can you believe it?  To mark the occasion, we thought we would share with you 100 things we love about traveling.

Food

You know the truth.  We really only travel for the food!  We can’t wait to eat our way around the world.  Until then, our mouths still water at the thought of these favorites.

1. Real ramen
2. Goat cheese and crackers for breakfast
3. Ryokan meals
4. Blind dining
5. Sourdough bread animals
6. Batidos
7. Actually decent convenience store food
8. Amazing street food
9. Make-it-yourself takoyaki
10. All-you-can-eat resort buffets
11. Japanese food in Canada
12. Crepes
13. Gooey deep-dish pizza – true Chicago-style

People

We have met so many people in our travels, and they’ve all made a mark on our lives.  We are excited to meet more on our journeys!

14. Amazingly friendly Couchsurfing hosts
15. A tour boat captain delighted by our Canadian patriotism
16. Friends made while learning Japanese then invited to dinner when we visit them in Osaka
17. The coolest cat (ok, not really a person…)
18. Rico
19. All the random visitors who stopped to talk to us in Vancouver
20. Friends who stayed with us while visiting the U.S. who flew to Tokyo for a night of karaoke
21. Rose, our blind server whose name I’ll always remember thanks to the Titanic reference
22. The Canadians who shared our BnB in Costa Rica
23. The kind mechanic who gave up his weekend to help us out when we got stuck in Idaho

24. The crazy boat captain who taunted a crocodile
25. Our Couchsurfers
26. The Tokyo boat tour host (one of only two other people on that boat who spoke English)
27. The friends with whom we travel
28. Each other – at our most enthralled and our most grumpy, stressed, hungry, etc.

Wildlife

A place is also marked by the wildlife that inhabit it.  Just as the cultures and climates differ from place to place, so, too, does the local fauna.  We loved meeting these.

29. Bears
30. Crocodiles
31. Goats
32. A boar
33. Sea turtles
34. Poisonous frogs
35. Ferral cats
36. Whales
37. Surprise mountain goats
38. Sealions
39. Monkeys

Places

There is so much to discover in a new location, including the things that make a place unique.

40. Norway’s incredible architecture
41. Massive cities
42. Waterfalls
43. Artistic statues
44. Unexpected tropical ruins
45. Vending machine restaurants

46. Cool hotel rooms
47. Shinkansen
48. Vastly different climates
49. Shrines
50. Glaciers
51. Reliable public transportation
52. A glass elevator
53. Insane throngs of people

Scenery

And what kind of photographers/videographers would we be if we couldn’t appreciate the local scenes?  We’re in it for the media, after all!

54. Crazy beautiful landscapes
55. Reflections
56. Unbelievable geology
57. Perfectly dappled sunlight
58. Cityscapes
59. Fjords
60. Hoodoos
61. Tropical sunsets
62. Fireworks
63. An observatory high above the clouds
64. Underwater greetings

Culture

Culture is one of the most fascinating elements to traveling.  We want to experience cultures all around the world and learn a few new things that we can adopt into our lifestyles.

65. Integrity when we forgot a bag at a restaurant
66. Never handling the local currency
67. Using only cash the entire trip
68. Sleeping on a lanai
69. Adorable elevator recordings

70. Open camping anywhere
71. Ridiculously packed stores
72. Canada Day
73. Clever packaging
74. Public bathhouses
75. Plastic food
76. Abundance of English
77. Extreme consideration for others
78. Light festivals
79. Kids fascinated by foreigners

Experiences

Photos are merely a placeholder for the amazing experiences we have while abroad.  They serve as reminders for these unforgettable memories.

80. Going to a cafe to hang out with cats
81. The fight for (and remarkably rewarding payoff of) a desert sunrise
82. Zip-lining
83. Dancing robots
84. Hiking (and photographing) in the rain
85. Petting a crocodile
86. Making someone’s day when I could spout a simple Japanese phrase
87. Scaling a wild rock in Utah with only chains to keep us from certain death
88. Playing the silly tourist
89. Jet boats in the pouring rain
90. Endless daylight
91. Drinking sake and watching bad Japanese music videos
92. Growing beyond our comfort zones
93. Discovering something new

Lessons

Exposing ourselves to varying cultures inevitably imbues us with lessons we internalize, bring back with us, and share with others.  These help us grow into ultimately better people.

94. Learning cultural nuances through language
95. Learning the right way to drink
96. Not all bicycles are created equal
97. Fun doesn’t have to include alcohol
98. Language barriers don’t have to be so scary
99. People around the world aren’t so different from us
100. Internal change is possible (and good)

What do you love most about traveling?

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