Proving this big world is smaller than you think
I’ve grown up accepting that the 9 to 5 is just how things are done. I never imagined that there could be another option. Sure, there’s the entrepreneurial track, but that’s just a different role in the same machine.
But times have changed, and there are completely new paths available. I have taken the leap, and I am leaving behind everything I’ve ever known.
Continue reading “I Just Quit My Life – As I’ve Known It”
Aaron and I love to travel (clearly). With so many trips to places near and far, we’re no strangers to packing bags. However, packing for a one- or two-week vacation is vastly different than preparing for a year or more overseas. We can no longer think in terms of packing enough to get us through every day of the trip; we have to focus instead on what we really need and what we’re willing to carry on our backs for fourteen months.
We’re three months from departure, and we’ve finally gotten these details mostly figured out. Read on to see what you should include for a long-term trip.
The first major step has been taken on the path towards traveling the world. I just put in notice to leave my job on April 15th. The experience was quite nerve-wracking, but I did it. The reaction from my bosses was not quite what I expected.
Welcome to 2019. THE year. We have finally arrived. We have earned the right to say we are leaving to travel the world THIS YEAR. That’s exhilarating and terrifying. Being on this side of the year makes all the difference, as it’s finally beginning to feel real. We’re doing this. And there’s still so much to do!
Continue reading “5 Months Until We Leave – Tasks Still Remaining for the Trip of a Lifetime”
We’re toning back a bit on our blogging, as we’re now in crunch time before we leave for our big trip! Therefore, enjoy full posts every other week, with quick travel highlights like these in the alternates. Let us know what you think! We’d love to know what your favorites are!
We had so much incredible food in Japan; how could we pick just one favorite? While we loved the comforting ramen and drooled over the extravagant ryokan breakfast, one restaurant rose to the top, and it still makes my stomach grumble at the thought of it.
Continue reading “World Highlights: Our Favorite Japanese Meal”
As we break in our new toys and recover from our eggnog hangovers, Aaron and I are beginning to think about next year’s Christmas. We depart for our crazy journey next summer, and we will be travelling for (at least) a year. That inevitably means we’ll be in another country for my favorite holiday. Where should we celebrate it?
Continue reading “Christmas Abroad: Where Should We Celebrate?”
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.
We’re taking a short break this week, but we don’t want to leave you without some fun Norway stories, so here’s one from my photography blog on our visit to Vigeland Park in Oslo. Feel free to follow my travel photography there as well, and we’ll have some new stories for you next week!
At first, we saw only a massive stretch of green lawn, and we were drawn in by the pungent smell of burning coals. This led us to a space buzzing with people. Couples wandered along the expansive path; groups of adolescents sat laughing on stretched-out blankets, a joyful tune emanating from their portable speakers and a beer in their hands.
As we ventured deeper into Vigeland Park, we reached a broad bridge sporting dozens of sculptures on either side.
The first thing I noticed was the sculptures were all unabashedly nude – men, women, children, all completely out in the open. But as I observed the artwork, I was taken aback by the simple beauty of the scenes depicted.
Read the full article: Vigeland Park – Oslo’s Sculpture Park | LotsaSmiles Photography
While we were camping most of the time in beautiful Norway, we did also have a few opportunities to marvel at some of the ingenious architecture across the country. And though we saw so little of it, it still made quite the impression!
When visiting someplace new, first impressions can make a big difference. A single day can determine if we want to return, what we think of the people, and how much we’ll talk about it when we return. The first few hours can set the mood for the entire trip.
Fortunately, Oslo was a delightful introduction to Norway.
