One Giant Step…Is All It Takes

We had an open house on the weekend that finally proved fruitful!!  We have accepted an offer on our condo.  It’s on condition of the sale of the buyers current condo, but we are optimistic that their place is well priced and in a desirable area of town (wait a minute…isn’t that what we said a little while ago?). Anyway, they will be motivated to sell and we will think positive thoughts for them (and us)!

And so comes to the end of the ‘play off’ beard.  Jason has, in the interest of good karma (or so he tells me), not shaved since we placed our unit on the market.  Oh, he’s ‘cleaned it up’ and ‘kept it neat’, but he is currently fully bearded. He almost gave in just last week but I talked him through it and explained that he must keep the faith. And thank goodness too as this week has proven to be successful!

Truth be told though, I think it is J’s brother Kevin who might be the root of this good fortune. Kevin came to visit last year at this time and the following week Jason got an interview which led to his current job. Kevin happened to have been visiting just this past weekend and was here during the open house…jump to your own conclusions, I am thinking we might owe Kevin a beer! 

Stay tuned, and think positive thoughts!

We’re just about 1/2 way from when we decided we would take this step, to actually leaving at the beginning of June 2009. 

At first we were tentative and scared, wondering if we could, wondering if we should do this. Then we were secretive and excited as we planned and schemed a way to do it. After that we were anxious as we ‘let the cat out of the bag’ and told our family and friends of our plans. And we were motivated…spreadsheeting, reading, phoning, researching and learning. Read the rest of this entry »

Is it time to call a spade a spade? I can do that - I can call this a mid life crisis…but then I’m just not sure what to do with it!

The term ‘crisis’ seems a bit too serious really.  I mean, I’m not unhappy, or depressed, or in need of psychotherapy for crying out loud! And I’m not leaving my partner for a young cabana boy, buying a convertible, and dressing in tight leopard print skirts (although who am I to judge if that’s how you question your reality?).

I am just questioning the droning out of daily life that, I know, we all experience. I guess I have the privilege of having a midlife crisis - many people must feel the same way but do not have the opportunity to ’step out’ and take a break. That has, in fact, been one of the pieces that I’ve been struggling with…who am I to do this? What makes me different from anyone else? There are millions (billions?) of people out there who are also questioning their reality and they don’t have the options that I do. Maybe it’s my English roots, but I feel like I’m being a bit ‘posh’. Let’s just say that I know how lucky I am. Read the rest of this entry »

When it comes to planning a trip around the world, it seems you can do it one of three ways.

We haven’t decided yet which, of the three, we will go with. Each has merits, downsides and comfort level. On the travel sites I’ve visited, and the travelogues I read, one method does not stand out above the others as being more popular. That’s what makes the decision difficult - there doesn’t seem to be a ‘right’ way, or a ‘wrong’ way, to do this. Read the rest of this entry »

I love my spanish teacher.  I love learning spanish. I’m not sure I’m very good at it, as it seems to be taking a long time, but I am loving the process. I think I’m good at pronouncing the words, and I’m not bad at reading, but conjugating verbs and coming up with words is proving to be difficult.

Turns out I remember more french than I ever thought I knew!! It’s been about 24 years (seriously? that long?) since I’ve taken a french course but, every time I try to find a spanish word in my head, up pops the french word instead! And it sticks - I can’t get rid of it to find the spanish word. And so I’m left with a curious mixture of english and french and spanish…engfranish? Hopefully it’ll work itself out soon. Read the rest of this entry »

Since deciding to ’step out’ and travel around the world, we have read quite a few books. Except for Rolf Potts’ Vagabonding book, none have been about the ‘how to’ of long term travel. Rather, the books we are reading, and have read, offer smatterings of insight into other cultures, languages and lifestyles. Some provide inspiration or context for culture or religions, others provide language training or humour - all have been worth reading. Read the rest of this entry »

As South America is our first stop, it has been easier to develop an itinerary for.  Being there next summer makes it within reach and, therefore, easier to imagine a plan for.

Now for the caveat…although we have an itinerary, and a general sense of where we might be when, we are also open to any and all possibilities that might present themselves once we are there.  A plan is only needed so that it can be abandoned or altered at any point!

We are planning 3 months to travel through Peru, Chile and Argentina starting at the beginning of June 2009.  Although this does put us into the SA winter season, it fits well with the rest of the trip’s weather patterns and allows us to be in Peru during the best time to hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, I’m scared.  

Our place has been on the market for coming on three months, and not a nibble to be had. At first I thought our price was too high, so we dropped it.  And then we dropped it again. Then I thought that buyers were just waiting it out, seeing what our southern neighbors were doing, and then they would return. And now the stock market is crashing…and continues to crash. 

I know we’re not the only ones feeling like this bumpy ride might affect our plans. A number of blogs I follow have already asked the question. At the end of September, Christine from AlmostFearless wrote about whether traveling now was a good idea. I agree with all her points and, once we’re on the road, I believe that it will be a good place to be from an economic standpoint. Anil from foXnoMad came up with some interesting ways to consider funding, and even referenced us as inspiration! I fear I am not acting very inspirational lately as I tremble and wonder if our plans are in jeopardy.

J and I have talked a lot about what this might mean for us. We’re trying to brainstorm how we can weather this storm and still manage to take the step. 

• We could go for less time.
• We could go to less countries.
• We could stay longer in the less expensive countries.
• We could consider couch-surfing.
• We could each get a second job.
• We could tighten our belts and save more.
• We could work while on the road.

Not going is not an option. It just might not look exactly as we had thought - but then what plans ever work out exactly as planned?

Well, that’s the big question isn’t it? Where will we go? The world is a big space and, even given a year to travel, we can’t see it all.

As much as traveling the world is supposed to be a serendipitous adventure, for us, there still must be a rough itinerary that blocks out where will we will be and the ‘must sees’ of each area. This was an overwhelming notion for me as it seemed that every time I started I would get bogged down in the details - and I can’t be worrying about little details a year before we even leave!! Read the rest of this entry »

These links have made the rounds of many travelogues and travel sites, and may be considered old in some circles.  My family and friends, however, have probably not seen them - and they are worth seeing! Enjoy!!

Where The Hell Is Matt? (2006)

Where The Hell Is Matt? (2008)