Curiosities

It's been a week since we first announced our trip, and we have been overwhelmed with all the supportive messages that everyone has been sending us. Thank you!

There are a handful of questions that we tend to always get asked. So, if you’re curious about how this whole RTW (Round The World) thing works, here we go…

Question #1: Did you guys win the lottery or something?

Ummm, no. In fact, we’ve been really surprised to find that nearly everyone’s first reaction to our trip has had something to do with money! It’s actually not as expensive to travel as you might think. We have read a lot of blogs about traveling on a budget and have done our research to find the right airline tickets, tour operators, hostels and discount cards to make this possible. It also doesn’t hurt that we are savers by nature, and so we’ve been saving very responsibly to make sure we have enough to last us the full year as well as a cushion for when we get back.

Question #2:  What about your jobs?

We’re the first ones to admit that leaving great jobs like ours, during a recession, is less than ideal. But when the time feels right, you just know! Both of our companies have been extremely supportive of our decision. We couldn’t have asked for more! When we arrive back in the U.S., we’ll assess our options, which could include a move back to Colorado. We know that jobs may not be available right away, but we have confidence in ourselves and know that it will all work out. And we hope that our worldly travels will make us even better candidates and employees.

Question #3: What are you most looking forward to seeing?

This is such an impossible question to answer because we are looking forward to so many things! If we had to pick a top 3, Steve’s would probably be trekking to Machu Picchu, kayaking the Milford Sound in New Zealand and living like a king in inexpensive Southeast Asia. Katie’s would probably be trekking to Machu Picchu, visiting the tulip fields in Holland and exploring the temples and countryside of Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam. 

Question #4: What are you doing with your home?

We have a property manager who will be helping us rent our condo in La Jolla. It has always been our plan to hold onto the property as an investment for many years, so this is a natural progression. Before we leave, we’ll be moving all of our belongings into a storage unit in San Diego.

Question #5: What kind of stuff are you taking with you?

We'll each have a backpack designed especially for this sort of traveling, and we’ve poured over every item on our packing list to make sure we really need it. After all, everything that we take and don’t use is one more pound on our backs! We have learned a lot about funny travel accessories…everything from packing cubes and travel towels to odor-resistant clothing and foldable bowls. Once we get on the road, we’ll supplement what we’re bringing with local items. 

Got more questions? Send us a note and we'll aim to please.

Gameplay

If you know me, you probably know how much I love athletics, competition and games in general…especially board games. When I was a kid, one of my all-time favorite games was LIFE. I don’t know what it was that made me love that game so much. Maybe it was all the twists and turns I could take or the possibility that I could wind up living at the Millionaire Estates. More than likely, it was because I wanted to grow up too fast. Regardless, whenever I would ask someone to play LIFE with me, they would almost always request a different game. My mom was the only person who I can remember who would play LIFE with me. I still remember that, Mom. Thank you!

About 8 years ago I found Steve, and he was willing to play “life” with me. Although this time it felt much more real. So we each spun the wheel to see who would go first. Steve won. His first move was to ask me to marry him. I said, "Yes!" and he put the pink peg in his car!

So we've been driving around now for the last couple of years, and so far we've landed on Career Choice, Pay Day, Buy a House, Taxes Due and Homeowners Insurance. Along the way we’ve found great jobs, made amazing friends, and have loved every minute of living in our beautiful little seaside neighborhood. We even dabbled in the stock market (who didn’t love to spin that wheel?). But before we add more pegs to the car, we’ve decided to round the next corner and take on a new adventure. We landed on a square that says TRAVEL THE WORLD!

On February 1, we're going to set off on an 11-month journey around the world. We'll be tracking our progress on this blog, so please join us by following along on this incredible adventure.