I can’t believe I’m writing this but…
We’ve just passed our one year anniversary on the road!
One year from downsizing our life. One year since we said goodbye to all of you. One crazy year to be traveling around the world. It’s all gone so fast.
Before I recap, here’s a little time capsule of how it really began…
For Valentine’s Day 2019 I gave Scott a large poster-size world map. We pinned it up and started marking locations where we wanted to visit…someday.
I love setting intentions and watching them become real. Finding Scott was one of them. And seeing the world was another. Here we are, fulfilling that dream and still going strong. May miracles never cease.
One year in, we’ve made it only part-way around the world. In part due to COVID travel restrictions, but mostly because there’s no big reason to move faster or, for that matter, to turn back and go home. Aside from seeing our families and friends, there’s so much of the world left for us to see.
At the end of a truly shitty year for most people on the planet…and this is hard to say given the tragedy that so many have faced…. this has been, without a doubt, the best year of my life — during a pandemic! Who gets to say that?
Looking back, here are some memorable people, moments and food we’ve enjoyed this year.
Travel Statistics…
We visited 8 countries
Moved 42 times in 52 weeks (not so slow travel)
Took 13 flights
And spent a little over $60,000
Our biggest challenges were…
Without hesitation I would say that the time difference between the US and wherever we were was the toughest hurdle. Staying connected to everyone takes shear commitment. Especially when I’m ready for bed and my friends and clients are just sitting down to morning coffee.
Also for me, constantly changing locations was tougher than I thought it would be. I’m a nester. I love home projects and making everything comfortable and beautiful. Therefore, I have unapologetically moved furniture and rearranged kitchens in numerous Airbnb’s in the last 12 months. Let’s just say, they needed it. And you’re welcome. I should make a business out of this. :)
Travel days are stressful. Navigating new airport restrictions, calculating visa expiration dates, filling out pandemic statements and obtaining COVID testing — all while maintaining social distancing — is exhausting.
Eating in restaurants everyday gets old. And it’s not uncommon for us to plan meals around curfews and early closing times.
Getting regular exercise is a challenge. Getting off schedule by relocating and settling into a new apartment takes its toll. We do our best to do 10,000 steps a day, push-ups, sit-ups, squats and some yoga stretches just to be able to carry our backpacks, but it doesn’t happen often enough.
Any sort of computer or iPhone issues are a real drag to deal with.
And because of Covid, all travel blog-resources have basically become obsolete. Google restaurant searches, too, are somewhat useless. As in, when we find a restaurant that has great reviews and is close by, many times we arrive and it’s closed. It’s been that kind of year.
Many people ask…How do we pick our next destination?
Our original criteria was: warm weather, location and costs. Now we add COVID restrictions to that list. It can take hours and hours of research to find which countries allow us entry as US passport holders (restrictions seem to change daily and aren’t always clear), travel logistics, visas, and which areas are safe for travelers, before we can commit. Nerve-racking for sure.
Scott is our research guru. He loves it and is great at it. He’ll pitch a new location at me with web links and maybe a friend’s recommendations and, if we both get excited about it, he books it.
I can say without a doubt that one of Scott’s gifts is creating memorable experiences without breaking the bank. We would truly not be having the kind of travel success we’ve had without his exhaustive work.
What I have learned about world travel…
Packing light is an art form and an amazing benefit. The most important item to have is comfortable shoes. Basically, any shoes worth packing must withstand the 10,000 steps per day criteria. I had to give into my ego and limited fashion sense and pick a pair of gaudy sneakers, which I wear almost everyday.
Don’t cut your own hair (I’m still growing out my mullet).
I’m more of an introvert than I realized. I have never thought of myself that way but I’ve noticed that I do get intimated at times about striking up conversations with strangers.
The world is smaller than I thought and people are people everywhere —we are more alike than we are different.
It surprises me how much American music we hear. Funny and out of context at times.
People are delighted to hear that we’re from California and love hearing our story. We’ve even had a couple of people play “Hotel California” for us on their iPhones as if that song was saved in their favorites.
Health care outside of the US is relatively good and inexpensive. Pricing is posted, so no guesswork. I recently had a mammogram in Croatia for $80 performed right in the doctor’s office.
Breakfast — beyond coffee, a cigarette and a pastry — isn’t a thing in most other cultures. Three meals a day seems to be an American concept. We also don’t see many obese people.
It’s hard to purchase anything before 9 am anywhere — even coffee.
I’ve been impressed with how much people know and care about American politics.
Venice really is sinking.
I have a deeper appreciation for…
Drinkable tap water.
Toilets that can flush toilet paper.
English speakers.
WhatsApp, Zoom, Uber/Uber Eats, Google Maps and Translator.
Facebook and friends who stay in touch.
Well-equipped Airbnb apartments.
Clothes dryers.
UNESCO World Heritage sites.
How are Scott and I doing?
We are together almost 24/7/365 with a few exceptions. We’ve learned a lot about each other and our pet peeves get put into perspective. For the record, traveling together for this length of time is truly more challenging than living together. We’ve had to adjust and learn what it means to be great travel partners. Occasionally we have a need for deep discussion about something that one of us is pissed off about, but for the most part we take deep breaths and keep our mouths shut. We look out for each other and keep things in perspective. It does take some practice but we’re doing great. And we say “I love you” a lot.
What do I miss?
In addition to my friends and family… our cat Gus. I miss lying in bed listening to him purr, cuddling him close to my chest. His new parents created an Instagram account for him so we can see him on a daily basis. No joke. We’re obsessed. You, too, can follow him here.
We also miss our home, our espresso machine, the Vitamix, bathtub and my closet full of comfy slippers, cute shoes and clothing.
And I miss driving.
When will we be back in the US?
For sure, we’ll be back in June, 2022 for Summer’s college graduation.
Are we looking for a place to live?
No, not yet. There’s too much of the world that we haven’t seen yet.
Here are some of my favorite moments…
And some of our favorite food and beverages…
We’re so grateful for…
Meeting friends who have opened their hearts and their homes. They have given us their best travel advice, provided home-cooked meals, helped with scheduling doctor’s appointments and maneuvering visa extensions. The fact that we have become friends with people who know we’ll only be in their lives for a short time, and yet friends forever…blows me away.
We’re sending love and gratitude to our new friends all over the world…
Mesa in Yelpapa. Cynthia in San Miguel. Anna Fiesta and Brendan in Antiqua. Eduardo, Bruno, Juliana, Ancé and Leo in Sao Paulo. Julian, Gaetan and Sierra in Medellin. Luka in Zagreb. Batu in Izmir. Çem in Cappadocia. Alpay, Mohammed and Veronica in Istanbul. Rene and Edith in Bodrum. Jenny in Selimiye. Barbara, Marko and Zelijana in Split. Favio, Ilan and Caroline in Rome. Kelly in Venice. Stephania in Palermo.
Saying that 2020 wasn’t exactly what we all hoped for would be a gross understatement. For the scrap book, here’s a short list of other milestones that we all shared:
January - Brexit and Kobe’s plane crash that killed all nine people on board.
Mid-February - COVID came into our awareness.
February - Harvey Weinstein found guilty and was later sentenced to 23 years.
Mid-March - We received stay-at-home orders in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
March - Meghan and Harry moved to the US.
April - My relationship gurus, Rachel and Dave Hollis, got divorced.
May - Unemployment hit a record high (highest since the great depression).
June - Black Lives Matter protests and violence broke out all across the world.
July - John Lewis died.
September - 120 degree temps in Los Angeles.
September - Ruth Bader Ginsberg died.
October - Trump diagnosed with COVID.
November - Election drama (most of the year).
November - Dow Jones reaches 30,000.
As of today, December 17th, US COVID deaths reached 308,000 people.
The last half of December is TBD….
Are we smart, brave or just plain lucky?
Who travels around the world during a global pandemic? Should we be traveling during a pandemic? Aren’t we risking our lives and the lives of others in the name of being mid-life nomads?
Believe me when I say we’ve asked ourselves all of these questions. This is the only thing we know for sure — when you don’t have a home to go to when things get tough, you just keep going — finding the safest place to visit, where we’ll be comfortable and welcome.
So…Onward! Let’s see what 2021 brings us. And Happy Holidays!!
Sending all our love from Istanbul,
Kelly and Scott