August 11, 2008

We're Going!

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” - Lao Tzu

Our first step was to commit to taking 7 months out of our busy lives to travel the globe rather then just talking and dreaming about it, which we had been doing for quite some time. Let me tell you, that is no small step out of the comfort zone.

Our initial questions were - "Where will we go?" - "What will we do with our house?" - "Can we afford it?" After committing to the trip and researching where to go and what to do, the questions changed to, "How can we fit everything into ONLY 7 months?" - "I know 30 countries is a lot, but what do we cut out?". We were able to reduce the number of countries to 19 (20 if you include beginning and ending in the United States). The following slide show is a pictorial view of our trip itinerary.

Good bye for now. We need to get back to packing, getting Aaron off to college, getting the house ready to rent, and turning the business over. We leave in 3 weeks!

5 comments:

Another Test said...

Best Wishes & Safe Travel on your ambitious trip around the world. Truly a monumental task, but something the world has forgotten from the safe & tellingly dour settings of one's TV/Cable/Dolby infected living room. This is about lasting personal experiences and an education unparalleled by any formal education.

Rest assured, I will be diligently returning to your blog with great curiosity day after day.

Cheers - Suraj

Swen and Dean said...

Blessings to you on good travel and great experiences. What an exciting itinerary.
It will be fun to hear of your travels.
"Go Ford Explorers".

-Swen
Dean Swenson's brother
The guy who borrows your dock once a year :)

O's said...

As Andy left to head over to your house tonight as he has so many nights the reality finally sank in, only a few days left until you begin your journey! We are of course so happy and excited for you all, but we are also with heavy hearts. It will be a long 204 days. Of course will will keep in contact via email, blog & skype(thanks for setting my skype up Jennifer), but it won't be the same as sitting on the deck or out by the pool with you guys. I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like for Andy, I don't think it will really hit him for awhile. It's good to know that after the cold winter season, the spring thaw and baseball season will bring you all back! We send you off with our love and wish you safe travel on your adventure. . God Bless! Roman, Liz, Brandon and Andy (Elvis, OZ, Turtle...)& coco!

Beth said...

Wishing you traveling mercies, friends! Here's to building a treasure chest of memories and adventures. Our love and prayers will follow you. The blog will help us see it all through modern technology.

Linda said...

Thinking of you all daily and praying for a wonderful and SAFE journey. Much love, Linda