Monthly Recap: Month 2

09/04/201409/01/2014globegazers 7 Comments

**Special Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad (Peggy and Wayne) Edition!

We have now been on the road for 2 months! The trip has started to feel more and more real and less like a summer vacation. School has recently started and that really made a difference in how the trip feels for Della. It is hard to believe we are going to be gone for so long. At the same time, we are already 2 months in! We plan to do a recap every month to summarize and then reflect.

Countries visited: 5 (South Africa, Germany (though only for an 8 hour layover), Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia)

Beds Slept In: 11

UNESCO Heritage Sights Visited: 10 (Fossil Hominid Sights of South Africa, Robben Island, Cape Floral Region, Kutna Hora, Historic Center of Prague, Historic Center of Cesky Krumlov, Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, Krakow’s Historic Center, Wieliczka Salt Mine, Auschwitz Birkenau) Total on RTW: 15

We traveled by 3 planes (though they were 3 legs of the same trip from Cape Town to Prague)

We traveled by 5 trains (one of them was an overnight train!)

We traveled by 5 long distance buses.

Top Moments:

~ Our first top moment came at the very beginning of the month! During our time in Cape Town, we took a tour to the Cape Peninsula. It was a wonderful day with beautiful weather and amazing scenery. First we drove to Cape Point which was gorgeous. From then came our top moment: we took an approx 45 min hike from Cape Point to the Cape of Good Hope. Check out some pictures and I’m sure you will see why!

~We were so fortunate to have Eric’s parents join us for our time in Prague. They met us at the airport as they flew in from the US and we came from Munich. A top moment was definitely when we successfully connected!

~ Prague is an amazingly beautiful city. On our second day there we made our way to the Prague Castle. On the way, Eric led us to an gorgeous overlook near the Strahov monastery. Our top moment was looking out on the beauty of our first European city.

~ We spent 2 nights in the town of Cesky Krumlov. What a wonderful place! We arrived in the late afternoon and were happy to find that our Airbnb was just as close to the old town center as described. We immediately went out exploring. Our top moment was enjoying this beautiful city at dusk. There were not nearly the amount of tourists that we had encountered in Prague, people were a bit friendlier, and the old town was magical. We climbed into the castle and descended the stairs as the city fell into darkness. It was beautiful.

Runners up for Top Moments:

~ Our hike to the top of Table Mountain was fantastic. It almost made the cut for top moments especially because of our relief about the weather. Our last full day in Cape Town dawned cloudy and dreary. We decided to go ahead with our planned climb anyway. As we drove up to the base of the hiking trail we rose above the clouds!! We were then fortunate to have a beautiful day! Plus, the heavy clouds below us made for some amazing views!

Morning gloom…

Base of the hike- above the clouds and the sun is shining!

~ We arrived in Krakov without knowing quite what to expect. This Polish city does not have the reputation of Prague or Budapest, but it definitely delivered. We arrived the first evening and explored the incredibly beautiful, clean, and quaint old town. Ate in a delicious, friendly milk bar, and revelled in the less touristy atmosphere.

~ We left bustling Prague for the great city of Olomouc. Here we found a bit of peace and quiet in another lovely Czech town. We explored the city, enjoying the pleasant and uncrowded town square. Such a relief from the craziness of Prague.

UNESCO listed Plague Column

Communist inspired astrological clock

~ After not having a really great, community oriented hostel experience since the Amber Tree in Cape Town, we were so excited to find a good time at the Ginger Monkey Hostel in Zdiar, Slovakia. There was a fantastic onsie party and a pizza eating contest to give you an idea 😉

Items Missing, Broken, Discarded, or Added:

Nothing missing, broken, or discarded!

Added: 1. Eric’s new watch and 2. Eric’s new camera (Thanks to Donna!)

Packing Update:

We have not made any changes to our bag contents except for one small thing. We sent home our pair of binoculars with Eric’s parents. We are starting to wonder if we are ever going to use the summer weather clothing that we brought. Europe has been quite cold and we haven’t even worn our shorts, tank tops, or swim suits.

Books Read: (Have you read any of these??)

Della has read The Stand by Stephan King and Starfish by Peter Watts
Eric had read The Covenant by James Michener, Poland by James Michener, Everything is Going to be Great by Rachel Shukert, The Bridge at Andau by James Michener, Final Epidemic by Earl Merkel
Eric and Della have BOTH read The Eagle has Landed by Jack Higgens

Our reading has slowed down considerably from last month (at least Della’s has…). I guess that is what happens when you suddenly have access to the internet again…

Make sure to catch up on all our monthly recaps: Monthly Recap 1

Roads of the Self-Drive Safari

08/17/201408/10/2014enjean2013 3 Comments

We talked a lot about the roads of our safari, so we wanted to give you an idea of those as well. Here is a photo essay of the roads we drove while on safari.

Roads of South Africa

There were many big regular highways in South Africa, but our first campsite took us off of them!

Why did the Kudu cross the road?

Roads of Botswana

There were of course long stretches of tar highways here too. The hardest part was watching for the many many cows and donkeys that constantly decided to cross the road in front of you. There were warthogs leaping out on the road every now and then as well. As we made our way into the parks, the roads became deep sand.

Why did the springbok cross the road?

The impalas needed to cross the road as well!

Here is the road where we got stuck. It was purely accident that we got this picture. We just took it, continued driving and picked the wrong road. It is hard to see how deep the sand was down there… but it was bad!

We had to drive INTO the river about 15 feet to actually get ONTO this ferry.

Always watch out for the donkeys!

This was called third bridge. Not much of a bridge… as you can see.

Luckily, 4th bridge was a little more bridge like.

Roads of Namibia

After Botswana, Namibia felt like a breeze. No more deep sand, but lots and lots of gravel.

And why did the elephants cross the road? No… I still don’t have an answer…

We had to drive into the sun sometimes. This evening was particularly difficult cause there was a lot of dust in the air… we could hardly see!

Don’t forget to watch out for giraffes!

And zebra of course!

It did get a little hilly in Namibia.

The blind hills were the hardest!

The Skeleton Coast felt like we were on another world.

There were some windy roads!

IMG_9592_edt We enjoyed the southern African version of waysides or picnic areas. We would see a sign for a table under a tree… and then you’d always see the table under the tree!

Watch out for the above sign. They meant you were about to cross a river… most likely a dry one. But it was good for a big dip!

Denver to New York via Dallas

07/02/201405/28/2015globegazers 2 Comments

The very first leg of our journey involved a very early trip to the airport. Our flight from Denver left at 5:50 am, so we were up by about 3:30. We had everything packed the night before, so it wasn’t too bad. The only almost problem was that Eric couldn’t find his watch. It took the whole family searching (we had stayed at Della’s parents’ house the night before) frantically to find it at the last minute!

: Goodbye at the airport

: Getting on the plane

: Sunrise from the plane

We were able to have a short layover in Dallas which was excellent. Eric’s sister Suzanne made the drive out to the airport so we could spend a little time with her. We enjoyed seeing her, especially because next time we do she will be a mom!

We arrived into LaGuardia in NYC where we took the M60 bus into Manhattan. From there we were able to get on the 6 line to meet Jon (a friend of ours from college). We had an enjoyable afternoon with him, seeing his apartment, meeting his dog, and eating at the Third Avenue Ale House where we both sampled local brews from New York.

: Jon, Della and Bering

: Eric, Jon and Bering

: Ready for some Globe Gazing… also ready to adjust our packs

In the evening, we took the 6 to the E out to Jamaica where we caught the LIRR out to Bridgehampton where we will spend our first few nights away from home with Della’s uncle Richard! We have never been to the Hamptons before and are excited to relax by the beach and pool.

Departure Date Update

06/24/2014globegazers 2 Comments

So, the countdown on the side of this blog is counting down till the day we leave the country. But we feel like we should update it a bit. We now (finally) have our ticket from Denver to NYC. The departure date from Denver is 6/29 – a mere 5 days away. We are equal parts excited and nervous. I’m sure it will seem more real as we actually get on the plane.

We have a few days planned for NYC – and then off to Africa… and adventure!

One Week: To Do

06/24/2014globegazers 3 Comments

So, we know the blog has been pretty quiet the last few weeks. When you take a look at our to-do list you’ll understand why! We have both been out of work since June 6th. We thought we would have a leisurely time packing up and knocking items off the checklist. Little did we know that we would be working all day every day to get everything done! If you look close at the list, you’ll notice a lot more things are marked DONE, but there are a lot more things on it too… things we didn’t know we had to do until now. ACK! But luckily, we are on schedule for our June 29th departure to NYC.

PLANNING

Contact and plan our safari – DONE
Make lodging arrangements for Johannesburg – DONE
Explore Travel Insurance Options & select/purchase policy – DONE
Add pages to both passports – NOT NEEDED TILL ASIA
check visa/passport requirements for all countries – DONE
Get passport photos taken for visas (have several printed) – DONE
Scan all documents into digital format and save to both emails
Gather all CC contact numbers, embassy numbers, etc. – download app? – DONE
Get new international drivers licenses – DONE
Get family and friends setup with Skype/Viber – HALF DONE
set temporary change of address with post office
Finalize packing lists
Put together med kit – HALF DONE
figure out how to unlock Eric’s phone – DONE
Figure out what to do with Della’s phone – DONE
decide on final packs – DONE
decide on final plug options (give dad others to return) – DONE
purchase plane ticket to NYC – DONE
decide where to stay while in NYC – DONE
purchase plane ticket to South Africa – DONE
purchase plane ticket to Prague – DONE
purchase train ticket Johannesburg to Capetown – DONE
Collect travel planning documents (scanned/packed) – HALF DONE
Contact insurance company related to cars – DONE
fill out power of attorney documents (general and medical)
Copies of Safari Info to parents
Finalize Safari – DONE
Book Air BnB Prague

HOUSE/STUFF

Rent our house – DONE
write a lease for our house rental – DONE
Donate stuff not worth selling – HALF DONE
Make arrangements for storage of the amount we plan to keep – DONE
Pack up the house
- Study – DONE
- Master Bedroom – HALF Done
- Guest Bedroom 1 – HALF DONE
- Guest Bedroom 2 – DONE
- Kitchen – HALF DONE
- Living Room – HALF Done
- Basement big room – Mostly Done
- Basement sound room – DONE
- bathroom 1 – DONE
- bathroom 2 – DONE
- master bathroom – HALF DONE
- garage
- utility room – HALF DONE
Sell extra clothes on ebay – HALF DONE
discontinue utility services – DONE

PETS

Texi to vet – DONE
Texi to TX – DONE

MEDICAL

Make a visit to our travel doc for meds/vaccines – DONE
Dentist appointments – DONE
Final doctors appointment – DONE
Eye exams – new glasses (della) – DONE
figure out when insurance ends – DONE July 1
Della – get new orthodics – DONE
Fill prescriptions – DONE

MONEY$

Finish up credit card minimum spends – DONE
Cancel unnecessary credit cards – HALF DONE
decide which cards to continue gaining miles on – DONE
notify all cards of international travel – HALF DONE
set up venmo – DONE
Get updated credit/debit cards – HALF DONE

TO BUY

External Hard drives – DONE
wire padlocks (TSA) – DONE
space on the cloud for storage (decide what spaces we will use: dropbox, google drive, other??) – DONE
rain covers/travel covers for packs – DONE
drain plugs – DONE
extra camera batteries (della) – DONE
buy more camera memory cards – DONE
Good walking/hiking/zumba shoes – DONE
good sandals – DONE
travel clothing – DONE
New phone for Della – DONE
VPN – DONE

EVERYTHING ELSE

Get website up and running – DONE
Photo website up and linked into our Blog – DONE
Della – figure out how to pack/transition classroom – DONE
Buy new washer – DONE
Buy new dryer – DONE
Install washer/dryer – DONE
Have going away party – DONE
Eric – learn/practice driving stick shift
Eric – transition to shaving with bladed razor – DONE
Eric- get LASIK – DONE
Della – new driver’s license – DONE?
Eric- New driver’s license – DONE?
Della – renew license plates – DONE?
Modify Netflix Subscription
Clean house
Clean cars

Good Advice

Video06/01/2014globegazers 1 Comment

A family member (Thanks Adam!) sent us this video. We thought it was incredibly appropriate!

Ode to Texi

Video05/18/2014globegazers 3 Comments

One week from now we will be saying farewell to our kitty for the year that we are gone. She will be well taken care of, but it will still be quite hard to say goodbye. She’s a strange cat, but we love her anyway. Here is our Ode to Texi.

Two Months: To Do

05/06/2014globegazers 2 Comments

As of May 2, we are two months from our departure date! There is so much to do. We decided to make a list to help us celebrate what we’ve done and keep track of what is left.

PLANNING

Contact and plan our safari – DONE
Make lodging arrangements for Johannesburg
Explore Travel Insurance Options & select/purchase policy
Add pages to both passports – NOT NEEDED TILL ASIA
check visa/passport requirements for all countries
Get passport photos taken for visas (have several printed)
Scan all documents into digital format and save to both emails
Gather all CC contact numbers, embassy numbers, etc. – download app?
Get new international drivers licenses
Get family and friends setup with Skype/Vyber
set temporary change of address with post office
Finalize packing lists
Put together med kit
figure out how to unlock Eric’s phone?
Figure out what to do with Della’s phone
decide on final packs
decide on final plug options (give dad others to return)
purchase plane ticket to NYC
purchase plane ticket to South Africa – DONE
purchase plane ticket to Prague – DONE
purchase train ticket Johannesburg to Capetown
Collect travel planning documents (scanned/packed)
Contact insurance company related to cars
fill out power of attorney documents (general and medical)

HOUSE/STUFF

Rent our house – HALF DONE
write a lease for our house rental
Sell books on amazon?? (eric)
Donate stuff not worth selling – HALF DONE
Make arrangements for storage of the amount we plan to keep
Pack up the house
- Study
- Master Bedroom
- Guest Bedroom 1
- Guest Bedroom 2
- Kitchen
- Living Room
- Basement big room
- Basement sound room
- bathroom 1
- bathroom 2
- master bathroom
- garage
- utility room
Sell extra clothes on ebay
discontinue utility services

PETS

Texi to vet – SCHEDULED
Texi to TX – SCHEDULED

MEDICAL

Make a visit to our travel doc for meds/vaccines – SCHEDULED
Dentist appointments – SCHEDULED
Final doctors appointment – SCHEDULED/DONE
Eye exams – new glasses (della) – DONE
figure out when insurance ends – DONE July 1

MONEY$

Finish up credit card minimum spends – DONE
Cancel unnecessary credit cards
decide which cards to continue gaining miles on
notify all cards of international travel

TO BUY

External Hard drives – DONE
wire padlocks (TSA)
space on the cloud for storage (decide what spaces we will use: dropbox, google drive, other??)
rain covers/travel covers for packs
drain plugs
extra camera batteries (della) – DONE
buy more camera memory cards – DONE
Good walking/hiking/zumba shoes
good sandals – DONE
travel clothing – MOSTLY DONE

EVERYTHING ELSE

Get website up and running – DONE
Photo website up and linked into our Blog
Della – figure out how to pack/transition classroom
Buy new washer
Buy new dryer – DONE
Install washer/dryer
Have going away party
Eric – learn/practice driving stick shift
Eric – transition to shaving with bladed razor – DONE
Eric- get LASIK – DONE
Della – advertise student blog

I Wear Your Granddad’s (Travel) Clothes… I Look Incredible!

04/23/201405/20/2014globegazers 4 Comments

As we’ve been planning for our trip, we have had to think about what clothes we want to bring that can stand up to a year of travel. We’ve read all about getting fabrics that are durable, quick drying, odor resistant, etc. The easy way to do this would be to go to REI and have ourselves a shopping spree…

but that’s not really our style!

We’ve been shopping for our travel clothes at… surprise, surprise… the THRIFT SHOP!

Why the Thrift Store?

We’ve always shopped at the thrift store for a cheap source of everyday clothes. As part of keeping our trip affordable, we figured we would take the same approach when searching for travel clothes. You can find quality clothing for reasonable prices. Despite Macklemore’s song, it’s not all multi-generational hand-me-downs or quirky, outlandish things. Brand names are not that hard to find.

How to Search

It does require a little bit of extra effort to find items appropriate for travel. It’s not like there is a special travel section like you might find at a “new goods” store. First, we did our research on the kinds of things that we were looking for. Most people tout clothing made out of synthetic fabrics like polyester because it dries quickly. Other people say merino wool is even better for temperature control and odor resistance. Most thrift stores organize all of their clothes by size (though some by color). We have gotten pretty good at gauging fabric as we’re flipping through hanger after hanger of shirts or pants. We have also mastered the art of finding the tag that lists fabric type and care in almost no time at all.

What We’ve Found

Eric’s Haul

Della’s Haul

We were excited to find some of the brand names that we would probably have searched for if we were looking for new clothes such as Go Lite, REI, and Columbia.

What’s Left?

We aren’t only shopping at the thrift store. Certain items, like underwear and shoes, we think are better to buy new. Also, we have received some excellent gifts of other new items. We have also utilized Ebay and Sierra Trading Post (which has been great with coupons and an easy return policy).

We definitely recommend making the thrift store part of your travel shopping plan!

Macklemore said it well… “One man’s trash, that’s another man’s come up!”

Traveling for a Year: Harder or Easier than “Real Life” ?

03/25/2014globegazers 3 Comments

As you can imagine, the anticipation for a year long journey is intense. We have been thinking about and looking forward to this trip for a very long time. As the time draws closer (3 months and 6 days!!) I have been swinging back and forth between two mental states:

Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to get out of here. The day to day grind of work and life is killing me! Life on the road will be so much easier!
and …
Oh my gosh, I can’t believe we’re actually doing this. I’m terrified. I won’t get to sleep in my own bed and curl up comfortably in my own home for a YEAR?! I have to live for a whole year with only the clothes that fit in my backpack? That is going to be really difficult!

So, is traveling for a year harder or easier than our “real lives”?? Both, perhaps?

Traveling will be easier.

No day to day grind! We will not be feeling the pressure of jobs or bosses or any of those normal “things you have to do.” We won’t ever feel bored with life.
We will have more choices about how to spend each day. If we want to rest, we rest. If we want to go out, we go out. If we enjoy a city or town, we get to stay longer. If we don’t find that something meets our expectations, we can get out of there more quickly. If we meet cool people who are going somewhere we didn’t even think of, we can change our plans on a whim and join them!
We will have a lot fewer schedules to keep. This sounds like the ones above, but has an extra layer. There will be much less time pressure. We will be able to forget about time for days at a time if we feel like it!
Sleeping in! This is really similar to the above bullet, but I mean come on! We can sleep in on any day we want!
And, the obvious – We can lay in hammocks sipping beers whenever we want =)

but…

Traveling will be harder.

We will be pushed outside our comfort zones every day. We will be navigating cultures and locations so different from our own constantly.
There won’t be a place that we can call “home.” We will constantly be on the move, living out of small backpacks, sleeping in all manner of places from the really grand to the really not, wearing the same set of clothes day in and day out.
We will be far away from friends and family having to function without any of the support system that we are used to. At times we will fill completely disconnected from everyone as lives will continue on without us: potential weddings, babies being born, birthdays, and holidays will proceed where we can’t be present.
Every day will require new and different kinds of problem solving. Talk about mental exercise! We will be exploring new places, using transit systems unfamiliar to us, in languages that we have no competency in. We will often worry about being scammed, cheated, or robbed… or just generally ending up in bad situations due to our mistakes or even just poor luck.
Traveling can be exhausting! We’re looking at a TON of long bus, train, rickshaw, taxi, and plane rides. Ugh.

So, while I’m sure that I will continue to think “only a few more months and I’m out of here!” every time something gets frustrating, I will remember that it won’t be a dream. Sometimes it will be gritty, real, and exhausting. I will miss you all very much and will hope you keep us updated on the big happenings in your lives!

Any comments on your experiences with long term travel would be appreciated!