Despite what most people think when I mention that Andy and I were in Southeast Asia for seven weeks, we were not on vacation. We kept calling it a working trip because our main goals were to write and work on other projects while enjoying some warm weather instead of the cold German winter. Sure, […]
I love to travel, I really do. I think it brings wonderful experiences, makes you look at the world differently, and builds confidence. One of my main reasons for blogging is to encourage others to travel. But sometimes I suck at it. Sometimes I wonder what was going through my mind when I booked the […]
In October of 2011, I spent about 10 days in Cambodia during my round the world trip. That’s not a very long time to see a country, so when Andy and I started researching places to go for our winter escape and he was interested in seeing Angkor Wat, I didn’t mind a return trip. […]
Imagine a life where your freedoms were being taken away, slowly, one at a time. Imagine a life where your movements were restricted, where you needed special permission and documentation to go somewhere you once could go freely. Imagine the government telling you this was all for your own good, that they were protecting you […]
Finding my purpose, the thing I’m supposed to be doing, is something I’ve given a lot of thought to over the past few years. Nine years working in aviation insurance showed me that insurance, and corporate jobs in general, are not for me. But what is the right path? What’s that thing that will light […]
Shortly before we left for our Beyond Vacation kick-off trip, Andy and I talked about our goals for the trip. It wasn’t just an extended vacation, it was the beginning of a new lifestyle. I realized that since I shared our goals with you before the trip, I should also let you know how we […]
I’ve never made a bucket list. I think having a list of goals is great, but I never felt the need to officially put together a bucket list because I fear that 95% of it would just be a list of places I want to visit. And let’s face it, that list of places might […]
Blue as far as the eye can see, above and below, all other colors seem trivial. But as the hours and minutes tick by, marked every half hour by the dinging of the church bells not so far away, the blue gives way to pastel pinks and pale purples. I close my eyes and take […]
It’s true, sometimes travel sucks. Don’t get me wrong, travel is a wonderful thing, I go crazy when I have too much time between trips, and I will always encourage people to get out there and experience the world. But it’s not all wonderful. As much as I love telling you about the great destinations […]
It’s so easy to get caught up in our life of comfort at home. I know how everything works, where everything is. I can almost go about my routine with my eyes closed. While this might not be so exciting, it can be nice to have that simplicity. Unfortunately that means I can easily forget […]