Monthly Archives: December 2011

RTW Interview with our Parents

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We interviewed both of our parents and asked them to be honest about their first reactions when we told them about the trip in October 2011. Read below through all of the different emotions that your family and friends will think and feel when you tell them about your own RTW!

Fireside in Breckenridge

What was your first reaction after you heard the news?

M: I got tears in my eyes because I thought they were telling me they were having a baby. As soon as I recovered and realized that wasn’t the news, I was really happy for them. I had a lot of questions of course, because I was interested and fascinated, since they will be the only two people I personally know who have done this.

J: I was in awe. It is something you don’t expect to hear. I was warned it was not a baby so I really didn’t know what to expect. I thought it was fantastic you can do it at such a young age.

C: Really thought you weren’t serious and I was being set up for some other news

D: I was shocked. It took my breath away. I felt like I wanted to cry.

What was your reaction the next day after a good nights sleep?

M: Pretty much the same except for the crying part, haha. I was happy for them, especially since I know how much they love to travel and that it would be something I would love to do, so I can watch them do it and see it through their eyes.

J: You just signed a 2 yr lease and now you are leaving for 9 months. How do you make that work? That was the Dad in me. I still thought it was a great idea and the right time to do it.

C: A good night’s sleep didn’t come for a few days, but it brought a mixture of questions, excitement and fear all at once. I wondered why now, why those places and… why not go if you want to…. all at once

D: I was a little calmer but I still felt sad and worried.

Are you excited for them? (Don’t Lie) If so, what are you most excited about?

M: Oh my goodness, yes. I think I already stated that. Nothing but excited. I think I’m most excited about the experiences they will have, the people they will meet, and all the amazing sights. As I said, they are the only people I know who will have had this experience, so I think we can’t even imagine the wonders that are in store for them.

J: Yes I am excited for them. I think of the Tim Ferris book, 4 hour work week and he says to immerse yourself in a culture when you travel. That way you really learn and experience the people, not just going a staying in an expensive hotel. You are doing it the right way.

C: Excitement is a healthy balance of fear and anticipation at the same time. I have excitement both for immediate plans and long term plans. The trip is to places that are going to be very unfamiliar and every day will bring challenges I personally don’t care to have but many people love them ( amazing race show is really popular). Longer term, opening a new business is stressful and doing two at the same time doubles the effort. However, the preparation is already going on a year in advance so the odds are better for success and a plan B or Plan C can always be invoked

D: I’m excited for them because they want to travel and see the world and its people and customs; but, I would prefer they didn’t go for such a long time period.

What are your concerns about the trip?

M: Honestly, I’ve tried to live my life by Philippians 4:6 – “Do not worry about anything…” I know that they will have planned the trip well and taken every precaution, and that they will have lots of people praying for them. I think life would be very dull if we sat at home not doing anything or going anywhere because we were afraid to take chances at the risk of something happening. That is not living. I’ve been raising kids for 26 years and am just now getting the opportunity to travel and am going to jump at every chance to go anywhere I can. Life is short and we need to live it to the fullest! God loves a happy heart, I think travelling makes J and C happy. :)

J: Worry came much later. You are planners. Josh is extremely thorough and doesn’t leave anything to chance so the logistics I know will work out. There is worry because I am a parent and you never know what will happen in the world but you can’t let that stop you from enjoying the trip. The only real worry is health and those dang ferry boat accidents.

C: The trip will be through many places where U.S. rules of life do not apply so risks lurk everywhere…as do discoveries as to why life can vary so much from place to place and still be rich and fulfilling.

D: I’m concerned for their safety and their health. I worry about where they will live and if it will be clean and safe. I worry about whether the people they meet will be friendly and helpful. I worry about jobs for them when they come home.

What do you want them to bring back for you?

M: Photos of exotic places that I’ll never see, so I can experience them through their eyes.

J: Stories we can sit around the family room and listen to for years to come.

C: Themselves in one piece by Thanksgiving 2012!

D: I want them to just bring themselves home refreshed about their lives and their futures.

What are your friends saying when you tell them about your kid’s crazy ideas?

M: First of all, I don’t think it’s crazy. I haven’t told anyone, it’s still a secret.

J: They cannot believe we have kids that have everything together so they can quit their jobs and travel the world.

C: Most everyone I have talked to has been to one or more places you are going to so I seem to be the person who doesn’t have the well-travelled life.

D: Some friends thought it was a little crazy to quit jobs in this economic environment. Some said it’s best that they travel around the world now before they have children. Some felt the countries they were going to weren’t safe to travel in.

Will you visit them?

M: Yes, I would like to go to Thailand if finances permit.

J: Yes, the planning and saving has started.

C: Thought of visiting is making its way through stages. Intellectually the idea is good since I have never travelled out of the country. the passport application is complete but no photo yet. then the big stage ….agreeing to a meet date and getting reservations along with other plans to visit other places too on the trip.

D: We hope to visit them in Spain. 

How can your kids afford this…are you funding the trip?

M: I’m sure they have figured that all out, And no, we are not funding their trip. Still have two dependent kids at home!

J: My kids have always been planners and I know they wouldn’t embark on this if they couldn’t afford it. Especially since I ain’t paying for it!

C: They are paying for it themselves with saved money and valuable time which they see both as best spent doing the adventure

D: No, we are not helping toward the cost of the trip. They have saved and sacrificed for this dream themselves.

Any other thoughts on the RTW trip?

M: They are blessed beyond imagination to have this opportunity, and I know they will have God’s loving arms around them the whole way. How wonderful to travel the world with the one you love – I can’t think of anything more amazing – truly a dream come true!

J: I think it is an incredible experience that they can do now when they are young that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

C: Their lifetime together is going to be a long one. The next phase of their life will involve more time and personal/career commitments than they have had so far. Although I didn’t think about before they announced the trip, this is likely the best time to go. Since I have not traveled much, their location choices would not have been my choices. I just wish they were going to Australia…that is a place I would meet them!!

D: I will be praying for you both everyday. I hope God will show you what He wants you to see and learn about people and yourselves on this trip. We love you so much!

What’s Wrong with the Beaten Path?

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Pisa, Italy

As I read blog after blog of fellow travelers, a constant theme is the determination to get off the beaten path and experience the “new” and the “real” parts of each country. Tourist locations are slammed due to their commercialization and modernization, while some vagabonders purchase a guidebook to find out where not to go.

Now, I’m not a fan of being herded through a castle with a huge tour group, or waiting in line to see the Eiffel Tower, but I also think that you can visit the seven wonders of the world and not buy a suitcase full of souvenirs or pay astronomical prices for every meal.

Every trip is what you make of it and I don’t see what is so wrong with the beaten path. I would never suggest for someone to not visit the Grand Canyon because it made some travel list, or to skip the Colosseum in Rome because they might run into some camera wearing, loud-talking tourists. I proudly went to the leaning tower of Pisa and took my token photo holding it up, and I climbed every step to the top of the Eiffel Tower and am glad I did! These is a reason these locations were deemed beautiful or unique or a must-see.

Now, on the other hand, I do hate to see the fast food restaurants that have turned up across the street from some of these spectacular sights, and I don’t enjoy being nagged by people trying to sell me a cheese replica of some statue or a yarn bracelet that I don’t want (and boy do they persevere!). The more popular an attraction is, the more difficult it is to keep it special. If you don’t regulate the tourism you will have a lot of people quickly overrun beautiful scenery and not much will be left for future generations to enjoy.

There is a lot to say about sustainable tourism, but I will leave that for another post. When I hear about how the Inca Trail limits the number of tourists who can hike every year, I know that we are making strides in preserving the beautiful earth and hopefully it will be around for future enjoyment. I know there are a lot of great travelers out there making a change and lessening their footprint while they travel.

Anyways, when I travel you will see me both on and off the beaten path. I will be there taking photos of the big and the beautiful that the country is known for, but I will always sneak off on the road less traveled in search of new experiences and adventure. It’s important to remember that when you travel, it’s not for anyone but yourself. Go where you want to go, because one person’s tourist trap may be another’s life changing experience.

Do you follow the path previous travelers have taken…or do you create your own?

We Are Traveling the World Because We Are Rich!

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Money In The Bank

Yes, the secret is out.

To everyone who is wondering how we are able to travel the world.. it is true.. we are rich!

At age 26, we aren’t rich in the fact that we are hoarding money at the bank, but we are rich in life. We are content with where we are and excited about where we are going. We aren’t climbing any ladders to make the next promotion and bigger paycheck, but we are happy using every dollar towards our goals and activities that we are passionate about.

How we have found Happiness:

Answer this question: What gets you up in the morning?

What excites you? What do you spend all of your money on? What are your passions? What is your dream job or experience? Write them down. Determine what it is that brings you happiness. Mine is travel.

Always drink your glass half full

It is very easy to tell yourself that your dream will never happen, and you should go through life comfortably, always walking on the sidewalk and coloring inside the lines. Keep your glass half full and be patient because if you know what you are striving for and maintain a positive attitude then nothing can stop you. There will always be naysayers telling you that you are being irresponsible. Many will be jealous that you are willing to risk your “comfortable life” in order to live rich. Some just have empty glasses and will never let themselves be filled. You can only control your own mind, and believe in yourself. Set your goals and a plan to reach them, knowing what is waiting for you once you get there.

Use all available resources to strive towards what you want

Cut spending ruthlessly on the things you don’t care about and spend on things that truly matter. The secret to being rich is understanding true needs and wants. Your spending should have a purpose. Mindless consumption will not help you achieve any of your goals.

Focus your time on improving your passion. Soak up as much relevant information as possible, talk with people who share your passion, read blogs and books on the topic. Then just go do it. That first step may be the hardest, but afterwards your time spent will be engaging because it is something you are truly interested in. Starting something, anything is a sure way to open yourself up to new opportunities.

Surround yourself with people who support you

Your friends and family don’t have to like what you’re passionate about but they do have to support YOU! If people in your life doubt you or are negatively influencing your thoughts and actions than you don’t need them in your life at that time. This may seem harsh to cut people out, but having them dragging you down will bring your further from your goal of living a rich life.

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

Living rich isn’t always easy, you are sacrificing in some areas of your life in order to focus on others. You may not be living the life of someone that is financially rich, so you are avoiding the Four Seasons or skipping out on a new restaurant in the city. In the end, making these choices will leave you more fulfilled than ever before. I may not always stay in 5 star, or even 3 star resorts when I am on a trip, but that uncomfortable bed or language barrier doesn’t bother me because when I am traveling I am content beyond belief. I am comfortable (and happy) to eat at food stalls in new countries and take a 24+ hour bus trips to get to my destination in return for the fantastic reward of new places and people to meet.

As I mentioned earlier, we are traveling the world because we are rich. We are blessed to both be aware of our passion and willing to risk the comfortable norm in order to live a richer life. We aren’t rich in a financial sense but in that we discovered an opportunity and have seized it to live the type of life we would like to live.

The Big RTW Secret

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When you first start planning a trip around the world it seems like a dream. Your time is occupied with “what if we lived here for a month”, “we will need to add pages to our passport”, and stressing over the big day you leave your “security blanket” (job).

Soon things get a little more serious, you have a rough itinerary and you are beginning to make to-do lists with deadlines quickly approaching. At this point you might have shared your plans with one of your closest friends, but even they most likely think you’re crazy and won’t actually go through with such an elaborate trip. You even may doubt that you have the energy to go through with your plans, but by telling one other person you’re validating it. You have opened up your goals to someone else which will only help you drive towards making it happen.

When do you tell people and in what order? How long do you wait until you tell your work? These were questions that we struggled with.

8 Months Out

We each told only our families and 1 or 2 of our closest friends about our goals and timelines but we still hadn’t purchased our tickets at this point so there was nothing concrete. (Yes, we only officially decided to do this 8 months prior to our original date, but then we moved up the date by 3 months!)

3 Months Out

I started telling more of my friends, still keeping it quiet, but letting more people know about the plans. We knew we were going to buy our tickets within the next month and plans had moved forward at a good rate so we felt more confident at this time to answer questions that we knew everyone would ask.

2 Months Out

At this point we bought our tickets and told our work. We spoke to others who left their companies to travel and the average amount of time they gave their jobs was somewhere between 6 – 8 weeks. This was a big week for us because not only did we notify our employers but we told Facebook, and everyone knows that once you put something on Facebook then it is finally official. We each had our own list of people we wanted to call and talk to personally on the phone about the trip before we went public with it, and out of respect made sure to put in the time to call people directly.

We now have less than 1 month until our lease ends and we are openly talking about it and it is no longer a secret or just a crazy dream. It is happening and we are excited for you all to come along for the ride!

W Ft. Lauderdale [Hotel Review]

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w-logo-window

Name: W Fort Lauderdale
Where: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
When: December 2011
Price: $0 / night (paid with free SPG resort nights)

Who helped us? [Service]

With Josh’s Platinum status with SPG, I have to admit that we get spoiled when we visit any of their properties. Check-in was quick and they had upgraded us a couple of levels to a two room flat. It had a full kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and two bathrooms and three balconies! Everyone was extremely helpful when we called the Whatever/Whenever line to ask a couple of questions and quick to deliver anything we needed to the room. The staff at this hotel is ready and willing to help.

What did it look like? [Ambiance]

You know you are in a W when you are greeted with sophistication and style. There are always clean lines, modern touches and beautiful people everywhere. The hotel itself is split into two towers, each curving an opposite direction. The lobby and hallways are quite dark adding to the W’s nightclub feel. Our room was gorgeous. The kitchen had stainless steel appliances and ambient lighting, the bedrooms were clean and bright. Our only complaints about the room would be the shower head. It was large and the water streams were tiny and far apart. It felt like you had to move around to try and get wet. A small inconvenience in an otherwise great room.

Did we sleep? [Room]

Sleep was one of our main goals on this trip, and how nice to have two beds to choose from! The bed was comfortable, we had some trouble figuring out the right temperature for the thermostat, but once that was done we both crashed at night. The curtains are pretty thin, so if you are trying to sleep in, you probably won’t have much luck but if you enjoy waking up to the Ft Lauderdale sun you will love the room.

Were our stomachs full? [Food]

The first night we arrived in Fort Lauderdale it was late, we checked in around midnight and we were hungry! We immediately went to the room service menu and each chose items to eat. Josh went with a basic but delicious cheeseburger. I had the spicy chicken flatbread and it was much bigger and tastier than I had expected! I would definitely order the flatbread again at this hotel, the jalapeno slices on it were a great touch!

How quickly could we surf the web? [Internet]

We had complimentary internet with Josh’s status and boy did we use it. Both of us were on our laptops most of the trip since we were here for our work-cation. The Internet worked fairly well for both of us, we had some issues getting connected a few times and it seemed only work well in the living room, but that wasn’t a big issue (the room was enormous too).

The only downside of the internet is that there was no wifi on the pool level. When the sun is shining I like to be outside and would have loved to bring my laptop outside but the signal wasnt strong enough on the 5th floor.

Where is the W? [Location]

The W Fort Lauderdale is located right on the beach, about 3 miles off US 1 and a few blocks north of Las Olas Blvd. There are plenty of restaurants and touristy beach shops south of the hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd and if you go about 3 miles inland on Las Olas, you can find many nice restaurants and shopping. We did our daily walk up Las Olas, which was 6 miles round trip.

Would we go back again? [Overall Thoughts]

The W in Fort Lauderdale is a hotel I would highly recommend to anyone visiting the area! The pools are beautiful, the staff is top notch and the hotel overall is clean and fun. The hotel is definitely geared to a younger crowd, the bottom floor of the hotel is bopping most nights with dance music and as always in W’s, a very “scene” atmosphere. Our room allowed us to grocery shop and eat in our room most days which helped us maintain a healthier eating routine. Next time we will hopefully be back without our backpacks and RTW gear, and bring nicer luggage and more fashionable clothes! :)

Grocery Bag Workout

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joshwithgroceries

Josh and I haven’t owned a car in three years and thus have grocery shopped on foot every week. It helps save money because you can only buy what you can carry home, instead of packing your car full with food that might go bad in a week. Also, when you pack 4 bags full of milk, yogurt, vegetables, and soup cans and then walk home with them, whether it is 3 blocks or 3 miles your arms and shoulders will feel the workout.

In Chicago, we have the luxury of using our bus passes and taking the bus home to help us with the weight and the walk. When we are traveling and trying to save money we have two options: grocery shop more often buy less, or have one heavy trip with a long walk. This week we chose the latter. We picked up our groceries and walked the long three miles home. Our arms were feeling it, especially since we added a few grocery bag bicep curls and front/lateral raises. (Videos to come later!) Overall the walk was 6 miles round trip – 3 miles with heavy bags of groceries.

It was an easy way to sneak in some extra exercise for the day!

A Hotel with a Kitchen

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You may have read about my slight control problem when it comes to food. It is something I will be working on in the next year. I love when the places I stay have kitchens so I can head to the market and pick up food that is healthier than constantly eating out.

The W two room flat had a beautiful kitchen fully equipped with oven, blender, coffee maker, dishwasher and refrigerator with ice maker and water dispenser! I was in heaven!

groceryinfloridaOne of the first things Josh and I did was head to the nearest grocery store (which is a good three mile walk). Here is a quick overview of what we got to keep in the house.

  • 1 box of cereal and milk
  • Bananas
  • Plain, non-fat, Fage Greek yogurt
  • Carrots and hummus
  • Small corn tortillas and sliced turkey
  • Two cans of low sodium soups
  • Coffee filters (the previous guests had left an unopened can of lavazza ground coffee.. thank you!)
  • Josh got some sort of instant lunch ramen. I let him get what he wants, it is his work-cation too…
Total Cost : $28.99
This stash will last us through the next few days and we will go out for a few meals also.

$30 will give us 3 – 4 breakfasts, lunches and snacks while we are staying here not only saving us money but helping us eat a bit healthier while on the road! If you are traveling for vacation or work, I highly suggest trying to get a refrigerator sent to your room and stopping by a grocery to pick up some healthy snacks to keep inside.

 

W Hotel Gym Workout

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sweat sign at gym
Traveling doesn’t mean that you have to give up on your workout routine. It just means that you might have to be a little creative. Follow along with us as we work out in all types of “gyms” and get creative with what we have around us to keep our muscles pumping!

Where: We were lucky to have a great gym at the W Fort Lauderdale to exercise in. They have various cardio and strength machines, dumbbells and a couple of stability balls.

Workout: I planned a full-body workout since I wasn’t sure what our workouts would look like the rest of the weekend. Some exercises were altered to cater to Josh’s currently recovering shoulder.

Warmup

Abdominal work first to turn on the core muscles: planks, suitcase crunches, SB crunches, bicycles, and Russian twists.

1st Circuit

Jump rope 30 seconds
Dumbbell burpee to bicep curl
Squat to overhead press - Caroline
Goblet squats - Josh
1 leg dumbbell squats

2nd Circuit

Dumbbell bench press
Dumbbell fly on stability ball
Bent-over row

Each exercise in the circuit was completed three times through with 12 – 15 reps.

The entire workout took around 45 minutes and we were sweating when we were done!

Our Work-cation

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Fort Lauderdale is home to our 2011 Work-cation.

Work-cation: A “vacation” meant for getting work done. Characteristics include eliminating outside distractions to complete a project, catching up on needed sleep and hopefully getting out and enjoying yourself.

We are leaving Chicago in less than 30 days and have planned a work-cation in Florida to finalize items on our to-do list, ensure our gear is good to go, and find some quiet before the adventure.

caroline-working-at-computer

Care takes "business casual" seriously...

Our basic schedule:

  • Workout
  • Read outside in the sun
  • Work on project items on our laptops

It’s relaxing and productive!

A work-cation doesn’t have to be in any exotic location it could be in your own city, as long as you get away from any distractions and commit to working on your project. (We came to Florida because the hotel and one of the airline tickets were completely free.) On a vacation you might feel guilty sitting inside all day working on your laptop, but when you are strictly working you might never get to complete the items that you need to get done because there are too many interruptions. A work-cation is meant to focus on one particular goal… finish that, and then you can relax and feel no guilt! Tell your friends, co-workers and family members that you will be gone and they will respect your time and hopefully slow down the emails and requests.

Have you ever taken a work-cation? Where did you go and how did you spend yours?