Our 273 day-long RTW trip provided ample opportunities to explore the outdoors and put ourselves in some challenging, and at times dangerous, situations. In 27 countries, we encountered every type of terrain and weather. Part of our motivation for traveling at this point in our lives was to take advantage of our health/age and do the activities you can't do later in life. We fully embraced the adventurous spirit and did some very exciting activities in each country. Here are our favorites.

One week into our trip, we hiked through the Colca Canyon. At its deepest point, it is twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. Located 6 hours by rattling bus ride away from Arequipa (the 2nd largest city in Peru), it is pretty remote. Our hike was supposed to be a two-day affair, but an additional day was needed due to an earthquake. Yes, an earthquake. A 5.0 quake struck just as we reached the bottom of the canyon, sending rocks and rubble racing down the canyon face we had just descended. Had we been 15 minutes behind on the trail, we would have died. Our route back out of the canyon was ruined, so we joined a group of French tourists led by a Peruvian guide. Aftershocks roused us from bed each night and kept everyone on high alert. We hiked further into the canyon the next day, and ascended to the top the following day on a different route. Scary... yes. But exhilarating and unforgettable.

The salt flats of Uyuni are located in remote southwestern Bolivia and actually consist of more than just salt flats. The famous flats are the highlight, with vision-bending illusions of endless white plains. But there are also flamingo-filled colored lakes: red, green, or yellow depending on mineral content. There are wind-carved rock formations, hot springs, snow-covered mountains, and more. The whole region is a geologic wonder worth even more than just the three day tour we took.

King Hezekiah of ancient Israel built this tunnel nearly 3,000 years ago deep under the city of Jerusalem. It leads from the Gihon Spring, the city's original water source, to the Siloam Pool, a place of Jewish ritual bathing. Rediscovered in the 1800s, the tunnel is now open for tourists to walk through. Bring a headlamp, wear shorts and sandals, and be prepared to wade through clean, cold spring water for 30 minutes deep underground. My old friend Jon suggested we do it, and we're so glad we took his advice. It was one of the most unique experiences of our trip.

We saw all of the "Big 5" safari animals within the first hour and a half of our dawn game drive at famed Kruger National Park. That is a HUGE deal. To put that in perspective, I spent two weeks in Kenya many years ago and never saw a leopard. People rarely see the complete Big 5 on a safari, much less all in one day. Located a few hours northeast of Johannesburg, Kruger is one of the most famous animal reservations in the world for good reason. It is packed with animals, although it is unfortunately packed with tourists, too.

In central Zimbabwe, a private game reserve called Gweru Antelope Park is actually know for its lion-raising program. They rescue and breed lions in order to reintroduce them to the wild and grow the dwindling population. It is also one of the only places you can have an unguarded encounter with a lion. We walked through the grasslands with two adolescent male lions, accompanied only by some guides with sticks. No guns for protection, just sticks. It was one of the riskiest experiences, but the lions can sense fear, so remaining stoic and standing tall remind them who is boss.

The Spitzkoppe is an area of central Namibia reminiscent of Utah or Arizona. It is called the Matterhorn of Namibia, full of granite mountains and boulders eroded by time. The park itself contains rocks paintings of various animals from 2,000 - 4,000 years old. We visited the Spitzkoppe for a day and had the opportunity to throw our camp pads down on the rocks and sleep outside. Falling asleep under the stars and waking to a beautiful sunrise on the red rocks was an awesome experience. Luckily the greedy little meerkats and rock hyraxes didn't steal our shoes.

Sandwich Harbor is where the dunes of Namibia meet the Atlantic Ocean. Located in central Namibia near the coastal city of Swakopmund, the massive dunes literally roll right down to the water. Our insane driver John took us on a rollercoaster-like 4x4 ride over the dunes in a custom outfitted Toyota Tacoma, which included a champagne lunch. We spotted animals such as jackals, ostriches, and antelope roaming the vast, empty dunes.

The Big Daddy dune is one of the most interesting and famously photographed scenes in southern Africa. Located in the oldest desert in the world, the Namib Desert, Big Daddy at 325 meters tall is the tallest dune in the area. On the back side of Big Daddy is a dried-up oasis called the Deadvlei. It presents the most spectacularly contrasted landscapes on Earth. The parched white clay ground, the dark brown dead Acacia trees, the ferrous red dunes, and the cloudless blue sky are as surreal as a Salvador Dali painting. It is one of the only places on earth that exceeds the beauty of a National Geographic photo. The hike up Big Daddy itself is strenuous in the desert heat. Your shoes permanently fill with red sand, and standing on the dune ridge hundreds of feet high can be intimidating for those with a fear of heights. But this experience was one of the top highlights of our whole trip.

Phong Nha is a small town between Hanoi and Hue. The nearby Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park contains an enormous karst system, including Son Doong - the world's largest known cave. Unfortunately that cave is not readily accessible, requiring several days hike into the jungle. Due to time and budget constraints, we opted for a 2 day, 1 night cave expedition with Oxalis cave tours. Let me tell you that hiking through the Vietnamese jungle in August is miserably hot and humid. We're glad we didn't do the longer excursion for that reason. However, we got to explore caves that had only been discovered in the past 5 years - climbing, scrambling, and swimming through caves filled with blind fish and spiders the size of your outstretched hand. We camped in the middle of the jungle, eating a home-cooked meal and sleeping in hammocks with mosquito netting. It was so humid that night, our wet clothes which we hung out to dry actually became wetter. On the second day, we put back on our wet clothes and floated through an underground river to emerge at the mouth of a cave near the park entrance. This adventure was unforgettable, but not for the faint of heart.

Battambang is a charming small city in western Cambodia a few hours' bus ride from Siem Reap. The Bamboo Train is exactly what it sounds like. A rickety bamboo platform sits on two axles, which are driven by a small jonboat motor fitted with a rubber belt drive. The jostling 7 km ride along misaligned old French colonial tracks takes you to an tiny town with an old brick factory and not much else. The real attraction is the unique ride itself.

Abseiling is what everyone in the U.S. knows as rappelling. The Blue Mountains are 100 km west of Sydney and are a popular weekend destination. The area is full of hiking and outdoor opportunities. I'd been dying to go canyoning for years, so we found a recommended outfitter in the town of Katoomba.The Australian School of Mountaineering offered many options, but the Empress Falls Abseiling excursion seemed a great option for beginners. It ended up being one of the most challenging activities we've ever done. The day started with abseil training for us amateurs. After a box lunch, we donned wetsuits, helmets, and harnesses to traipse through the temperate rainforest canyon and cold streams. The big finale was the abseil down Empress Falls, a descent of nearly 100 feet (equal to a 10 story building). Water on the fall was rushing due to the influx of rainwater and the rock face was incredibly slick. These conditions made lowering yourself down slowly and safely was nearly impossible. There was a moment of fear when Lindsay's rope got caught and she was stuck under the pounding falls, but we both made it down safely. It was an adrenaline rush, however, we probably won't be rushing back to do waterfall abseiling anytime soon.

The Kawarau Gorge Bridge outside of Queenstown, New Zealand is the site of the world's first commercial bungy jumping. It is the original legend with a 43 meter (141 foot) drop over the gorge river. We debated for days whether to take the plunge because of horror stories circulating the internet. Seizing upon the "YOLO" mentality, we decided to do it on our last full day in New Zealand. It was so much smoother and safer than we ever expected. The feeling of free-fall was surprisingly weightless, when I had expected extreme G forces. If you are going to bungy, do it in New Zealand!

Growing up in Florida doesn't offer to many opportunities to explore icy regions. New Zealand's Southern Alps are home to several large glaciers, the most famous being Franz Josef. Franz Josef, like nearby Fox and Tasman glaciers, are each accessed through a monopolistic tour company. Due to the inherent danger and environmental concerns, the government permits just one outfitter to offer excursions. This makes for a very pricey day, although it was fully worth it. A quick helicopter ride with sweeping views over the mountains lands you right on the glacier. We took this excursion with my parents, and although there is a lot of hiking, it is easily doable for anyone in decent shape. We spent three hours exploring the ice fields and shimmying through crevasses. This is a massive and stunning glacier.

The Key Summit Day hike is a quick 3 hour return hike on the well-known Routeburn Track. The Routeburn is one of New Zealand's "Great Walks" and take three days to complete in its entirety. Located just 30 minutes outside Milford Sound, this day hike is a great add-on to your trip there. It was one of our favorite hikes of the whole trip. A fairly rapid ascent of Key Mountain brought us to the wide and flat summit. You can view three valleys, several lakes, and countless craggy peaks from the summit. It is 360 degrees of New Zealand beauty. The Milford Sound cruise itself is not adventurous, as you are on a large boat with dozens of tourists. However, witnessing the jagged peaks, waterfalls, penguins, and seals from the top deck takes as much of your breath away as if you were hiking it. Milford Sound is a temperate rainforest and receives precipitation nearly 300 days a year. We were incredibly lucky to have pure blue skies that day.

The Waitomo Caves on the North Island of New Zealand are popular for the millions of bioluminescent glow worms hanging from the ceilings. Visitors are able to walk through a portion on a metal boardwalk, but the most exciting was to view the glow worms is by "blackwater rafting". We would call it tubing, since each person floats through icy cold waters in heavy-duty black inner tubes. With a wetsuit, helmet, and headlamp, you slosh through water and squeeze through the caves to reach the crowning experience, 10 minutes of floating through the underground river under a ceiling of blue glow worms.

Lindsay and I both feel like we've packed pretty well for the whole trip. We sent a few items home that we didn't need and bought a few supplementary things over the course of this trip. Overall, everything we brought from the beginning has withstood the test of round-the-world travel.

Many of my clothes have been well-suited to various climates or basic practicality. My Columbia shirts, North Face hiking shoes, and Marmot rainshell have all been dependable. However, a few clothing articles I packed have been notably useful and durable.

1. Patagonia Tech Web Belt
I've owned this belt for maybe 7 years, and it's the most versatile belt I've ever had. The thick nylon webbing and aircraft aluminum buckle are super durable. I've worn it hiking, caving, and swimming, and it doesn't show any sign of wear or hold a single stain. It also is comfortable and sharp enough to wear with jeans or khaki pants. After looking at the website, it looks like they've made some bad design changes for 2016. People claim the belt is thinner, resulting in slippage, and the buckle is installed backwards (??). Too bad that the quality has dropped, but I imagine with that many bad reviews, Patagonia will make some changes soon. Stay tuned and buy the belt once it is improved.

2.  Chaco Sandals
I originally received the regular Unaweep style sandals for Christmas before we left. At a hefty 2 lbs, they can weigh down your bag and Lindsay challenged me to find lighter ones. The Updraft style have a thinner sole and nearly half the weight. The tread isn't as deep as the thicker soles, but it is just as durable. I wore these sandals nearly every day for 7 of the 10 months, and the Vibram sole barely shows signs of wear and zero separation from the upper sole. The are snug and supportive. Great for walking around a city, hiking, and water activities. I used to make fun of the river rats or hiking hippies for wearing odd-looking Chacos, but I am a convert now and can attest to how good these sandals are. The model I have are discontinued, but Chaco makes several models including a newer lightweight one.

3.  Bertucci A-2T Watch
I bought this watch after seeing it at my friend Andrew's store, Salt Pines. It looked like such a durable watch with classic military field styling. I had looked at similar models in this price range from Seiko and Citizen, but decided to buy the Bertucci after reading customer reviews. This watch is the real deal for travelers and explorers. It is really lightweight from the solid titanium body, which barely shows a scuff after enduring countless intense activities. The thick nylon band has stood up well without fraying, but it has a slight odor after absorbing a ton of sweat in Southeast Asia. Luckily, the band slides out and can be easily and cheaply replaced through Bertucci. My only gripe is that the battery died in Thailand after only a year of ownership. Watch batteries should last longer, although I guess it depends on the manufacture date. I really like this watch and am glad I sprung to buy it. For the durability and style, this $100 watch is well worth the price.

4. Mountain Khakis Broadway Pants
These are some of the most comfortable khaki pants I've ever owned. They are perfect for travel because they have the durability and movement for hiking with the fit and style for dressing up. The Broadway cut is slimmer than traditional hiking pants and simply looks better. I've worn them with Sperry boat shoes to the opera, fancy restaurants, etc. and fit right in. Sadly, I ripped a hole in the butt-area while playing bocce ball at a New Zealand winery. After all the abuse I put them through, they ripped with only 4 weeks left in the trip... Not from hiking, but from bending over to pick up a bocce ball after several glasses of wine. (Maybe a sign to lose some weight!) For Christmas, I received TWO identical replacement pairs. These are my go-to work pants and will stay in my wardrobe for a long time.

5. Ex Officio Give n Go Boxers
I gotta point out that comfort begins and ends with a good pair of underwear. Ex Officio's dry fit, anti-microbial boxers are a travel gear best seller, and for good reason. They are lightweight, quick drying, easy to wash, and really comfortable. I had two pairs at the beginning of the trip, and bought two more a few months later. I threw out my Under Armor boxer briefs because these are just so much better. It may be the only type of boxers I wear from now on.

I've tried to write this post since we crossed 100 days on the road. We now only have less than sixty days LEFT! Maybe I can finally get the words that continually roll around my head on paper (blog!)

We've officially booked our return flights home from Sydney on November 21st. It seems surreal but at the same time feels right.

Would we love to continue this journey forever? Some days yes, some days no. We've loved the adventure so far, but think we agree that 9-10 months is the perfect amount of time for us. We are starting to hit travel fatigue and missing home more and more. Experiences have started to blur together just a bit more than they did at the beginning. We've seen four continents and checked off more bucket list experiences than most people ever dream of completing. We are thankful. We remind each other to live in the moment. We have fallen in love with places we never expected and been disappointed in places we thought we'd love.

The strange thing is, I've felt all these things since the start of our trip. For six and a half months, the feelings have stayed the same. It never felt right to say these things out loud only 30 days in or 100 days in. Now that we near the end, I know that the feelings are truly how I feel, not just homesickness.

So, how do you explain that feeling to others? How do you say this trip was and wasn't what we expected at the same time? Does this sound ungrateful for our experience? I hope not.

We have grown so much as a couple and as individuals. We know we will be a bit more selfish with our time when we return home. We will enjoy life with one another more and be more selective in organizations we give our time to. We want to fill our lives with experiences with those we love most. We want to draw closer to God as a couple. We want to start a family. We want to open our home more and be grateful for the moments laughing with family and friends.

In many ways, our life bucket list has grown. We've continuously added more places to our travel list. We have made lists of goals we'd like to accomplish. We've talked about all the different careers we could have over our lifetime. Incredibly, I know we will fulfill many of these. I also know we are more flexible to let life happen now. We've started to open ourselves up to living in different states.

As we close in on one month from our return, we've both started to feel the pressure creep in. It's decision making time. Resumes need updating. The time has come to start figuring out our next moves. After such a break it seems like it would be easier, but it doesn't feel easier. Clarity hasn't come like we hoped it would in the form of the AH-HA lightbulb moment.

It feels like the end of college again, when your entire life has been about completing the next step and now the future is unknown. What is the next step for us? We think we have an idea and we are moving in that direction. We also know this trip has opened our eyes to other options. Nothing feels off the table anymore. There in lies the problem. We could do anything, go anywhere. We've already made a huge leap of faith on this trip and now any leap of faith seems doable with the right planning and preparation.

For now, we enjoy our last night in Cambodia, listening to the rain come down and wrestling with the idea of what's next, but knowing whatever the next adventure is, it's going to be so much fun together.

When traveling slow, the options for travel are much more plentiful. We have many choices of how quickly or cheaply we would like to arrive in a place but we usually opt for the safest choice.

After South America, we are fairly certain we'd rather spend a day traveling because overnight travel wrecks us. We hate it.

But figuring out bus and train practices, especially when crossing borders is nerve-racking at times because you never know what to expect.

Bus Travel Tips:

When crossing a border on a bus, do not be surprised if they collect your passport. This is very common in Eastern Europe. You do not get off the bus, you do not unload bags, nothing. Stay seated, the driver or assistant collects the passports and takes them to the immigration windows of both countries. A border agent will walk the bus, check the cargo hold and the driver boards with your passports to be on your way.

In South America, we always had to get off the bus and present our passport in person, including unloading bags to be scanned.

Buses rarely leave on time or, unless it's an overnight bus, with assigned seats. You can usually just buy a ticket on board, especially in South America where it is common for people to simply flag down a bus from the side of any random road. If the bus is full, it simply keeps rolling by. We've been on only a few fully packed buses.

Whatever travel time is quoted, add at least 30 minutes. Most buses will stop anywhere to let people off. There also is the obligatory 15 minute stop for a smoke break.

Very rarely will you find an updated schedule online. A stop by the station or Tourist Information will provide accurate information.

You usually pay an additional fee for luggage, 1 Euro per bag under the haul. In South America, you tip a guy to put your bags under the bus. Do not forget to tip or your bag may not make it to your destination. Not. Kidding. Do not walk away as your bags are loaded.

If you spend too much time at a rest stop during a long bus trip, you will be left behind. As soon as the bus driver calls out how many minutes you have, be prepared to run to the bathroom (bring change) and get your butt back on the bus. Some companies count passengers, but if the bus is making many small stops, counting becomes impossible. Don't get off the bus on a short stop.

Train Travel Tips

When crossing a border on a train, you can simply stay in your seat. The train stops at the crossing and an agent from both countries enter. The exit agent stamps you out and a few minutes later the entry agent stamps you in. The country you are entering will send an agent through to scan for anything suspicious.

Most train stations have a regional ticket window and an international window. Just be mindful to not waste your time standing in the wrong line.

Few cities have websites to prepurchase train tickets. If they do, there will be a kiosk in the terminal where you can print them with the credit card you used to purchase. Look around though because often they have only one location to print and it's not in an easy-to-find place.

Luggage racks are usually above the seats. This is where you are expected to store your bags-even giant rolling suitcases. It's a battle royale for space.

Second class is usually general boarding, while first class has seat assignments.

For long trips on both, bring your own food and drinks. The stops are limited and no food is available for purchase. Limit water unless you want to be running for the bathroom at the time-limited stops or squatting over a hole on a moving train.

Do not expect AC on any mode of transportation. If you are lucky enough to have AC, it will be mediocre at best. More a fan than AC.

The good news is, if you miss a train or bus nearly anywhere, there is another one within a few hours time. Never the end of the world, but you will need to buy another ticket.

One last piece of advice: never throw away ticket stubs without double checking they are truly stubs. Not that we've done that...

These are simply the basics of what we've experienced so far and I'm sure Southeast Asia will turn out to be completely different.

Since we only brought two iPhones and an iPad on our trip (no laptop), we use a lot of apps to get things done. Between booking flights and lodging to paying our bills at home, we rely on a variety of technology. Some apps are very basic, for tasks like keeping notes or writing our blog posts. Some are used for backing up documents or photos, such as Google Drive. Others are specialized for travel purposes.

In this post I want to give an overview of the best travel-specific apps that help us trek across the globe efficiently and effectively.

If you don't use some of them already, I would really recommend starting to with your next trip.

Flights

Skyscanner

There are countless flight search engines out there, and we've used them all. Kayak, Hipmunk, Expedia, Orbitz, Momondo, and on, and on. Skyscanner consistently beats them all. It returns more options from a greater number of airlines, finds the lowest prices, and has helpful features that allows you to easily compare prices among other dates.

Lodging

Booking.com

Nearly every hostel, hotel, resort, and guesthouse in the world is listed on Booking. It's popular for good reason. We've had conversations with hostel owners who said simply listing on Booking has driven up their occupancy. The options to filter by location, amenities, and price are very helpful. We have booked at least 75% of our lodging on this RTW trip using Booking.

Airbnb

Airbnb is a well-known service for booking private accommodation in houses, condos, or apartments. It's really best utilized when you need to stay more than 5 nights in one place. Airbnb charges a booking fee, and nearly every owner charges a cleaning fee, so the value factor really comes in when you spread those costs out over a longer stay. We stayed at an Airbnb apartment in Buenos Aires for 10 days and in Budapest for 8. It's really nice to have a place that feels like home, with more amenities such as a washing machine and full kitchen.

Navigation

Ulmon City Maps 2 Go Pro

City Maps 2 Go is one of the most important apps we have. We use it daily to navigate and denote points of interest. You can download open source maps of any city and mark your favorite spots such as restaurants, museums, and hotels. Before we go to a new destination, we research blogs and websites for the best dining and sightseeing options. We then save them to the map, and when we arrive, we know exactly where to go to dinner or have a drink. The navigational location services are even functional when your phone is on airplane mode, so we always know where we are and how to get home when walking around the city. The app costs $5.99, but all maps are free after that. So worth it. I'd go so far as to say it is indispensable.

Rome 2 Rio

This is a really cool service that gives you all the transportation options between any two cities. I'm still amazed that something like this exists and works as effectively as it does. Whether it is by plane, train, bus, ferry, or car, Rome 2 Rio will tell you how to get to your destination, how frequently the mode departs, and give you a link to schedules and booking sites. The accuracy is pretty stellar.

Organization

Trip It Pro

I had tried Trip It a few years ago, but gave up on the service since its functionality didn't do much for me on regular vacations. However, this app is very well-suited for long term travel. It's also necessary to get the Pro version. Thankfully, when we signed up for our Barclay Arrival Plus credit card, a free subscription to the Pro version was included. I use it with every lodging, flight, train, or excursion booking. You simply forward your booking confirmation email to the Trip It address, and the service intuitively classifies and files your plans in chronological order. All your booking info including dates, costs, addresses, and confirmation numbers is at your fingertips within one app. The Pro version even notifies you if you flight reservation has been rescheduled or delayed. Some might argue that it is equivalent to Apple Passbook, but only certain booking types function with Passbook. Any booking source or type can function with Trip It, and your info is available in the app or by logging in to their website.

Communication

What's App

When making new friends or connecting with Airbnb or hosts, we constantly were asked "do you have What's App?" We always offer to give out our email and cell number because we have international texting and data included in our plan. But we were astounded to learn that international plans are super rare in most other countries... even Europe.

So What's App has filled the void by making it possible to text or call foreign numbers for free over data. I eventually downloaded it and have used it a few times. It's very easy and as clear as a regular phone call. Now, I always mention that I'm on What's App when exchanging contact information.

Tunnel Bear

Prior to leaving on the trip, I read a lot about security vulnerabilities when connected to public wifi. It's unlikely, but very possible, to have your credit card or password information recorded when you transmit it via an open connection. the easiest way to keep your info private is by using a VPN connection. After much research into VPN providers, I bought a year-long subscription to Tunnel Bear.

The app integrates seamlessly into your iPhone or iPad and is easy to turn on. It routes you through a secure connection in another country and provides peace of mind when buying airline tickets or booking hotels online. It doesn't noticeably slow down your connection, which is one of the biggest complaints about VPN providers.

This post isn't intended to sound whiney, although it may come across like that to readers.

BUT...

Traveling longterm isn't all umbrella drinks and amazing sites. It definitely is great, but taking care to figure out a new city every few days or week is a lot of work.

Most people who travel are going for vacation. The price is variable, but usually the fact that this is the "one big trip" of the year outweighs being too financially responsible. Have one more expensive glass of wine, fly to the next location to see as much as possible, say yes to the fancier tour. Oh, and most people spend MONTHS planning for those seven to 10 days of pure bliss.

Longterm travel negates that flexibility in a lot of ways, while you gain flexibility in others. We don't have months to plan for the next city because the next city is two, three or seven days away. The longest we've consecutively stayed in one place was Budapest, for eight days total.

This means we spend quite a bit of time researching as we go and trying to stay just ahead of the plan.

The mentality currently working for us is "big first, small as it comes." For example, we have already booked a safari in Southern Africa, which isn't until July 16th, but we still don't have accommodation in Brasov, Romania in three weeks. The most important things we need to know upon arrival is where the ATM is located and how to get around cheaply.

So, how do we plan for a city? (The true point of this post.) Below is our process for planning for the next short term hop.

Once a larger scale destination is booked, we essentially set it on the back burner until one or two weeks before our actual arrival. Then, we set aside an afternoon or two to divide up the research. Brian usually handles accommodation and transportation research and I handle restaurants and activities.

We aren't carrying around guidebooks, but do download the "free" ones via Kindle Unlimited. This gives us a great starting point, but is rarely how we make final decisions.

For accommodation, we pinpoint which location we want to stay in closest to the historical sites and within walking distance of the social hub. We have made the decision to spend a bit more to be within walking distance to as many things as possible, or close to public transportation. If we stay further outside, taxis and longer rides add up to more cost, negating the cheaper accommodation. (Our most-used website is Booking.com.)

When it comes to choosing what things to see, we have to admit we have no fear of skipping something historical we just aren't interested in seeing. We love our experiences with people far more than we care about seeing the most famous artist's work from you-name-it country. We could spend ALL of our time running around checking things off a list just to say we've been there, done that. But, there's no story in that type of travel. We will see the famous sites, but usually we skip the plethora of museums in every place we go.

Nearly all of my research comes from Google searches that lead to blogs from longterm travelers and locals. This is where I get my start and I write down all the suggestions made for local favorites. With some basic searches like the following, I can get a fairly good idea of the Must Sees of the average tourist and also living like a local:

-Hidden gems of ----- Country

-Best of ----- Country

-Best restaurants of ----- Country

-Best kept secret of ----- Country

-Eat like a local in ----- Country

-Free Activities in ----- Country

My list gets insanely long with suggestions, so I follow up this research with reviews from Trip Advisor to cross reference the recommendations. Some are kept, tossed or kept with a question mark to ask locals when we arrive.

Once I have my list, I plug everything into the app called City Maps. Once I see where everything is located, I can create a calendar of convenience. For example, we are going to be in this neighborhood of the city and here are some of the restaurants we'd like to try.

This process usually takes four to six hours for a major city and yes, I understand I'm a bit of an over planner, but hitting the ground armed with tons of information and locations saves us time and hassle of just wandering around. The plan is always flexible, but it has really taken the pressure off what to do when we are hungry and have been walking all over a city or have just arrived at midnight, but know how late the metro is running.

Our date with destiny has finally arrived - February 21, 2015. When we purchased our first flight back in August and committed to this date, it seemed so distant. At this moment, we're on a direct flight to Lima, Peru cruising above Cuba.

Today, the departure day, was the culmination of a joyful and heart-piercing process. The goodbyes have been taking place the past two weeks, meeting with friends over drinks or dinner. The amount of excitement, encouragement, and thoughtfulness expressed during our "bon voyage" get togethers exemplifies just how special our friends are and how much we'll miss them. Last night our four parents, Lindsay's brother Christopher, Aunt Dana, Uncle Steve, and Aunt Peggy gathered together for a final dinner before our departure. Enjoying a nice steak dinner, Uncle Steve's fine wine collection, snuggles with Nash in front of the fireplace, and the company of family was a great way to spend our last evening in the USA.

I thought sleep would be hard to come by, given our level of anticipation and the gravity of the next day. However, we both got a decent night's sleep. In fact, I think I slept more soundly last night than I did the night before I quit my job.

This morning, the emotion that had been growing the past few months came to a head. Lindsay had a difficult time saying goodbye to Nashville, our big, needy ball of fur. He just looks so forlorn every time you leave, even if it's just to the grocery store! But the power of that look this morning was hard to bear. Our parents all escorted us, caravan-style, to the Tampa airport to pick up our rental car. After checking in at the counter, we exchanged our heartfelt goodbyes in the Alamo lobby. One day we'll know what sending off a child feels like. Whether it is to college or a trip around the world, I imagine they feel a combination of deep love, pride, fear, and courage. Teary eyes abounded and we held it together, but the emotion was palpable. Even the nice lady who took this family photo started getting teary!

We hit the road to Fort Lauderdale, and after about 30 minutes of silence, the distance allowed us to shed the emotions of the goodbye. Four and a half hours (and a final Chick-Fil-A lunch) later, we arrived at the airport and bid adieu to the good ol' USA.

PS - It's unfortunate that we had to fly out of Fort Lauderdale, but the direct flight and the cost of a rental car was still cheaper than flying any two-legger out of Tampa International. Our outstanding airport is always adding international flights and trying to establish commercial ties with Latin America, and it can't happen fast enough. Hopefully there will be more direct international offerings on our next trip abroad.

When we got our yellow fever vaccination, we were fully aware it was a live virus with side effects.  However, Brian and I are not allergic people or prone to reactions.  We were eternally optimistic, but this vaccine knocked us out of the running.

We started our vaccines on a Friday afternoon and by Friday around 11 pm, we were both hurting.  Brian's arm swelled at the injection site and would remain inflamed and hot to the touch for close to a week.  We both spiked a fever, had chills and dealt with severe back pain and body aches.

It was like having every flu symptom without the actual flu. 

We had committed to our best friend's engagement party the Saturday after our shots, so we both knew we were going to have to power through it.  Brian also made the mistake of volunteering Saturday morning to help manually clean out a local spring.  Truth be told, there isn't enough ibuprofen in the world to help take the edge off the body aches we had.  

By the end of Saturday night, as all our friends headed out the door to continue the party, we both were silently praying to pour ourselves into bed.  

If you have to get yellow fever, make certain you don't schedule anything else around it.  Everything you read is true.  The good news is it only lasted a few days.  

Brian and I decided we would wait until after the holidays to give our notice, so January 5th was the big day.  We should have practiced the conversations on each other first to avoid the super awkward WHAT?! that follows such a blunt announcement as "I'll be sending in my formal resignation by Friday."  

Thinking about it after the fact, we realized we should have led with more information to cover our bases.  For example, "You know we love to travel..." or "We've decided to fulfill a dream..."  

Our managers still took it amazingly well once we explained we were not leaving for another job, but a dream.  We couldn't have asked for a better conversation from both of our employers.  My favorite has been my conversation with my very lovely and caring manager when he asked, "Has it been hard?"  

The true answer is yes.  This is hard.  Although giving our notice was a foregone conclusion and saying it out loud was simply another step in the process, it has been hard.  We have co-workers who are truly friends and we hope to never lose touch with them.  We have grown so much personally and professionally.  

As our last day on February 13th approaches, our heads have been spinning trying to get everything wrapped up.  Tongue in cheek...I now know why people only give 2 weeks notice!  

It's bittersweet though.  We've had great jobs with great managers and wonderful support for our passions, even outside of work.  It's surreal to think that in just a few more days we will say our farewells and close the chapter on these careers.  We will wake up on February 14th unemployed and world nomads.  

We are beyond thankful for our time with Beck and Nestle.  And especially thankful for the financial benefits that have allowed us to save for the adventure of a lifetime.  

When we were deciding where we thought we would go, we also had a serious discussion about shots. We each had the standard immunizations from childhood, but it was daunting looking at what we needed.  Our motto became "if I don't get this shot and I happen to get X disease, it will truly be all my fault."  So we swallowed the sticker shock and scheduled an appointment at our local Traveler's Clinic, Passport Health, 6 months out from our starting date.  To be on the safe side, I'd recommend starting 7 months out.

Here, they gave us a detailed description of what potential diseases and infections we could come across in a nicely bound book.  We ended up getting everything except rabies.  Yes, we got the most expensive shot, Japanese Encephalitis.  With a 25% chance of dying if contracted - yeah, I'll pass on those odds.  Give me the shot.  Seven shots each later, we were on our way to complete inoculation.  

Although it is pricey, (being candid, close to $3,000 for both of us) we felt comfortable knowing the moment we left American soil, we had received the shots necessary.  

Shots we got:
Japanese Encephalitis (2 rounds)
Hep A
Polio Booster (IPOL)
DPT: Diphtheria, Pertussis & Tetanus (Boostrix)
Yellow Fever (We will write more about Yellow Fever vaccine in the future)
Typhoid (Typhim)
Meningitis (Menveo)

We also got a spiffy Yellow Card as a parting gift! It proves to any customs official that we're safe to enter!


We followed up two more times to complete our JE and Hep A.