One-Way Ticket

Katie-” Let’s buy our ticket today?”

Alex-“Let’s do it!”

And that is exactly how it happened. At 10pm, way past our weekday bedtime, we bought our one way ticket to a year of adventures, travels and learning. That night I couldn’t fall asleep, I couldn’t believe what we just did. That on September 2nd, 2017 we would be flying out with only backpacks on our backs to travel the world hand in hand. A dream that I had since I was a little girl. After tossing and turning from happiness and shock of what we just did, I finally fell asleep.

Here’s a little update of what we have been planning for our trip.

We will be flying out on September 2nd, 2017, which is 9.5 months away. The countdown has begun! 🙂

So far our itinerary looks something like this:

Five countries in South America

Six countries in South-East Asia

Three countries in Central Asia

One country in Eastern Europe

One country in Northern Africa

Two countries in Europe

That’s a total of 18 countries, which although is smaller from our initial plan of almost 30, still seems like a staggering amount. When we first made our list of planned destinations we threw down almost every single country that would allow US citizens in without a visa and then some. Looking over our itinerary, a tentative cost analysis, and researching what a Round The World (RTW) trip entails, we realized that our list was off the wall crazy-insane. After talking it over we decided to do some revising.

Our goal is to be more than just the average tourist. We aim to actually experience the places we visit. Consequently we will stay for longer periods of time in each place and as a result visit less countries. Looking over our destinations, we decided that visiting Africa could easily be a trip on its own. The wide variety of cultures and experiences available on that vast continent cannot be encompassed in a few weeks. Furthermore, the price tag, and the variety of the European continent warrant it a separate trip as well. As a result it appears that the majority of our travels will be in South America and Asia. As we discover what the world has to offer both before and during our trip, we know that things can radically change.

So, what do we plan to do? Well, let me tell you all about it. I have no idea! Literally besides a few pillars on our trip, we aim to just explore, learn, serve others and enjoy. In South America, we’ve got our eye on a few treks, we aim to visit Machu Picchu, see a bunch of other ruins and learn Spanish. We will hike a few mountains, see some glaciers, and do some dangerous activities (mom, pretend you didn’t read that). In Asia we aim to get our PADI certification, hop islands, do a home-stay, work on a farm and go on some breathtaking train rides. As we travel the world we hope to get to know the locals, make friends, learn to cook ethnic food, adventure through the country, and give back to the local community.

As Christians, we are really excited to see what God is doing around the world. We hope to visit lots of churches, and see all the unique ways that different people worship God. In addition, wherever we go, we hope to serve with our hands, and inspire people with the joy that we have in our hearts.

So here we are, less than a year away, but still so much more preparing to do. These next few months we will be researching our countries in depth, figuring out overland transportation, and service opportunities. We hope to share with you more of our planning process soon, stay tuned.

Say yes to adventures,

Katie & Alex

P.S. If you have any suggestions, ideas, or connections you would like to share with us, feel free to connect with us.