On August 21st we will be leaving home, via Vancouver, for a four month trip through Europe.
Although we purchased our flight about a week ago, we've had to bite our tongues for awhile (more difficult for some of us than others) until we took the necessary steps to advise our employers.
Now that we've had a chance to digest the reality that we are actually leaving - in two short months! - the "to do" list seems never ending. We also have a lot of questions to ask from excited friends and family. Here's a bit of insight into our trip...
Yes, we are quitting our jobs. No, we aren't that worried - everything will be ok, and if it isn't we aren't too old to move back home!
Our home will be rented out and we have been very lucky to find fabulous tenants quite quickly. We will be "homeless" for at least one year.
We are flying into London (for a fabulous music festival -more on that to come) and then plan to spend a lot of time in the Mediterranean - Greece, Croatia, Italy, and Spain are on our list. We are also hoping to squeeze in some time in Germany, France, Portugal, and England.
Yes, four months seems too short. Yes, four months is a long time. Our friends and family have a million different opinions, which they don't keep to themselves, but we wouldn't want it any other way. We settled on four months for a couple main reasons:
1. The Schengen Agreement limits our time in the participating countries to 90 days in a 180 day period. We promise to share all we've learned about this "zone" when we get to itinerary talk but for now let's just say the majority of European Union countries are part of the agreement.
2. December presents a few challenges, weather wise...
3. ... and we were afraid of what our mothers might do if we didn't come home for Christmas.
3. ... and we were afraid of what our mothers might do if we didn't come home for Christmas.
After some debate over other travel options - including moving into South East Asia via the Trans-Siberian Railway and adding in more non-Schengen countries to extend our stay - we decided December was the perfect time to come home, check our savings, tweak our budget, and assess if we are ready to hit the road again.
Coming home will also allow us to pack for a less-severe climate in Europe and catch up on the life events and milestones you often miss out on during prolonged travel.
We are extremely excited and have decided to try blogging as a means to keep in touch with everyone at home. We are hoping this can be the place to see where we are, what we are up to, and how we are doing. We will also share our photos (via Flickr) so you can check them out and perhaps feel a twinge of jealousy or catch the travel bug yourself.
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