Blog

I love birthdays. I think they’re awesome, and I look forward to mine every year. That said, I know there’s a huge portion of the population who doesn’t agree with me… the people who think they’re no big deal and … Read More

Since my mom has posted quite a bit about her favorite travel essentials and how to pack for long-term travel, she asked if I’d like to similarly share my top picks for my fellow pup travelers out there. I came … Read More

With a landmass comparable in area to the 48 contiguous United States, a wealth of biodiversity and geographical features, and the world’s largest coral reef system, it’s hard to imagine even beginning to see all of Australia’s unique beauty. While … Read More

When packing for a typical trip, items that are at the forefront of most of our thoughts are the basics – clothes, underwear, a toothbrush, rain jacket. But when you are actually living out of a single backpack (think tortoise … Read More

When it comes to scenery, the island nation of New Zealand certainly does not disappoint. From Northland’s Bay of Islands to the South Island’s Catlin Coast, New Zealand really does seem to have it all – snow-capped crests, undulating glaciers, … Read More

From maps to money to making reservations, these were some of the smart phone apps we found most valuable during our year-long journey around the world:  Although the first item is not technically an app, for us, it was an … Read More

When we were beginning our journey, one of the things we were a bit curious about was crossing borders between countries in Asia. From what we’d read, it seemed pretty straightforward, with the biggest gripe being the occasional vague fee … Read More

For anyone planning to spend some time in Sydney, we would definitely recommend making good use of the Opal Card, a fantastic smartcard that gives you easy (and inexpensive) access to all of the city’s public transit lines – trains, … Read More

Well, here we are… now just over two months removed from our unbelievable year on the road (gosh, it feels like just yesterday we were packing our bags to leave). Rather than wistfully typing from the stiff seat of a … Read More

After being back in the U.S. for about three weeks, we find ourselves regularly fielding the same few questions by family, friends, and strangers alike: what was your favorite place? were you ready for it to end? would you do … Read More

Here we are, back on U.S. soil 344 days after our eye-opening journey began. To celebrate its successful circumnavigation of the globe, the penny requested one last photo – from where it all began when my brother plucked it lovingly … Read More

A scientist and a network engineer traveled the world. What did they bring back with them? Data, of course! Geeks to the core, tracking, trending, and generating spreadsheets are kind of fun tasks for the two of us. While we … Read More

Jenn: Now that our trip has drawn to a close, some of you are probably wondering what we learned about ourselves along the way, since packing up and abandoning everyday life is considered a little bit outside the box. What’s … Read More

While we tried to mention some nuances from the countries we visited in our Fast Facts posts, we had a few unshared regional discoveries that we I (let’s not drag poor Stephan into this) also found important enough to want … Read More

Aside from some of the minor suggestions regarding sightseeing and saving dough, we thought we’d highlight a few of, what we considered to be, the most important tips to take with you when you head out for some long-term travel … Read More