Reflections After Three Months of Travel

We reached our 90th day of travel on our last day in Budapest. It was a Sunday, and it was a sunny yet cool day, and there was a bread and pastry festival going on. In other words, the day marking our third month of global galavanting was as close to perfect as possible.

90days 

A Note on Blogging

Overwhelmed

Middle East Awards 2013

We visited three countries in the Middle East: Jordan, Israel, and Turkey. Each country could not be more different. In Southeast Asia we also visited three countries, and although they obviously have their own distinct history and cuisine, they are somewhat similar in culture. It was really fascinating to travel through countries so close to one another and yet worlds apart in many ways. As our time in that region recently came to an end, it is now time for...the Middle East Awards!

                                 

Five Most Memorable Experiences in Turkey

We spent a little over two weeks in Turkey, and we ended the month of April, as well as the Middle Eastern portion of our trip there. Our time in the country was incredible; Turkey is filled with beautiful landscapes and Turkish hospitality is really remarkable. The five experiences listed below truly encapsulate all the wonderful things the country has to offer.

Our 25 Temporary Homes

Blogger at work. :)

Over the past two and a half months, we've stayed at 25 different establishments in six countries. It is a curious thing, to abandon your dwelling and to call no place home for a period of time. Our days are so busy, and we clock so many miles on our feet, that in the evening we are often eager for the comfort of our temporary abodes, our makeshift homes on this jaunt.

This trip, as many of you know, is being conducted on what is generally described as a "shoestring budget." When we first started telling people about this trip, the least imaginative and most risk adverse of our acquaintances and co-workers mistakenly judged us as "rich." Of course, as our friends and family know, nothing could be further from the truth. We are, however, not the most materialistic of people. Because we only have one car, because I carefully plan our grocery shopping, because we made travel a priority in our lives, we were able to save enough for this trip.

The way we've decided to travel is certainly not for everybody. We have had days, mostly in SE Asia, that we consider "splurge days," but by most American standards, this trip is nowhere near luxurious. Not that we would ever do luxurious. Jarrad and I are not resort/beach/fancy drinks type of people, and I personally feel extremely uncomfortable with certain services, even ones such as somebody carrying my luggage to our room.

Given our somewhat simpler preferences and flexibility, we've been able to plan a four month long trip for two people that some people consider financially impossible. But really, it's not. To give you an idea of how something like this is possible, I wanted to share some details about our accommodations. Usually the place you lay your head for the night is the most expensive part of your trip. Therefore, if you're willing to compromise a little, staying at cheaper hotels will save you a lot of money in the long run.