We will talk about this trip until our faces are blue and our vocal chords are dry. But there is a more efficient way to handle this. So here are answers to the questions EVERYONE asks. And now, when we talk we can focus on the more interesting topics. Like Ryan's beauty regiment on the road.
- What electronics are you bringing? 1 iPhone, 1 iPad, 1 Kindle, 1 iPod, 2 computers, a SLR camera, and GoPro. Note: this is ENTIRELY too many but we're allowing ourselves an extra computer and a kindle.
- Are you really only bring 1 backpack each? And how? Yes, 1 backpack each. Honeytrek has an awesome packing list that we started with. The list breaks down to us each having about 12 shirts, 6 bottoms, a few dresses for Blakely, raincoat, long underwear, base fleece, bsuit, underwear and hats/gloves/misc. Our style will be nomad-chic.
- What about shoes? That's a doozie-- 1 pair of hiking shoes, 1 pair of flip flops, 1 pair of nicer shoes.
- Anything else? Cool things like steripens to sanitize the water and a sewing kit to keep ourselves together.
- What are you most excited about? Blakely says SE Asia. She's never been to that region and it promises to be so different and beautiful. Ryan says safaris in Africa. But he promises to keep the car doors locked.
- What are you most scared of? Ryan says the first moment when we break down on each other (how to avoid that: keep Blakely fed). Blakely says random acts of violence that could occur in a foreign country (but could also occur in New York, so...).
- Where are you going? See Blog.
- How did you plan the trip? See Resources.
- Do you have the entire trip planned out? Yes and No. We have our itinerary based on seasons and priorities. We have our Must-Dos and recommendations for each country. But our lodging and most activities we will book when we get to each place. Since we're traveling slowly, this will be the main way to save money since we can barter.
- How do you pick where to go? First of all, there's a checklist. But the breakdown is: first you write an insane to-do list (we're thinking about posting this, stay tuned). Then you prioritize that list. Some of those priorities will have certain time windows (seasons) and you start puzzle piecing it together. Next comes the budget and the saving.
- How will you give back? We have scheduled some volunteer opportunities ahead of time. Those are the ones with organizations that require a bit of notice (orphanages, animal hospitals, etc). But as we travel, we'll give back as we go. We'll pick up trash while hiking. We'll speak in schools when helpful. In cities, we'll give out money (Baha just kidding. Who do you think we are? We will give out food though). The opportunities to do small unremarkable good are everywhere.
Keep the questions coming. It's our dream and who gets tired of talking about their dream?