StephanB's VirtualTourist Home Page

Well, we did it! We sold almost everything we owned, quit our jobs, and embarked on a trip around the world. We don't know how long it will last, (to date, 3 years) or where it will take us, but as they say, it's the journey, not the destination that will define this adventure. Our trip started in Turkey, then down to South Africa and Mozambique, back up to England and Spain, then finishing up in Morocco. We came back to the states for a couple months to take care of some family matters and give our daughter Annika some down time. We then set off for S.E. Asia. We started in Thailand, and have visited Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and finally the Cook Islands for a little pampering after a long haul.
We just couldn't stop traveling. The more destinations we visit, the more we get entrenched in this lifestyle. We have just returned from our 9 month stint through South America. We visited Ecuador, Columbia, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, and Argentina.
I haven't had the time to do many tips as we travel through South America, but you can check out my other travel blog from my home page. I'll try to get updated soon.
Maybe someday we'll know what we want to do when we grow up, but I hope it doesn't come at the expense of the happiness we have found. We have never been more connected, or felt as free as we do right now. We can't wait to hit the road again.
We have been back in the States for a couple months traveling around and visiting family throughout the country. Everybody keeps asking us when, and where, we are going to settle down. I don't even know what the term "settle down" means to us anymore. We have had a tough time fitting in to the culture and lifestyle that we both grew up with. I believe that our past 3 years of travel have forever changed this aspect of our lives.
We have decided to go back to S.E. Asia (Bangkok down to K.L.), and then fly over to Bali. We both never felt as relaxed and content as we did during our 3 months in Ubud. We may try to rent a home outside of Ubud and figure things out over the next year. Not a bad place to mull over our future.

We take something with us from every country we visit. We got more than we bargained for with Turkey. This was our first country on our adventure, and it's still my favorite. It has everything. History, ruins, scenery, beaches, and best of all the people.

Spain has been my wife's favorite country so far. We liked everything about it. We both agree that we could be happy living here. The lifestyle, the cities, the art...Everything was our pace and style.

We only were in Morocco for a couple of weeks, but it made a lasting impression on us. There was an energy in the cities that was almost magical. I only wish we had planned more time to explore the outer edges.

Vietnam was a cooky and whacky place. Many ups and downs, but we enjoyed (almost) every minute of the ride. Many would argue this, but it still has kept it's unique flavor despite the influx of tourist over the past 10 years. If you can get past the little nuances, you can't help but fall for the place. We plan to go back and explore the southern half.

Despite all the devastating poverty, combined with what these people have endured over the past 30 years, it is amazing how genuinely friendly cambodians are. We were not just blown away by Angkor Wat, but the people had the same type of affect on us.

We spent 6 days canoeing in the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. We went lake to lake by either a portage, stream or marsh, and we saw a total of 3 poeple the whole week. I can't remember when I felt so completely at ease.

This beautiful hike up to a glacier in Glacier National Park, Montana is the most incredible place I have ever visited. I did this same hike when I was 12 years old with my family. My wife and I agreed that we both want our ashes scattered over the glacier at the end of this hike. (That's my will, your all witnesses) I have been to most of the national parks in the US, and Glacier is still my favorite. These early camping trips around the US and beautiful Canada gave us the bug for travel.