We are finally counting down!

I cannot believe we are finally here… eight months after my husband mentioned this wild idea to me, our bags are almost packed for our six-month journey around the world.

The past eight months have been crazy – trying to plan a six-month trip while juggling busy jobs. At times we questioned our decision to put our careers on hold, but even before our plane has taken off, we know it’s the best decision we have ever made.

We also know it won’t always be easy.

We will get tired from flying and taking the umpteenth bus; we (or rather, I!) will get hungry pretty much everywhere; we will get sun burnt and eaten by strange bugs in Costa Rica. One, or both, of us will probably suffer from ‘Delhi belly’ in India and altitude sickness in Tibet. There is a good chance we will get lost in Tokyo and lose ourselves in the Atacama Desert night sky. We will get tired, angry, annoyed, frustrated and exasperated. But we know we will also be amazed, surprised, thrilled, humbled and treated to some of the most spectacular scenery and amazing people on this planet.

Every minute and every memory will be worth it. We are excited to be sharing this with all of you.

Join us on our trip through 22 countries, over 200 days, travelling almost 150,000 kilometres!

We thought it would be fun to write down the three places we each look forward to most. It will be interesting to look back at this list at the end of our trip and see if we still feel the same.

Derek’s Top 3:

• Easter Island
• Tibet
• Namibia

Adrie’s Top 3:

• Galapagos
• Kyoto
• Botswana

And, since we only have space for essentials…

Vaya con Voges!!