Month 9: In Review (Top 9 in 9)

April 25, 2015 – May 24, 2015

Wow it’s hard to believe it’s already been nine months! A big milestone for us, being that we originally planned our trip to last eight months. Yet here we are lugging our packs through South America through countries we didn’t originally plan on going to. The more we travel, the more we want to keep exploring. Some creative planning and stretching of our budget has made it possible to travel for one full year. We are excited to announce that we officially have a return date home to the States – August 5^th. Ironically one year to the day that we left our jobs in Cali for our adventure. Many of you have asked what it’s like being on the road for so long. Are you tired of travel? How do you do it? In light of this, we’ve decided to dedicate this post to how we keep on keepin’ on abroad!

Month 9 Travel Stats

Countries Visited: Argentina, Chile and Bolivia

Cities Visited:

• Argentina – Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Mendoza
• Chile – Santiago, Valparaiso, San Pedro
• Bolivia – Uyuni, Sucre

Budget

Month 9 = Under Budget. We lived like kings in Argentina eating great foods and amazing wine, all the while staying below budget. Chile was a bit more difficult, but Bolivia was so cheap that it helped us stay within budget for the month once again!

Top 9 in 9: Keep on Keepin’ on Abroad

9 ways we continue normal life on the road

1. Keepin’ the Faith

We wanted to make sure God was a priority, no excuses. Our goal was to continue expanding our faith and to devote time each day to it. We have been in the process of reading through the Bible in a year, and we chose “The Story” workbook as our guide. Since we can’t go to church abroad we listen weekly to the sermon via podcast from our former church in San Jose. We have kept current and tend to catch up on those long flights or bus rides.

2. Keepin’ Fit

It has been tough to feel ‘in shape’ at times, as we don’t have a daily routine like at home. We run whenever possible and focus on ensuring we’re doing active adventures each day. We walk (a lot), usually caring our packs, hike, do walking tours, and in general do a lot of physical activity each day. We’ve even sprinkled in a few rounds of our Insanity workout (which makes anyone nearby think there’s a herd of elephants in the building).

3. Keepin’ Healthy

We are careful with what street food we eat and where we drink local tap water. Our Steripen (water sterilizer) has been a lifesaver to ensure we have clean water. We try to live like at home and often cook our own meals, which is healthier than always eating out. Even with an intense travel schedule we shoot for eight hours of sleep each night. Getting enough sleep each night and limiting our alcohol consumption (which is difficult as everyday feels like vacation) helps us to be ready for each day.

4. Keepin’ Organized

We are both organizers. One look at our packs and you would see that. We have travel cubes and compression sacks (like dresser drawers) that allow us to pack and unpack in minutes. In addition, if we buy something, we have to ditch something else. As far as the hotels, activities, costs, etc. go- our rule is that everything is written down and recorded. It really came in handy how organized we are back home– we are definitely the most organized backpackers!

5. Keepin’ to Budget

We record everything we spend each day. Eventually it goes into our elaborate budget spreadsheet that we developed, and we can tell where we stand year to date in minutes. It has been a great exercise to see exactly how we spend our money. We’re both competitive and it’s been fun trying to hit our goals! We also use a Charles Schwab account which has zero international fees for ATM withdrawals and a Chase Sapphire credit card with no international fees. At the end of each month we reflect back, and plan for future budget projections. We may sound a little crazy (we are), but it has allowed us to travel longer!

6. Keepin’ Energetic

We love learning, and travel is one of the best learning experiences possible. The best part about it is we can learn about what we want, on our own terms. Marissa and I experience creative learning by reading books, listening to podcasts, and engaging in conversation with people we’d normally never be sitting next to. Each country has a unique and complex history that we are always striving to understand. We feel like the world is our classroom, which makes us feel alive.

7. Keepin’ Planning

Planning never ends. We are both love figuring out where to go next and get excited about filling in the details of our trip. We start with a rough skeleton plan of where we want to go in the next couple months, but try not to book things too far in advance. We’ve learned a lot from other travelers and adjust our plans based off their recommendations. Shocking I’m sure, we also have an extremely detailed planning sheet filled with information once hotels, transportation, activities are booked.

8. Keepin’ in Touch

The internet is a beautiful thing. We miss you all but thanks to Wi-Fi we are never out of touch for long. We’re able to email, use social media like Facebook and Instagram, and send updates on the blog. We also Skype our families and it’s great to see them face-to-face. Though we’re far from home, we’re never more than a quick email away.

9. Keepin’ Safe

Our attire is simple. We wear basic (unbranded) clothing with no jewelry. We wear shorts and pants with zip pockets and never carry anything extra with us – only the bare minimum. We don’t want to be easy targets. When on the road we always keep our valuables in our day pack closeby, and separate our cash and credit cards. We travel during the day whenever possible to avoid arriving when it’s dark. We also try to keep current with world news and often check the US government websites for any health or travel warnings.

Coming Up…

We continue winding our way north through South America, with many epic outdoor adventures in Bolivia. Our journey will take us from Bolivia into Peru, where we will start a new volunteer program near Machu Picchu– Stay tuned for details!