I can’t describe how excited I am for this trip.  I’m definitely nervous about all the unknowns and challenges that lay ahead, but I can’t wait to see the world.  Over the next year we plan to see some incredible things, and you should come join us!

In 2016 we will:

• Visit at least 13 countries
• Explore over 50 cities
• Travel to 10 capital cities
• Hike in approximately 20 National Parks
• Visit at least 10 islands
• Trek in 7 different countries
• See the worlds longest river and largest rain forest
• Visit the tallest and widest waterfalls in the world
• Check out ancient ruins in four different countries
• Experience natural wonders like Machu Pichu, Christ the Redeemer Statue, Iguazu Falls, and the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro
• Attend Carnival in Salvador and the Summer Olympics in Rio
• Hang out on dozens of beaches
• Meet countless awesome people
• Travel tens of thousands of miles

This trip will be an incredible experience and we would love to share it with you.  You can follow our travels on this site, but you really should come visit! Even if we’re not the best of friends, I have a passion for travel, and I would be happy to share that with anyone.  Check out the 2016 Itinerary page and the Destinations page on this website for more information on where we’ll be and when!

Lately, This is a question I’ve been asking myself countless times a day.  In less than a week, I’ll be leaving the only city I’ve ever called home, and I won’t be back for a year.  As I’ve been packing away my belongings I’ve had plenty of time to consider what it will be like to live out of a backpack for the year.  There’s something beautiful about the idea of giving up all the comforts to which I’ve grown accustomed and leaving behind everything I can’t carry on my back.  But, on the other hand, this whole idea is quite terrifying.

As I prepare for this trip, I’ve tried not to focus on the potential calamities that await me.  There’s the distinct possibility that my Portuguese skills will be so poor that I’m never able to communicate in Brazil.  There’s the chance that we’ll be robbed or kidnapped within the first month.  There’s a good chance we could get sick or catch some jungle disease.  We might get lost in the middle of the rain forest or mountains.  We could be attacked by sharks, jellyfish, piranha, crocodiles, or even candiru (you don’t want to know…)  We might run out of money, become homesick, or realize that this whole trip was a mistake.

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide

I love this quote.  It reminds me how many reasons there are to not do something, but only those who take the chance can enjoy the reward.  It’s easy to anticipate the incredible experiences, beautiful places, and awesome people I’m sure to meet on this trip.  It’s fun to look forward to laying on the beach in Aruba and Northeast Brazil, or partying with two million people in Salvador for Carnival, or being in Rio for the Summer Olympics, or skiing the Andes in Chile.  It’s much harder to look forward to the struggles and perils that lay ahead.  But it would be foolish to ignore, or even avoid, these difficult situations.  After all, this trip is not just some year long vacation or an escape from ordinary life.  This trip is about the challenges of plunging into a foreign and unknown world.  It is about climbing the mountains, facing potential sickness, and enduring all discomforts without flinching.  It is about challenging my own fears, insecurities, and inadequacies, and conquering them.

As I prepare for this journey and ask myself, “Am I Crazy?”, I’ve determined the answer is yes, but I would be even crazier not to.

“The more I traveled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.” – Shirley MacLaine