We’re going back home early (*insert sad face). However, it’s not because we ran out of money. Ok, maybe it’s part of the main reason. Our finances are slowly trickling away. We miss our family and our daughter Kara. Kara’s our dog by the way, before you start thinking we’re horrible parents. She’s being spoiled taken care of by her grandmother. Who warned us that there might be a good chance of a custody battle over Kara when we return. We kid, we kid.
Now time for the serious stuff. Mark and I we’re very unprepared for this trip. We never really had a set itinerary. We adjusted and discovered that going with the flow was great when it came to travel. In fact we enjoyed the flexibility. However we didn’t prepare properly for our year long travel. In fact, we were still moving out of our apartment the day before we flew out of New York. Everything was hastily thrown and packed in our bag.
You see, I came up with the idea of long term travel two years ago. I told Mark of the plan and like the stereotypical husband, his automatic response was “whatever you say dear.” I have asked him in the past to help with trip planning. BUT I should have known we weren’t in it together. It seemed I was the crazy one, planning and saving for this once in a lifetime trip. Three months before we left New York, I told Mark I’m buying our one way tickets to Barcelona. His reply was, “OH. You’re really serious about this.”
I was planning this trip all by myself. Saving money all myself. Trying to make travel plans by myself. I could go on, but you get the idea.
So, 5 months into our trip we realize how truly unprepared we were. You can say it, “I told you so.”
But wait a minute. We’re not returning to New York defeated. If anything, travel has taught us that a life of travel is possible. Experiencing faraway lands is quite possible. And yes we can live the good life we dreamed of with proper preparations.
Don’t think of this as the end of our journey. In fact it really is just the beginning. We plan to make travel our life. We initially thought of this as our last big hurrah until we start having kids and settling down in New York. You know, the usual things smart, responsible people do. Instead, travel started to change us. We started to see the world differently, a world with so many beautiful possibilities. Maybe, if we do have children we’ll raise them on the road. Ah who knows, but I love the idea of “what if…”
The good thing about this trip is that Mark had a real change of heart. From a reluctant traveler to lover of travel. Remember when he didn’t want to go to Bangkok? Let’s just say that Bangkok is one of his favorite city in the world.
One beautiful thing from this travel, is that it brought Mark and I closer. Despite being together almost 24/7, we haven’t strangled each other. Ok, maybe I might have tried once or twice, but his neck was too big. But that’s not what I mean.
Our travel opened our eyes. We started to really understand what being married really means. We’ve been together for over 10 years and married for 3 years. While, we’re very good together, we haven’t really learned to be a married couple. To be partners for life. Before the trip we had the mentality of “don’t worry, it’s my problem, I can take care of it myself.” This trip has taught us be a team. To live life together and face challenges as one.
So yes, we are going back to New York in October. Tie up loose ends. Get rid of all our junk. This time around we’re planning our future together.
Photo taken with Nokia Lumia 800.
