"Water Wonderland" Michigan

Michigan snuck up on us like a cool summer breeze. One minute we were seeing family and friends in Ohio and the next we were relaxing poolside at a vacation rental in Mirror Lake with Chip's family. We spent six lazy days here going on bike rides, hunting for mulberries with grandpa, swimming in the pool, fishing, and plumping ourselves up with a lot of wonderful food. But, as always, all good things must come to an end and after a week we had to say goodbye to the comforts of a big, cozy home and help from family. We hopped back in Spud and ugly-cried out of the vacation rental driveway. It is always hard leaving family but after giving my cheek a swift slap of the hand, I snapped out of it and immediately grew eager to explore the rest of Michigan.

USA, Road Trip, Family Travel, State ParksLindsay KellerJuly 28, 2017Michigan, midwest, beaches, family travel, state parkComment

The Number$

Since we decided to take this journey a year and a half ago, we've had the good fortune to talk with a massive amount of people. We get a lot of questions, but, far and away, people want to know about money. Some will disguise it a bit and ask us what we "do". Others are more forthright and just ask how we can afford to take what they perceive to be a perpetual vacation. Most are just honestly curious about how we'll make ends meet. Good questions, everyone. They're ones we worried ourselves with at the beginning.

Staying Connected in Lake of the Ozarks

About a week into our road trip I started having nagging thoughts indicating something wasn't quite right. The intrusive feeling would hit me like an ocean wave, take hold of my brain for a few seconds, and then wash ashore as I'd forget about it for awhile. I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was that was making me feel a little uneasy. Finally, though, on our last morning at a random Missouri State Park I was able to connect the dots.

Stuff

As you can imagine, living in 80 square feet presents some challenges in terms of space. At 20 square feet per person, we've necessarily streamlined our lives getting rid of both our cars, furniture items, clothing we didn't wear, and junk that had no meaning or regular use (goodbye, food dehydrator). What didn't come with us needed to be stored in a ~6x12ft space. But, perhaps unsurprisingly, three weeks into our trip we've found that the less we have, the better we feel. A couple outfits each, cooking basics, a little toy box filled with books and artsy activities, one dump truck, two bikes, and a beach bag filled with cars, collapsible buckets, and shovels is about all we need to keep us going. Luckily, every place we have parked Spud so far has offered us an incredible backyard with lakes for swimming, dirt for digging, ducks for feeding, fireflies (aka "lightning flies") for catching, and paths for biking.

Road Trip, Minimalism, ColoradoLindsay KellerJuly 6, 2017road trip, family travel, Colorado Comments

Embark

I'm sitting in the passenger seat of our '86 Westy staring out the window at the endless wheat fields, towering windmills, and straight, flat roads of Kansas. It is dead silent in Spud (well, as silent as he gets at 65 mph), which is rare with jabbering twin boys. But it's naptime. Hallelujah! I unbuckle my seatbelt and like a flight attendant head to the back and sneak out two M&M ice cream bars from our mini freezer. I deliver one to Chip, then we cackle while waving them in the air at the boys' sleeping faces and scarf them down in celebration of quiet time. If only they knew what we did when they were asleep. I digress...

The Top 6 Reasons Why We Chose To "Hit Pause"

Some of you think this idea is crazy. Some of you might think it's crazy awesome. It's a mixed bag and we totally get that. We are still surprised we both had the guts to say 'let's go for it' and then actually make it happen. It's definitely dramatically easier when both people in a relationship are on the same page. We have been answering a lot of very legitimate questions about why we are doing this. To get inside our heads a bit, we have compiled six reasons why we decided to quit our day jobs, rent out our house, and travel for the next year (or two?):

Honey, I'm home...For good.

As I write this, I'm staring out our front window watching snowflakes fall on budding trees and green grass sprinkled with bright yellow dandelions. My eyes and mind are playing tricks on me though. It can't be winter anymore. I'm in denial that in one day it will be May 1st. It feels like just yesterday, on a random December evening, that we were eagerly waiting for Chip to come home from work.

Belize Part 3: Islands in the Sun

Out of hundreds of cayes, Ambergris Caye is Belize's largest island and located off the northeast coast of the country. This caye (pronounced key) is known for its proximity to the barrier reef. The world's second largest barrier reef, might I add. Our first impressions of this island were of a mixed bag. The water surrounding the island was the most beautiful azure I've laid eyes on. But after exiting the plane we were thrown into a frenzied, dusty town overrun by golf carts and loud trucks.

Belize Part 2: I'm Walking On Sunshine

I love the tingle of anticipation that builds just before departing for a new locale. I can never wait to see what it looks like, what it smells like, how it makes me feel, and what memories will be created there. Today was that point in our trip to Belize. The long day when we relocate from one section of the country to another. If you recall, we had just left San Ignacio (aka the Jungle portion of Belize). And the day started out a bit like the roads around here though. Bumpy.

Travel, Beaches, Central AmericaLindsay KellerMarch 31, 2016Placencia, Belize, Couple Travel, SnorkelingComment

Belize Part 1: Welcome to the Jungle

Why Belize, you might ask? The beaches, right? I know. I saw those pictures too, before we booked our trip. The ones that depict silky white sand gently rolling about, pushed by the turquoise ocean that calmly ebbs and flows. The bright sun shining down on a handsome couple that romantically sips cocktails with a backdrop of a few dozen swaying palm trees. Yep, I totally wanted that. I'll admit. But I knew Belize had a wild card. Something up its sleeve to offer us, a couple that likes to adventure and explore, but also laze on the beach and sip tropical drinks.

Travel, Beaches, Tours, Central AmericaLindsay KellerMarch 29, 2016Couple Travel, Places, Belize, Central America, Vacation, Guatemala, tikalComment

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

The word Switzerland conjures up some of the most beautiful images in my mind: snow-capped mountain peaks piercing crisp blue skies and fields of flowers with happy cows grazing, the sound of their bells floating softly in the air. And maybe, if you're lucky, a mountain man in lederhosen tooting on his alpine horn…think Ricola commercial. But, honestly, nothing could prepare us for what our eyes were about to see on our 8 day visit in Switzerland. This place is hands down one of the most beautiful countries we've ever been to. It reminded us a bit of Colorado but with more dramatic peaks and towns with hundreds of year more history. Not to mention the foreign language which makes any place feel a bit more glamorous.

Europe, European Cities, SwitzerlandLindsay KellerJune 23, 2015Switzerland!Switzerland, Europe, Lauterbrunnen, ZurichComment

Turkey: I...Just Want To Fly

Turkey has been on the top of my must-see list for quite a while. The idea began when I met a group of internationals while working at Six Flags in Chicago who were from Turkey. They told me a few tidbits of information on their fascinating country and I was hooked. Fast forward seven years later and there we sat on a ferry from Rhodes, Greece to Fethiye, Turkey. It's possible I will say this numerous times throughout the blog but Turkey is SO incredibly beautiful, I honestly didn’t realize it was going to affect me the way that it did. In addition to being extremely excited about the country itself, I was also overjoyed that Michael and Taylor were still traveling with us for the next 11 days! Some pieces of information on Turkey before reading forward: Turkey is surrounded by 8 different countries, is slightly larger than the state of Texas, and is a predominantly Muslim country. Now let's get to it!

Tiptoe Through the Tulips - Holland

Greetings from Holland!

We sadly had to say goodbye to our eight month long chapter in New Zealand, but we’ve happily begun our month and a half long journey through Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Greece and Turkey. In under 4 days we've already had the most amazing time with friends and family on this side of the world.

Exploring Hanoi & Biking in Mai Chau

Hello, from the comforts of our own homes! Where we can drink water from the tap, throw our toilet paper in the toilet (as opposed to the wastebasket), and sleep in a bed that doesn't put gaping holes in our back from the spring coils. It feels great to be back but we're not done blogging yet, people! Teedo and I still have three days in Hanoi, the capital city and one day in Mai Chau, a sleepy village surrounded by mountains to tell you about.

Heaven On Earth (I'm Serious...)

I think we're still in awe with what we just witnessed. Halong Bay has been on my bucket list for a few years and I was so nervous pulling up in our shuttle at the bay with hopes that it would live up to my expectations and dreams. But little did I know, it was one million times better than what I had imagined. My eyes were not prepared for what I was about to see (yep, I had my holy-crap-I'm-here-and-I'm-crying moment within the first 10 minutes of being on the boat)! Don't go skipping ahead to the photos just yet...I only took 200 so no need to worry.

The Graceful & Delightful Town of Hoi An

We’re back already to bother you with another post? Time flies when you're having fun! Actually, I'm used to writing a blog post every few weeks instead of every few days so to make it more fun (for me!) I'm going to switch it up and have you follow us along in picture-book style instead. So grab yourself a warm drink (or cold one...), sit back, relax and come along with us on our amazing journey through Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So, what are you waiting for...click on the first picture to get started and we'll give you more information next to the photo...

The Craziness of Ho Chi Minh City

Good Morning, Vietnam! I had to say it - But this time we've spoken these words in the actual country while soaking up the culture, eating the food, almost getting run over by the insane motorbikes that congest the streets, and sweating our butts off in 100 degree (humid) heat. Teedo and I are in Vietnam, people (Yes, I call my mom Teedo. Long story, ask me about it sometime) and we are loving it! We're both ready to embark on a 16 day journey I'd like to call Lindsay and Teedo's Epic Vietnam Adventure. Original, I know :)

Meandering Through The Mekong Delta

Xin Chao! Thanks for joining us again as we travel south to Can Tho (pronounced 'Tau'), the epicenter of the Mekong Delta and "rice bowl" of the world. Here life slows down quite a bit (which we craved after 2 days in Ho Chi Minh City) and it's flat and hot. Living along countless rivers and canals that populate this region, locals generally get around by boat (some villages are only accessible by water), visiting restaurants and floating markets to buy their produce and other items. Families live in small shacks built up along the river and are backed by an abundance of greenery. It has been a fascinating area to visit, especially with the contrast to Ho Chi Minh City.

Island in the Sun: Cook Islands, South Pacific!

Ironically, within the first month of living in New Zealand we began planning an island getaway for sometime in March. People thought we were nuts saying 'why are you planning a trip when you're on a trip?!' But we knew it was unlikely we would ever be this close to the South Pacific Islands so we began researching destinations. Our ideal island must haves: beaches for snorkeling and relaxing, mountains for hiking, hot weather and cool beverages. When I read the following description for Rarotonga in the Cook Islands I said SIGN US UP: "If you've ever fantasized about escaping to a remote island, far from the hustle and hum of the modern world, then look no further than the Cook Islands, where you'll find a thousand years of Polynesian culture sitting side by side with some of the most spectacular natural scenery in the South Pacific. The jewel in the crown is Rarotonga, the largest island - a bewitching blend of craggy mountains, dense jungle and glorious bone-white beaches." Sounds perfect to me, am I right?!

Part III: CAN we have MORE?

When we last wrote, we had officially traveled 186 miles from Whistler to Kamloops and landed in Nick and Erika's place in the late afternoon. It was definitely one of the bigger cities we've seen while being in Canada so we figured a night on the town would be great. For dinner, we located the main drag and asked a local where she recommended we eat. Her three choices... 1) "This sushi place" - she pointed to an empty restaurant behind her, 2) Denny's (really? Denny's), 3) She couldn't think of a third so I think she defaulted to the Mexican place across the street. So we ate at Qdoba. When in doubt, eat a burrito.

Canada, Family Travel, National Parks, Previous Trips, Road TripLindsay KellerSeptember 30, 2013Canmore, CanadaCanadian Rockies, CanadaComment

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