Here we go! As I write this, we are t-minus two months from camping in Iceland during our first week of 10+ months out of the country. There is so much to do, and yet, when I start feeling overwhelmed, somehow the idea of climbing into a tent on top of a car with my husband in Iceland, who has never spent a night in a tent anywhere before, brings me peace. I cannot wait.
So with two months left in the states, here are a few things we have already done:
- Bought our packs and gear (using the word gear like 50% of what I’m taking isn’t from J. Crew).
- Booked flights and lodging (lots of AirBNB) for our first two months using travel credit cards.
- Updated my passport to reflect my married name and got approved for Global Entry.
- Made concerted efforts to get in good shape so we can meet all of the physical demands of the trip (i.e. through running, hot yoga, moderate weight lifting).
- Notified our principals (we both work in schools) of our plans once the school year ends.
Here are items we are working on:
- Obtaining visas for countries where we will need them.
- Scheduling and completing medical appointments.
- Figuring out how to store and/or get rid of our stuff.
- Seeing family and friends before we go.
- Creating this blog.
We also have a few outstanding questions we are working through. Do we sell my car? Have we picked the best route for hitting six continents? How many books can I reasonably fit in my backpack? Can I take a hair straightner and stil refer to the trip using words like expedition and adventure? How many tubes of travel size toothpaste do you start with?
And then there are bigger questions: Will we be homesick? How will we stay connected with friends and family when we go months without seeing them? How do you build a home when the place you sleep changes every 3-4 nights?What will we do when we get back? Will this sort of adventure change our lives and the way we live forever?
Here we go!