Phase 1 - Europe

  • London - Less than 24 hours to visit with Lynn and Rob and celebrate Lynn's birthday.
  • Scotland - We are renting a car and driving from Edinburgh to the Orkney Islands (and back to Edinburgh) with several stops in between like the Isle of Skye and Ben Nevis.  We are excited to have Lynn and Rob meet up with us in the Orkneys.
  • Norway - After some time in Oslo we'll take the train up to Bergen, hang out there, then rent a car to explore the fjords and drive back to Oslo.
  • Germany - A few nights in Munich and Berlin.
  • Greece - Athens then relaxing under the sun on the island of Milos.
  • Turkey - Visit with Sarp and Tugce and explore Istanbul.
  • Italy (part 1) - We are doing Italy in 2 chunks because we had made plans at the beginning and the end before learning about the Schengen visa restrictions. First we kick it off with two weeks of language classes in Florence.  Then to Lake Como, Cinque Terre, Tuscany, and Venice.
  • Croatia - Rovinj, Cres, Split, Mljet, Dubrovnik.
  • Italy (part 2) - Roma, Amalfi Coast (Minori and Positano), Orvieto, Siena, Firenze, Roma.
  • Budapest, Hungary - Jake will meet up with Lynn and Rob in Budapest while Jesslyn explores more of Italy with her Dad.
  • Prague, Czech Republic
  • Poland - Krakow and Warsaw

As of September 10th, here is where we've been or where we have plans to go!

Here is where we've been or where we'll be exploring in October.  There is so much more of Italy we'd love to see...Piedmont, Puglia, Sicily...but there just isn't enough time to do it all!  The great part is we can come back and explore something new next time around. 

Phase 2 - Southeast Asia

  • Bangkok, Thailand
  • Meditation Retreat in Pathumthani, Thailand
  • Ayutthaya, Thailand
  • Koh Lanta, Thailand
  • Koh Lipe, Thailand
  • Chiang Mai, Thailand
  • Luang Prabang, Laos
  • Vang Vieng, Laos
  • Hanoi, Vietnam
  • Halong Bay, Vietnam
  • Sa Pa, Vietnam
  • Nha Trang, Vietnam
  • Phnom Penh, Cambodia
  • Koh Rong, Cambodia
  • Siem Reap, Cambodia
  • Ko Chang, Thailand
  • Hong Kong
  • Japan

This is where we've been (or will have been shortly) in Asia. 

I can zoom in a little more when not including Japan.  Did you know that New York and Los Angeles are closer to each other than Bangkok is to Tokyo?

Phase 3 - New Zealand and Australia

The first stop is Tasmania, then to Queenstown, NZ.  Since we love the outdoors, New Zealand has been one of Jake's top destinations.  We have already booked white water rafting, fly fishing, swimming with dolphins and seals, and sky diving.  Jesslyn's aunt Sharon and cousin Knox will be joining us as we explore the southern part of the south island with a rental car.  Then we pick up another camper van and explore the rest of the south island and the north island.  After that, we are trying to line up some work in Australia.  There are too many individual places to name, but here are some of the highlights from New Zealand.

  • New Zealand
    • Queenstown, Milford Sound, Dunedin areas(rental car with Sharon and Knox)
    • Mt. Cook
    • Kaikoura
    • Fox Glacier
    • Abel Tasman Park
    • Queen Charlotte Track
    • Wellington
    • Martinborough
    • Tongariro Park
    • Lake Taupo
    • Rotorua
    • Coromandel Peninsula
    • Bay of Islands
    • Auckland

 

  • Australia
    • Tasmania
    • Melbourne
    • Sydney
    • Brisbane (Sunshine Coast)
    • Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef
    • Port Douglas and the Daintree Forest

Phase 4 - Latin America

We finished 11 days in Buenos Aires, including a week of Spanish classes.  Now on to the north of Chile, then Bolivia.  Still planning the details after that, but it is likely to include Ecuador and Honduras.

 

Complete:

  • Argentina
    • Buenos Aires
  • Chile
    • Santiago
    • San Jose de Maipo
    • Santa Cruz
    • Ocoa
    • Valparaiso
    • San Pedro de Atacama
  • Bolivia
    • Uyuni
    • Sucre
    • La Paz
    • The Amazon
  • Peru
    • Cusco and Machu Picchu
  • Ecuador
    • The Galapagos Islands
    • Quito
    • Cotopaxi
    • Baños
    • Animal Refuge near Puyo
  • Mexico
    • Cancun
    • Isla Mujeres
    • Cozumel
    • Tulum
    • Playa del Carmen

 

 

Previous Updates

26-May-2016

Wrapped up New Zealand and Australia and are now in South America.

15-APR-2016

We leave NZ today and are headed to Australia.  Starting to plan South America.

29-JAN-2016

We have booked most of our New Zealand trip and are starting to work on planning Australia.  Added a map of our travels in Asia.

21-DEC-2015

We have all of our Southeast Asia travels figured out.  Wrapping up Vietnam now, then to Cambodia, Hong Kong, and Japan.

22-NOV-2015

We are currently nearing the end of our month in Thailand.  We have our flight booked to our next stop in Laos.   We will likely then head to Vietnam and Cambodia, but haven't booked anything yet.  We are still trying to decide if we go to Japan and/or Hong Kong and/or come back to Thailand before heading to New Zealand.  

10-SEP-2015

We are currently in Croatia and have the rest of Europe all booked, so that part is fairly rigid at this point.  The original plan has been modified because we have since learned about the Schengen rules.  This states that we cannot be within the Schengen region for more than 90 days in any 180 day period.  So, we added 3 weeks in Croatia in the middle of our Italy trip.

Today we booked our flights to Bangkok so now its time to take a break from planning and really enjoy Croatia.  We have a lot of research to do on Southeast Asia so if you have recommendations, please send them our way.