Some Eat, Pray, Love shit going on...!

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"Some Eat, Pray, Love shit going on...!"

Hey guys! Andrea here. Today's blog is a bit different from our others. I decided to go back into the past and recap how we got to where we are today. Recently I have received a lot of messages from people asking how we were able to plan and save for such an epic trip so I've decided to condense a lifetime of knowledge into one blog! This blog will be about how we got to today as well as tips and thoughts about being on the road! So sit back, relax, and read away...this may be a bit long so settle in for the long haul!

In August 2014, Jackie and I found ourselves on the side of the Andes Mountains wondering what life had in store for us next. We had recently just met a group of individuals who were traveling long term for a year and for me, this was the first time I have ever heard of such a thing. It was hard for me to comprehend quitting my stable job to leave everything I know behind but it didn't seem completely impossible. It was after hiking for 16 miles in the Andes Mountains it is where I had a lot of time to contemplate life and where I felt the urge and gut feeling this is what I wanted to dedicate the next two years of my life to: saving money to travel long term. Jackie and I talked about this crazy idea on the side of a mountain that fateful day as we drank tea and we both agreed that this was it and we couldn't let this opportunity pass us by. It felt so right.

So the decision had been made. Now it was telling our family, friends, and at the time my then boyfriend about this life altering move. I also decided to change the way I spoke about it. For instance instead of saying, "we are thinking about doing this," I said, "We are leaving in August 2016 for a year long trip." See what I did there?! It made a dream into a goal and we were off to achieve it. When I got home from Peru, I literally told everyone I knew about what I wanted to do, this way I would feel more accountable and for the most part 99.9% of the people I told were super supportive and encouraging. Even strangers! Next it was determining how to change my lifestyle in order to save enough money to quit my job. At the time I was in grad school working part time while going to class full time. I scraped away as much as I could during that year, but let's be honest it wasn't going to be enough. Once I graduated, I was able to then buckle down and save for a little over a year. I talked to my supervisor and they offered me a job to work as a therapist under contingent making bomb money as well as my full time position as a case manager. This was it: I was going to work 6 days a week and put my nose to the grind for the next year. Jackie and I ultimately decided that after calculating costs of flights, food, fun activities, etc that our goal would be to save $20,000 each. But how did we do this?

We sat down and analyzed our budget as is. How much do we make and what bills do we have to pay each month? After looking at this we then saw where cuts could be made. For instance, I was living with my mom when my then boyfriend was deployed and after my then boyfriend and I broke up I decided that it was best for me to continue living at home avoiding rent each month (THANKS MOM!!!). Next, I decided that I could only eat out once a week and also decided how much I was able to spend each month on food, outings, etc. In total I was saving about $1,000+ a month for my travel fund.


I got a second source of income. This second source of income would also go directly into my travel fund. Luckily for me I was able to get a job in my field, not only allowing me to continue to build my resume but also make extra money on the side and Jackie worked over time at the hospital. If I wasn't lucky enough to do this I would have gotten a job ANYWHERE. I figured any extra source of income would be worth it and working as many days as I could would be hard at the time but there would be a big pay off in the end: NO WORK FOR 1 YEAR!

Lastly, it was just staying mentally focused at the task at hand. There were times where we both had to say no to things that we wanted to do in order to save. Each time we had an expense going out of our account we would second guess if it was worth it. Every penny counted and even a trip to Chipotle could ultimately be a taxi ride in some other country or a delicious three course meal abroad.

So the last two years of our lives was dedicated to saving money and researching where we wanted to go. How did we narrow down what countries we wanted to see when our list was so extensive? This was a very difficult task that required us to weigh the pros and cons of each place. Originally our plan was to start in South America, head into Egypt, India, Nepal, China, Japan, Korea, NZ, and Australia, but this quickly changed as we figured out how much it would be a day in each country. Our final itinerary was: South America, Africa, India, Nepal, South Korea, NZ, Australia, Hawaii, and then home.

Now that we had an itinerary it was time to book flights, create a packing list and a to do list, figure out insurance, etc. How did we do all of this?

BOOKING FLIGHTS: When we book flights we have learned some tricks of the trade. First off we use Skyscanner or Google Flights when searching. This database searches all airlines in all countries and has the best prices. We also make sure that we clear our browser and search history after looking. If you don't that is when the ads start popping up and prices rise and fall. We then make sure our VPN is set. A VPN is app that allows you to search flights from the country you want. For instance, when we are booking flights to India, if we set our VPN in Africa, flights may be cheaper in Africa then when we look in the states. Pretty cool huh? We also set flight alerts that would send us e-mails on flights that either increased or decreased.

CREDIT CARDS: If you are looking to travel long term I would definitely suggest investing in a travel credit card. Travel cards have many perks: increases your credit score (if you pay on time), you collect miles for dollars making booking flights cheaper, as well as no foreign transaction fees while out of the country. When I was looking at travel cards I wanted one that would get the most bang for my buck. I narrowed it down to Capital One Venture Card without the yearly fee. This card had a promotion that if you are approved you automatically received a certain amount of miles within the first month if you spent a set amount. The card also gives you one mile for every dollar you spend and you can use it on any airline. It also has no foreign transaction fees when I use it out of the country. Most of the time if I used my debit card from PNC I would be charged a 3% fee each time I used it.

MONEY: When pulling out money out of the country, it is always best to speak to your bank before you leave. For instance, Jackie's bank was able to work her out a deal where she paid $25 a month and could pull out of an ATM as many times as she wanted avoiding her banks fee as well as being reimbursed for the ATM's fee for using it by her bank. My bank agreed to reimburse me $10 each month, which was better than nothing. So always ask your bank before you leave if there is anything they could offer you! Also inform them of your travel plans so they don't shut your card off. Wifi is usually available most places but if not, it would be very hard to contact your bank to ask them to turn it back on. We also never exchange our money at the airport, but find it easier taking it out of a local ATM, it's a better rate. We rarely ever keep cash on us but it is always good to carry some U.S. Dollar in case you want to exchange at a local currency exchange place if there are no ATMs around.

POWER OF ATTORNEY PAPERWORK: Working in the mental health field I often saw client decline to the point where they needed a court appointed guardian, payee, or power of attorney. This got me then thinking, I should have one while I'm gone. So enter my wonderful mom! She agreed to be my power of attorney so that if anything came up with my bank account or student loans while I was gone she could step in legally and handle the matter at hand. I also thought about having a living will and it made me contemplate what interventions I would want if I was ever in a life threatening position, so I signed one and informed my loved ones what I would want to happen if I died. A little morbid? Yes. But I think no matter how old we are or how healthy or sick we are, this is an important conversation to have. We are not all invincible and having this plan created is a good idea!

TRAVEL INSURANCE: We researched quite a bit on what travel insurance we wanted to use while we were away. It is always a good idea to have insurance whether you are gone for two weeks or two years. Speaking from personal experience, travel insurance is KEY. When I was in Peru two years ago, after deciding to travel long term, I experienced an allergic reaction and went into anaphylaxis shock and had to go to the hospital. Luckily I had travel insurance that covered ALL OF THE COSTS. For this trip, I heard of World Nomads through other travel bloggers and after Maria's brother looked over the policy we decided it was good for us! We got the adventure one where everything from sky diving to hiking was covered. Each month it costs us about $80 to completely covered and is totally worth it.

TRAVEL BLOGS: Blogs are an amazing thing! Not only did we receive constant inspiration from travel blogs but we also were able to dive into their experience in a country we wanted to visit. Blogs are great because it offers so many different opinions about things as well as tips and tricks. Some of our favorite blogs are: Nomadic Matt, Adventurous Kate, and One Sept 4Ward. Check em' out guys!

PACKING: How did we pack our bags for such a long trip that had so many different climates and weather? Well first we though that we may have to send belongings back home and have our wonderful and supportive parents send us the things we needed, but this quickly added up! Luckily for us, Maria joined our trip and she planned on going home in December. Knowing this, Jackie and I knew that we could send belongings back with her and she then could bring us stuff. HALLELUJAH! Next it was narrowing down what we needed for the first two months. In doing so we researched the countries we were going to, what time of year it was for them, and then made our choices based upon this. South America was going to be relatively cold and we were going to do a lot of hiking. Knowing that we were going to hike the W Circuit we researched if we could rent camping gear since we knew we couldn't lug tents, food, etc. Luckily we found Erratic Rock who rented gear so that solved that problem! Also you can find a lot of things on the road for a lot cheaper. Clothes are always readily available in other countries so if you did happen to forget something, you can most likely find it. So don't stress out too much. We packed a lot of leggings, one set of thermals, hiking boots, shower stuff, warm socks, gloves and hats, winter coat, etc. Jackie and I were also going to continue onto Brazil which would be HOT, so we packed bathing suits, one pair of shorts, tanks, one pair of flip flops, etc. All in all, it wasn't hard to narrow down what we wanted to pack and living out of a back pack so far has been refreshing! For me, it shows that we live very excessively at home and that living very minimally has been great! Our next blog will be on top gear we use.

Through this whole two year journey up until now I've learned a lot. Here are my recent conclusions/inspirations:

1. Don't let anyone, ANYONE, tell you that you can't do something. You KNOW when you feel compelled to go after a goal and no one should ever make you feel bad about doing so. The right people will encourage you to chase after a dream and the wrong people will make you second guess the idea. Those people who make you second guess your life decision should then make you second guess if they should even be in your life.
2. The human body is an amazing thing that we don't give enough credit too. As Americans, I think we tend to put too much emphasis on how we look. We are sometimes very critical of ourselves. Being in Brazil and seeing so many different ages and body types rocking a bikini on the beach without a care in the world was SO inspiring. Also after climbing mountain after mountain, I came to appreciate even more for having a healthy body. So I try not to be so critical of myself. Everyone is beautiful in their own way and we need to stop being so mean to ourselves.
3. You don't have to wait for something drastic to happen in order to change your life. DO IT NOW. You don't need a reason for everyone else as to why you need to do something. You wanting to do it is enough. Don't wait for a death to happen or a life threatening illness to occur to have this revelation. Continue contemplating, questioning, and evaluating what you want to do with your life and go after it. Be 100% passionate about whatever it is and if you're not then quit. We need to start going after what we want more and saying no to things we don't want to do. Life's too short to contemplate whether or not you should eat a piece of cake- eat the damn piece already!
4. Make more time to read. I've read more on this trip then ever in my life. It makes me think that I need to make more time for myself once I am at home to do more of what makes me happy. It's ok to take time for yourself and stay in on a Friday night to read or whatever you want! In fact I think it will rejuvenate you in the end!
5. Speaking a second language is so cool and sometimes necessary. When I get home I would like to learn more Spanish. Being in South America for two months alone, I felt like my Spanish improved so much. Now, I would like to expand on what I already know to become better at it. I found in any country you travel if you at least try to speak some of their language it is MUCH appreciated.
6. Travel mates make the best friends. It's amazing when you meet people who share the same passion as you. Having something in common right off the bat makes it for easy conversations and stories. You also get ideas and inspiration as to where to travel next! And as a bonus if they live somewhere you want to visit- FREE accommodation and tour guides too! :)
7. Burn out while traveling is a real thing. Yes, burn out is real while out exploring the world. Long days on the road can really take energy out of you. It's always important to take time for yourself to rejuvenate.
8. Never make decisions based on temporary emotions. It's easy to say "hey let's not do it." When you're in the moment. But it's important to take time and really think about if you'll carry regret if you don't do it. So take a couple of deep breathes and contemplate the pros and cons.
9. There's no place like home and food! I've come to really appreciate home while being away. I am taking each day as it comes and really appreciating it but at the same time I miss home a lot. I miss the food, sleeping in my own bed, having a routine, having a steady income, and my family and friends. It's always great to have a place to come back to where you can stay grounded and plan for your next big adventure!

As I was in the process of transitioning my clients over to a new clinician many of my clients told their doctors etc that I was quitting my job to travel the world. One time a medical assistant said, "You are the coolest person I have ever met, that is some serious "Eat, Pray, Love" shit going on...!" And you know what? In the end she was right. It's been a journey of discovering what you're capable of doing, figuring out who you want to become, letting go, and growing up. I don't know what the future holds, but for the first time in my life I feel excited about it. I think so often we all get caught up in the every day BS that we forget to do what makes us come alive. If three girls from Ohio can go after their dreams, then why can't you?

What you should know before you gooo!

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In the fall of 2012, Jackie and I ventured out of country together for the first time. We had no idea what the heck we were doing but we literally "faked it until we made it," and it all worked out. We chose to travel to Costa Rica because we heard that it was beautiful. There was a mixture of nature, hiking, animals, and beaches. That's all we needed to hear and we were ready to go! Now the first trip, we definitely did NOT pack light. I think in total we brought two big rolling suitcases, backpacks, and purses. We barely made it within the weight requirements for the airline! If I could go back and tell my younger self some advice about traveling, this is what I would tell past Andrea.

1. Invest in a good backpack or suitcase. The debate will continue on about whether you should buy a nice pack or suitcase. For the last 4 years I have used an Osprey 65 L back pack, and I have been very happy with this. I can grab it, put it on my back, and go. We also do a lot of hiking and camping, so I can then transfer some of my belongings into my smaller pack and then use my Osprey pack for the camping trip. I also invested in a back pack cover so when we are going from airport to airport my pack and be protected in it. I've seen other travelers who have a rolling suitcase who love it just as much as I love my pack. So ultimately it's up to you!

2. A towel. I have a camping towel, but decided to buy an actual bath towel and I have not regretted it. There's nothing like having the luxury of drying yourself off with a real towel.

3. Flip flops. This is crucial when using public showers and just being able to slip on shoes and go.

4. Utilize apps. Now a day traveling is so affordable and with the technology at hand it makes it even easier. Here are some of the apps we use quite frequently: Air B N B, Hostel World, Uber, Trip Adviser. I also have used an app called "Trail Wallet," and my mind has been blown! This trip I wanted to track every purchase I made. In South America, I wrote everything down in a journal but then I was told by a travel mate about Trail Wallet and I will never go back to writing stuff down again. It allows you to categorize all of your purchases and it breaks it down day by day as well as formatting it into a pie graph for the entire trip. You can see where all your money goes as well as breaking it down into local currency too. It is phenomenal. GET IT. "Venmo" is another app too. This makes it easier than ever to pay each other back right out of your bank account. A lot of the time we will cover the hostel or a restaurant bill for all of us and we are in debt to each other and Venmo allows us to pay each other back ASAP!

5. Podcasts. On long plane rides or bus rides podcasts have been life for us! When we have access to wifi we download a bunch of podcasts and then listen to them when we have down time. Some of our favorite podcasts are: "Serial", "Stranglers," "The Conspiracy Guys," "Up and Vanished," "Guys We F****d," "Stuff You Missed in History Class," and "TEDTalks."

6. Invest in good packing cubes. Packing cubes allow you to separate your clothes and throw them into your suitcase and go! They keep things a bit more organized and easier to access. They are one of my favorite things. I got mine off of Amazon and it's been the best purchase yet!

7. Buy a decent camera. I'm not saying go out and spend $1,000's of dollars on one but get a good quality one. You may only be in these places once and you want to be able to capture the moments to remember them forever! I've had the same Sony camera since Costa Rica circa 2012. I suggest you do your research and talk to other travelers on what kind of camera they have.

8. Buy extra batteries for your cameras and invest in battery packs for your phone. There will be time where you will be in such a remote place that electricity is not an option. Having extra batteries that you can charge for your camera makes it easy to keep capturing those once in a lifetime moments when your battery runs out. Also investing in a good battery pack to charge your cell phone is a great idea too! I have a mophie that allows me to charge my phone and two other USB devices. It's been great and I highly recommend it!

9. Reliable shoes/hiking boots. When traveling you tend to walk A LOT. Not only is walking a cheaper way to get around a city but it's also good for you too! Having shoes that can accommodate all the miles you will walk is crucial. It can really make or break a walking tour or hiking trip. Right now I have Vasquez hiking boots and I LOVE them. Find shoes and boots that are good for you. Try them out first and break them in! That way while you're still at home, if you don't like them you can return them for something else! Also get good socks! This is make or break for warm feet. Invest in your feet hardcore!

10. Lush bars. Carrying bottles of shampoo can take up extra space in your bag for something else and make it heavy. Lush bars have been a god send. They are little bars of magic that last for 3-4 months! I just recently used my first Lush Bar up and am now on my second bar. Sometimes I only use the bar with no conditioner and my hair is still shiny and soft! They are definitely worth the investment!

11. Extra prescriptions. While you're home and covered by insurance talk to your providers about obtaining a prescription for long term travel. For instance, I needed to make sure I had enough Epi pens for the trip as well as contacts. Also, I've discovered that in most countries a lot of prescriptions are available at a very low cost too!

12. A hat and headphones. Having a hat is crucial! Also head phones, when you're on a long plane ride or something having headphones so you can zone out the world is good to have! When I get home I may invest in some noise canceling head phones. Just a side thought!

13. Baby wipes and dryer sheets have been SO amazing. Baby wipes are good to have in countries where the bathrooms don't have toilet paper and also the days you don't have access to a shower. Baby wipe baths have been very common on this trip and have been life savers. There are days where you are so gross that being able to wipe down after a day in the dirt makes the whole sleep better. Dryer sheets are handy too because you can put them in your dirty laundry as well as clean to keep your bag smelling fresh!

14. Tampons are not readily available in some countries and if they are they are expensive and not as good as quality as to back home. We made sure to pack extras and have others who were meeting us along the way bring more.

15. Laundry bag to put your dirty clothes in. I bought mine on Amazon and it has come in so useful this trip. Yes, you can use plastic bags but when you go days without doing laundry plastic bags fill up quick. Having a laundry bag makes it easy to put your dirty clothes away and just pick it up and turn in for laundry!

16. Flashlight and hand sanitizer. When camping it's always good to have a good flashlight and/or headlamp. Especially in the morning when you are breaking down your tent before the light comes up having a headlamp to light up the dark is crucial. Also not having access to a sink to wash your hands it's also great to carry hand sanitizer with you.

These are just some of the tips I would tell my younger self as well as be fearless in the pursuit of going after you want. I hope this helps all you guys who are thinking about traveling whether it be long term or two weeks! I think everyone could benefit from this list and if you have any other tips please share them in the comments below! Happy packing guys! :)

Rio to Nairobi!

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December 31st -January 12th, 2017

Jambo!

We left Rio on December 31st, New Year's Eve! We had no idea Rio was THEE place to be on NYE until we arrived and people told us that we were crazy for leaving! Fortunately for us the cheapest tickets to Africa was on NYE so we were able to save half the price we would have originally paid. We said good bye to our new Brazilian family with a nice farewell lunch with everyone we met. We spent our last day in Rio with Carla exploring the city and seeing the city center, including all the new additions from the Olympic games. We also visited the quaint little neighborhood of Santa Teresa. We then retired to our hotel room to pack our bags to head to the airport. It was nice to be in one place for a couple of weeks where we could unpack our bags and stay a while! We decided after packing that we would stay up until our flight since we had to leave for the airport so early.  I accidentally fell asleep and got two hours sleep which was worse than not getting any because I was so tired when I woke up. We headed to the airport via Uber and checked in. The flight to Morocco was uneventful. We landed safely and was able to retrieve our bags without any glitches. Landing in Morocco felt different the moment we stepped off the plane. The vibes felt more foreign than ever. I said to Jackie that "even if I tried there is no way I can figure out the language!" After grabbing our bags we headed out to find a taxi. A gentleman approached us and offered us a ride into the city. We obliged and set the price before going with him. Driving at night we were unable to see the country side as we rode to our hotel. Our taxi driver was friendly and told us the must do's to see in Morocco. We arrived at our hotel, "Ibis hotel," and we ordered room service and waited for the clock to turn midnight and we wished each other and our family "Happy New Years!" And then went to bed. The next day we had big plans to go sight seeing but instead we chilled at the hotel and caught up with our family. We ventured out of the lobby to find food and stumbled upon a great little Mediterranean restaurant and it was just what the doctor ordered! We ate at "Loubane Express," and it was delicious and cheap! We then got another taxi and headed to the airport. The taxi driver and us set a price and we were off. The guy then stopped at a gas station to get gas and to fill up our tires then when he dropped us off and then tried to charge us extra because it was night time now and we left during the day. Jackie and I put our foot down and he agreed for us to pay what we originally agreed upon. GIRL POWER! We then caught our flight to Africa!

We had an 8 hour flight into Nairobi, Kenya. Jackie and I filled our time with lots of movies and we didn't sleep a wink! We were so excited to land in Africa, it felt like Christmas morning! Africa has been on both of our bucket lists for as long as I can remember. It was a dream that we didn't think could be a reality until much later in life until I stumbled upon a blog who mentioned a tour company called "Absolute Africa." Jackie was a gem and price compared Absolute Africa to other tour companies and this one was legit. We liked this one because unlike other tours where all the activities are already built into the price this one we could opt in or out if we wanted to. Also, we could find other tour companies and book with them if it was cheaper. It's nice to have flexibility like that when you are traveling so you don't feel obligated to do everything. We also really liked that the price was right! For about $1500 we were able to secure our spot.

Before our tour started we had 10 days to chill in Nairobi. We decided to stay at a place called "Wildebeest Eco Camp," which was referred by Absolute. We researched getting an Air B N B and other hostels but this one had really nice reviews and the price was good ($18 a night). We booked and were not disappointed. The place had everything you ever needed: a pool, a restaurant, grounds to walk around on, and WIFI. It was nice because everything you ordered at the restaurant you could put on your tab and pay with card later when you checked out. We met a lot of amazing people while staying there. Most of the people passing through stayed for about one or two nights before either starting their own safari tour or their own agenda. Jackie and I filled our time with catching up on social media (obviously not the blog hahaha), laying by the pool, and going to the mall. I even decided to try out the box braid look for our big tour! I heard that getting boxed braids would help a lot with the heat and no shower situation we may be encountering on the tour so I decided to give it a shot. First, I researched a lot on the hair style. The one thing I didn't want to do is offend anyone with my new look. Secondly, I didn't want to damage my hair. I asked around to a lot of locals who said it would be fine for me to get my hair done. Actually, they encouraged me to do it and were quite puzzled when I asked if it was ok for me to do it! Next, I did what anyone would do, I googled the crap out of how to take care of my hair while it was braided and other people's experiences. Now, I wanted to find other races besides African Americans because I needed to compare their hair with my own. There weren't a lot of people out there who did the look who wasn't African American so it was a bit dodgy but I decided to go for it any ways! I made an appointment at a local salon and for about $40 with the hair extension, time, and service it was worth it! The woman who did my hair was amazing. I've never seen anyone braid hair so fast! At times there were about four women braiding my hair and in total it took 4 hours! I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I didn't know how I would look after it was done or how others would look at me! The final product was cool! I would definitely tell anyone to try it but I myself wouldn't do it again. I didn't like how I couldn't wash my hair after I sweated and how heavy they felt (not heavy as in it hurt, but just uncomfortable). Ultimately I kept them in for a few days then took them out! 10 days flew by quick! Before we knew it our 73 day tour was about to start! We will try to update as much as possible but as you know from previous blogs, it's not our forte (lol) plus wifi may be a bit dodgy, but we will try our hardest! Remember you can always follow us on Instagram or Snapchat for more up to date updates! :)

Rio de Janeiro

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The Spectacular Foz do Iguaçu - The Brazilian Side

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The Magnificent Iguazu Falls - Argentina Side

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