Three Years of Full Time Travel
We would never have dreamt it!!
How often have you heard that saying?
I’m sitting here in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico not quite believing that three years ago today we stepped out of our home in the UK, after selling everything we owned, to start out on a new life.
We had no plan, no home and hardly any belongings other than what we needed to carry on our backs.
We’d booked into a Travelodge for a few nights and that is the only plan we had.
Three years later and we have had the most amazing adventures, met the most lovely people and learnt so much about travel and ourselves.
So where have we been and what have we done over the three years…..
Where Have We Been
South East Asia
From the cities of Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to the lush countryside of Bali to the temples of Thailand.
SE Asia is a gorgeous area and we loved our time there.
Exploring Yogyakarta, Java was a highlight with Bali a bit of a letdown, to be honest.
Chiang Mai, Thailand felt like home to us ( for 5 months ) with its lovely Buddhist way of life, hundreds of temples and smiling population.
Hanoi has changed but still holds a charm and chaos that is mesmerising.
Hong Kong Disneyland was a treat and a magical break.
First stop Singapore
Climbing Mount Batur In Bali
Sunset Over Yogyakarta, Java
Wat Arun, Bangkok, Thialand
The Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur
Halong Bay, Hanoi, Vietnam
Australia
We had grand ideas of exploring all of Australia but after house sitting in Perth, we decided to just see a bit more of Western Australia.
18 days road tripping through the outback goldfields to driving beside the Indian Ocean.
Indian Ocean Beach, Western Australia
Crossing The Tropic Of Capricorn, Western Australia
China
Southern China was an eye opener with its beautiful landscapes and warm friendly people.
We didn’t want to leave and lengthened our stay by an extra month.
The Landscape Of Yangshuo, Southern China
Nepal
Ahh, Nepal.
It always feels like coming home to see the Himalaya, but Kathmandu has changed and not for the better.
Once we got out into the mountains our adventure began.
Trekking to Everest Base Camp unsupported and unguided.
After nearly a month of trekking, we headed West to Pokhara and it’s tranquil setting by a beautiful lake.
Annabel Taking A Rest On The Everest Trail With Amadablam In The Background
Beautiful Pokhara,Nepal
The UK
We briefly stopped over in the UK to visit friends before heading off again but this time further West.
Time Spent With Lovely Friends In London, UK
Mexico
We fell in love with Mexico City but soon travelled North to stay in Queretaro for three months.
The beautiful city of San Miguel de Allende with its cobbled streets and old town feel was our home for another three months before heading to the USA.
San Miguel de Alende, Mexico
USA
Annabel got to visit the Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon for the first time on our mini road trip before flying to Atlanta to visit friends.
An epic train journey saw us travelling to New York for Christmas 2017 where we had a blast house sitting.
Messing Around At The Grand Canyon
The Unmistakable Statue Of Liberty, New York, USA
Canada
New Year 2018 and we were Canada bound for the Winter.
Oh how we loved it, the snow, the ice skating, the wilderness, heaven!!
Frozen lakes, First Nation Culture, long hikes, forests, we had it all.
Cheering On The Peterborough Petes Ice Hockey Team, Canada
Mexico
An unexpected invitation back to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico to house sit saw us flying South again and staying for 6 months.
The Parroquia, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
USA
There seemed to be a pattern forming here as we travelled North again.
This time Seattle was our destination to house sit but not before we road tripped out to Yellowstone National Park, The Littlebighorn, The Tetons and Oregon.
The Seattle area was heaven for us with its forests, ocean and mountains.
We were in hiking bliss.
One Of The Many Volcanic Springs In Yellowstone National Park
Castle Geyser Erupting, Yellowstone National Park, USA
Stunning Beaches Of Baja California
USA
You can see a yo yo pattern emerging, can’t you?
This time we headed to Los Angeles for Christmas 2018 but also visited Long Beach and Universal Studios.
The view from our house sit in LA was mind-blowing as we looked out over Hollywood and even the Hollywood sign.
A Fun 13th Birthday For Annabel At Universal Studios, Los Angeles, USA
The Grove, Los Angeles, USA, All Decorated For Christmas
Mexico
Was that obvious or what.
San Miguel de Allende called us back for the fourth time and here, we still are.
The Beautiful Cobbled Streets Of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
What Have We Done
Where to start.
It feels like we’ve experienced so much in the last three years.
We swam with Whale Sharks on the Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia.
We trekked to Everest Base Camp unsupported and unguided from Salleri and back.
Annabel did so well and we are really proud of her for completing the challenge.
She also went paragliding in Pokhara, Nepal, for the first time.
We snorkelled with Sea Lions in Baja and saw some amazing tropical fish in the beautiful clear waters.
Annabel and I learnt to Short Track Speed Skate in Ontario, Canada although we spent plenty of time on backsides.
We’ve road tripped in Western Australia, Arizona, USA and the Pacific North West.
We’ve visited places that we’ve dreamt of going for years, like Yellowstone National Park and The Little Bighorn Battle site.
We’ve ziplined and climbed a volcano in Bali.
We’ve planed, trained and automobiled our way across the USA.
Annabel Paragliding In Pokhara, Nepal
We Trekked To Everest Base Camp
We Rode The Death Railway In Thailand
Scary Jeep Rides In Nepal
We Visited Beautiful Spots Like This In Washington State, USA
We Hiked In The Stunning Mountains Of Olympic National Park, Washington State, USA
What Have We Seen
Glorious sunsets over the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean that mesmerised us.
Grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park.
The Grand Canyon, the Grand Tetons, Olympic National Park, the Northern Cascades.
A lifetimes worth of festivals and fireworks in Mexico.
The Krathong lantern festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand where thousands of floating lanterns sail down the river into the night.
Waisak day celebrations at Borobudur, Indonesia where the sky was filled with lanterns.
The amazing Prambanan Hindu temple complex in Java.
Humpback Whales breaching in Canada.
A moose crossing the road in front of us and huge Bison walking beside us.
The lights of Las Vegas.
The Christmas tree at the Rokerfella Centre in New York.
The Great Wall of China.
Santa on the Everest Trail ( who would have thought ).
Golden temples in Thailand surrounded by Buddhist monks chanting.
Swimming With Whale Sharks In Western Australia
We Attended Waisak Day In Borobudor, Java, Indonesia
A Huge Grizzly Bear In Yellowstone National Park, USA
The Biggest Bison Ever, In Yellowstone National Park, USA
Glorious Sunsets Over The Indian Ocean, Western Australia
The Amazing Rice Terraces At Longji, China
Who Have We Met
One of the most important things we love about our travels are the people we meet along the way.
Gold prospectors in Western Australia.
Buddhist monks in Thailand.
New friends in Yogyakarta, Java.
All the people who wanted photos with us in Java ( there were a lot).
The people we’ve housesat for and of course their lovely pets who we’ve taken care of.
The 2017 Gurkha Everest Expedition Team who we met on the Everest Trail.
The retired Gurkhas at the Gurkha Welfare home in Pokhara, Nepal.
All the people who are now our friends.
Strangers that have helped us when we were lost or needed help in some way ( so many ).
Meeting The Gang At Disneyland Hong Kong
Meeting Locals In Yogyakarta, Java
The Gurkha Everest Expedition Team ( who went on to summit Mount Everest )
New Found Friends In Chiang Mai, Thailand
New Friends Made At Tai Chi School In Yangshuo, China
New Friends In Thailand
Lucky To Meet The Children At A Preschool In Chiang Dao, Thailand
It’s hard to put into words how we’ve felt about our adventure so far.
It’s been exciting, at times stunning, sometimes sad or upsetting, sometimes scary but mostly fun!!
So we’re looking forward to the next few years to see what happens, where we go, what we do and who we meet along the way.
