The Universe Opens its Doors

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.”

Joseph Campbell

Barcelona, Spain

Caunes Minervois Lady, France

Caunes Minervois, France

Aix en Provence, France

Minerve, France

Caunes Minervois, France

Caunes Minervois, France

Centenys, Spain

Arles, France

Avignon, France

 

 

Arles, France

Arles, France

Sitges, Spain

Door to Salvador Dali’s house
Cadaques, Spain

 

I love taking pictures of doors, door knobs, windows and shutters.  I love the idea that they all open to a world gone by.   The color, the craftsmanship, the attention to detail.  It fascinates me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uno, Dos, Tres… 3 months and counting!

It’s been 15 months since our Chinese  New Year post in Feb. 2011…. and three months since we moved to Spain!!    With 8 suitcases, 2 dogs, and an infinite amount of excitement, we left our family in Charleston, South Carolina on May 29, 2012 for our adventure abroad!!   A new life awaits… let the adventure begin!!

Year of the Rabbit

Last night we celebrated Chinese New Year with our family and friends.  We are so excited by all of the possibilities that this year will bring, especially after opening our fortune cookies.

Cathy:  “Be definite now, worry about precision later.”    I AM definite about our plans to travel the world.  I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that we are going forth to discover all the possibilities together.

Kevin:  “Your gifts are showing, use them to help others.”  Kevin is a talented painter / filmmaker. Our plan is to travel,  volunteer and document our expereidnces for all to see.  We want to inspire others… and become agents of change.

Autumn:  “Your many hidden talents will become obvious to those around you.”   Autumn is a very bright child with a take charge attitude.  She has a lot of enthusiasm for leading the way.  She can make friends instantly and knows what she wants, when she wants it and how to achieve her goals.  She’s a leader and this will serve her well in the world.

Rain:  “A smile can always overcome the barrier of language.”   Rain’s smile is the brightest in our family.  She is a happy happy little girl with a kind heart and soul.  As we travel… we know that her smile will conquer the world.

 

 

 

 

Have Job… Will Travel

I so desperately want to be part of the digital nomad movement…. and soon I will be.  I start a new job next week at an amazing company that is bringing world travelers together.  It’s called AirBnb.com.

For now, I will be working remotely from home and the great part about the position is that I can do it ANYWHERE in the world.  So while we wait for our house to sell, I’ll be helping people around the world realize their travel dreams !!

Check out this video of how AirBnB works !!

Happy Travels !

 

The Freedom to Fly

Over the weekend I set up a bird feeder outside my dining room window.   The winter blues have set in and the housing market continues to work against us.  So I needed a pick me up to take my mind off the fact that we are stuck in limbo until our house sells.  This has done the trick (for now)… it’s lovely to watch the birds come and go.  So far we’ve counted 18 different types of birds stopping by for a nibble.  Yesterday, we saw a few robins.. a sure sign that spring is just around the corner for us… sunshine, new life… a new chapter.

As I watch my feathered friends watch me through the glass I take solace… knowing that one day soon, we too will be able to fly away and experience the freedom of travel.  But for now, I will be happy with my daily visits from the birds who are stopping by for a meal.. and a quick rest before they take to the sky again for their own family field trip.

Happy New Year

It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life
For me
And I’m feeling good !!

Come on 2011…. make our travel dreams come true !!

 

 

 

Christmas Time is Here

Our house has been on the market for 8 very long months.  Leave it to me to want to travel the world in a horrible economy !!

All I want for Christmas this year is for SOMEONE to buy our house so that we can get our travel party started!  This economy is kicking our butts… we’ve had probably 30 showings so far but we’re always the bridesmaid and never the bride.  It is such a frustrating feeling to have this dream of ours held hostage.  I am ready to go NOW.  I’m mentally there.  I’ve said goodbye to this house, it’s contents… the stuff (oh the stuff) that lingers around me.  It all taunts me at this point.  I’m living in a house that I no longer want.. but one that I need in order to sell and make the money that will fund our RTW adventure.

So in the meantime… as fall turns into winter and inevitably spring… and I continue to brood over when my  lifestyle change will begin.. what do I do?  I spend countless hours reading other travelers websites and blogs (which makes me seethe with jealousy).  I window shop for gear.  I buy travel magazines.  I daydream about walking through a small village in Italy….  these thoughts and actions keep me going.  One day…. one day !

So please Santa… bring me a SOLD sign this Christmas !!  As my 7 year old daughter says…. “I’ll be your best friend!”

WHY are we doing this ?

After people ask WHY are wevdoing this… the next question is HOW ?

That my friends is quite the question… the HOW for us at this point is really not a tangible task.  We began talking about this idea in January 2010.  In April (after months of sprucing up the house) we put our home on the market… and here it sits.  We have so many hurdles to overcome… mainly unloading the property in order to create our travel cash flow.  So while we battle a scary economy and wait for the right buyer to come along and hand us the passports we need to get this party started… there are a MILLION other things I am doing to prepare our family for a year (or more) abroad.

WHERE IN THE WORLD ?

Just exactly where is this Global Family Field Trip taking us?  As it stands right now we have just a few fixed plans… a jumping point if you will.

We know where we will start this adventure and each of us has a list of “must-dos”… but other than that… we are happiest when we are traveling organically.  By that I mean, no set plans, no tours, just wanderlust.  If all goes as planned we’ll begin our journey in the US… flying to Washington state and renting a car for a drive down the west coast.

Welcome to our World Adventure

 

Welcome to Our World Adventure

Ni Hao~Apa Kabar~Haileo~Hello !

We are a multi-cultural family of 4 from Charleston, South Carolina that has a zest for adventure and travel.  We’ve already  “been there done that” with the corporate ladder climb… so now we are leaving it all behind and taking our family on the road to discovery.  Initially this idea started out as a way to take some time off from the daily grind and discover our roots.