The Trip was completed! After visiting twenty six countries over the course of nearly nine months, we are now safe and soundly home again. Our arrival back to Edmonton was wonderful, and we were soon met with another invitation for an adventure: Law School. Unbelievably, I was accepted to the University of Saskatchwan’s College of Law, and we made the move over the summer. Currently, we are experiencing a new chapter, and loving it.
UPDATE (JANUARY 20, 2011) Adding Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador.
UPDATE(JANUARY 1, 2011) How things change! Our plan now looks like this. We’ve been to: England, France, Morocco, Italy, Tanzania, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Greece & Turkey. In 2011, we hope to get to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Easter Island, Peru, Belize, Mexico, Florida, Washington DC, New York, New Brunswick, and finally home to Edmonton, Alberta, with an arrival date of May 1st, 2011.
UPDATE (AUGUST 22): Just over two weeks until our departure. England, France, Morocco, Italy, Tanzania, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Greece, Istanbul, India, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Belize and Mexico: LOOK OUT! Here we come!
UPDATE (JULY 12): WELCOME BACK Normandy and Paris. I love you. And I am so glad we have reconciled.
UPDATE (June 18): Welcome Back South America! After much discussion, we came to our senses and have included you and your lovely countries once again. Of course, this means we have to say goodbye to Europe (England, France & Spain) and Australia. But we feel great about all of it.
UPDATE (June 15): Adios South America. We would have loved to include you, but we just can’t do it. See you in 2013.
UPDATE (May 26): The flights have been purchased: Four one-way tickets to London, departing September 7, 2010.
How about a little preview of our itinerary?
England, France, Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Sicily, Greece, Turkey, Cypress, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Seychelles, Goa, Cambodia, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador & Belize.
Think it’s possible in ten months?
Check back in September, when it all begins…
I will be following you all of the way… what an adventure, Steph!
PS – before you go – I am attempting to host an Edmonton food bloggers event – and know you do read and write about food at times… so would love you to e-mail me with your site title in the subject line so that I have your address to send the information to.
Valeire
Hi Valerie!
Thanks for your comments. I would love to get together with other food bloggers, and really appreciate the invitation. I will send you an email and we can keep in touch.
I’m glad you will follow our adventures. It’s nice to know someone is interested other than family members!
All the best,
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie
I got to your blog through FB ( which you will leave tomorrow June 2), I assume you will have this trip planned with the notion that life is a process and that all these plans can be changed should any of the travel party members find a need to do so. ( what a long sentence). In any case I like your writing style and got drawn into the blog and found myself staring at the questionable food items and nearly experiencing the “charged” energy exchange. That is pretty good writing. You wrote that you will travel with girls, which I assume are children ( not having read a lot of the blogs) and depending on their age I guess they will be partially the decisive factor in your travel itinerary. I travelled with my family for 9 months a few years ago and we changed the original plans a few times, in the end having a fantastic unseen bond that will last forever. Enjoy
Hi Ted,
Thanks for reading! Yes, we are traveling with our children, and are really looking forward to that aspect of the trip. It’s a great opportunity to really connect with each other, and leave behind the distractions of our daily routine.
It’s interesting to hear that you did a big trip with your family. Once I started telling people we were heading off to experience the world with our family, I was so surprised to hear about how many either have done this, or dream of it. Every single person that took the leap has absolutely no regrets, and claim the trip changed everyone’s lives in a positive way. I am really looking forward to what the unknown holds.
Stephanie
Who are the 4 tickets for… and hove you booked places or events in these locations… or are they just wishes?
Hi Valerie,
The four tickets are for me, my husband, and two daughters. We’ve booked a couple of “milestone” spots – a B & B in Normandy, a trek in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, and a safari in Tanzania. These will operate as touching points to help keep us on track. But we also don’t want to be too bound by plans as part of the intention is to get away from schedules and the frantic pace in general. So, we are trying to keep things pretty open.
Stephanie
I heard the last bits of your interview on CBC yesterday and immediately wanted to sign up to read your blog. What an incredible adventure to be on with your family! I love it! I spent 4 months backpacking through Asia, Australia and NZ in 2004, then spent a year living in Australia in 2008/2009 and have now moved back to Edmonton with my Australian husband. Not sure how much travel I will be doing in the next few months, so I look forward to reading all about your adventures. Travel well!
hi where are you going after Kea??????
I feel privileged to be one of your host in your long trip.(Tanzanian Safari)
I appreciate your aim for your travel meet people, You are very special and the whole family is great, charming respectful and can fit in any society we loved them during your stay at Ruaha Hilltop Lodge.
We wish you all the best in your trip and above all a Happy New Year,
Alban
It was our family that felt privileged, Alban. Our memories from Tanzania will be with us forever. We talk about Ruaha Hilltop Lodge nearly every day, and we can’t thank you enough for the most incredible experience.
Stephanie
Dear Stephanie and family,
Congratulations for reaching home safely.
I followed all your updates and felt traveling with you.
Is it that now its the end of hearing from you? I hope not.
You must be very different people now.
Greetings to the children and relatives.
The whole Ruaha Hilltop staff wish you all the best.
Alban
Thank-you, Alban!
It’s not the end of hearing from me, I promise, though you might find it boring now that we are back. We talk about you constantly, and I can honestly tell you that Tanzania was my favourite country of our whole journey. We wish you the best from Canada, and hope to see you again one day.
Stephanie
Awesome Iam so Happy to see you agian Guys At the Store !!Kisses And Huggies !
AU plaisir.
My sister just left today with her children for a 10 month round the world trip. My friend Valerie recommended your blog to follow. I am interested in how your travels will be similar/different!
Angie –
V
Stephanie has gone and is back… she went last year… you can read her entire journal through her posts here, at your leisure… it is a very revealing read.