The first stop on our trip was Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. For those of you who are geographically challenged, Sydney is not the capital of Australia, but it is the largest city. We stayed a week there. It felt to me a lot like any large city in Europe or America — high population density,… Continue reading Sydney: familiar, but also strange
bad and good decisions
As I write this, it’s been three weeks since we left Denver. I’ve already learned I made some pretty bad planning decisions, but fortunately we made one really good one to help make up for it. Bad decisions going to Australia before New Zealand: From the US, we flew first to Sydney, then Cairns (Australia),… Continue reading bad and good decisions
airport security
Last updated: January 10, 2016 An American friend asked me how airport security in the countries we’re visiting compares to in America. She used to work for the TSA, she said, and is curious. So I wrote this blog post, and I’ve been trying to keep it updated as best as possible as we travel.… Continue reading airport security
the first day of our journey
Preface: I started writing this post from Seat 14 F on an American Airlines flight from Denver to Los Angeles, far above the mountains flying southwest toward the low orange sun. That was September 2, 2015. And I finished writing it literally weeks later in Hamilton, New Zealand, on September 23. The first part of… Continue reading the first day of our journey
don’t trust this TSA-compatible lock to protect you from anything but moronic zombies
I bought a couple TSA-compatible luggage locks from Amazon. My plan was to use this on my new eBags TLS Workstation Laptop Backpack to secure my laptop and other stuff during our travels through Asia later this year. Unrelated to this, I also couldn’t remember the combination to one of my suitcases that also has… Continue reading don’t trust this TSA-compatible lock to protect you from anything but moronic zombies
prepping for vagabonding in middle age
My wife Beth posted an article about us being on the home stretch of our preparation for the six month (maybe less, maybe more) travel. She wrote, “Todd has to see the dermatologist again, and I am visiting a lymphedema therapist to get one last treatment before our trip. This is the kind of thing… Continue reading prepping for vagabonding in middle age
seven kilos? serious, mate?
Having recently bought my first domestic Australian airline tickets, I noticed something weird about their carry-on baggage policies. Like many US airlines, they allow you to take one carry-on bag plus one “personal item” (a jacket or computer or book) as part of the ticket price. But unlike any US airline I’ve heard of, they… Continue reading seven kilos? serious, mate?
my telecom woes
This past week, the first bad decision of my planning for our big trip became apparent. And it has to do with my phone. A few months ago, I read a bunch of articles, including this one from Nomadic Matt, this one from Forbes, and a few others. For years, I had been using an… Continue reading my telecom woes
the downsizing list
As we prepare to leave Denver, we’ve got a lot of stuff to get rid of. Here’s the current list, just in case any of my friends are interested in this stuff. I’ll update this as we add more or sell things. Kata camera backpack – Here’s the Craigslist ad. I’m only asking $75. It’s a… Continue reading the downsizing list
world, here we come
Beth and I both like to travel. A few years ago, we started to wonder if we could just do it full time. About the same time, the notion of the “location independent lifestyle” first hit the edge of the mainstream. We learned there were others like us — people who weren’t at traditional retirement… Continue reading world, here we come