SwiftRambles

What Do You Wear to Travel in for 9 Months?

I had a minor obsession with gear for this trip. Two things in life I love: kitchen gadgets and camping equipment. I got to feed this obsession with carefully planning out what to take on this trip. Since we are carrying everything we need for 9 months on our back, we had to be discriminating and pick high quality gear at a decent price. I started shopping months ago. But not Tom.

For clothing, Tom went the more pedestrian route (read: cheaper) and for the most part brought clothes he already had.

Tom's Shirts:

How do we carry our life around?

The hardest decision for us was not where to go, how to budget the trip, or what to pack. We had the most difficult time deciding what luggage to take! We had a lot of parameters to consider: cost, size, mobility, type of loading, wheels or no wheels, carry-on or check luggage, number of straps, security, and Amber's critical criteria: color.

The luggage decision was an important one because it basically holds our life everyday we are traveling. I realized after watching the Amazing Race on TV and from my past experience overnight backpacking that no matter the luggage, weight is the key issue. But what is the perfect piece of luggage for long-term travel? Most travel-bloggers seem to agree that a backpack is the way to go and thus we began the great backpack search.

Here are some that we considered and some notes about them:

Saying goodbye...

This past week was a very busy week for us! Although I know we've been preparing for over a year for this trip and we had a month off work to get ready, it seemed like it all came down to the last week for the final preparations. Tom and I certainly feel like we could use a vacation after scrambling to get everything together for leaving the country for an extended period of time! Luckily for us we have 9 months to enjoy it.

We were able to find a renter, a colleague of mine from Visa. He needed a temporary place for 9 months with reasonable rent and we wanted someone we knew to stay there. A win win situation! Although we are renting it furnished we did have to remove our personal belongings. What we've discovered is how much crap we have in our closets and drawers! So we spent a day on each room and slowly and surely packed everything away.

We did find some funny stuff hidden away. Like this gem of a picture from Tom's college days (what is up with the guy behind Tom and Patrick?).

We also found an entire stack of thank you notes Tom wrote for his college graduation presents, dated from 1999. He wrote the notes but never sent them. To Tom's relatives: We will send the notes we promise. If you have waited 11 years we guess you can wait 9 more months! The funny part is Tom have moved these notes about 4 times without ever realizing it.

But now the closets are empty

and the house is ready for the renters.

Luckily for us (well Tom really as he was the Chief Mover) we had some help moving things down the 3 flights of stairs - everyone grab a chair!

They say a good friend is someone who will help you move a body, no questions asked. This is not quite a dead body but it felt like one (so I hear).

It was emotional leaving the house and knowing we wouldn't be back for 9 months. But it was even more emotional leaving our friends.

It first started with saying goodbye to work colleagues.

We had a goodbye New Year's Eve party at our house. We stayed up until 5 and drank copious amounts of champagne. I haven't stayed up that late in years. I felt more like a college student than a thirtysomething.

But most of all, I am going to miss these guys.

Maybe not this guy, after all he is ironically wearing a dickie.

I am definitely going to miss these guys.

Most importantly, I'm going to miss THE BAND man!

We also grouped together at a bar to say goodbye to some folks who couldn't make it on New Years. That night we took it easy and only stayed out until 2:00 am. This behavior definitely impacted our packing progress the next day.

Some friends were also helpful in having us over to dinner so we didn't have to cook. Thanks to Misners and the McDonoughs (not pictured, but who are also awesome since they are taking our car while we're gone!).

And sadly, I am going to miss watching this season of The Bachlorette with these guys. Have a glass of wine in my honor ladies!

It was hard leaving our house and friends, but hopefully our house and friends will be there once we get back. Until then, we have adventures to take and places to explore!

-Amber

13 days and counting...

I wrote a poem for Amber for a Christmas present that she wanted me to share:

 

13 Days and Counting...

It is again the best time of year!

To see my wife full of holiday cheer!

Initally I didn't want to spend the time and money,

But I am definitely in the holiday spirit, Honey.

I appreciate that you decorated our home,

It is especially comforting before we roam...

I can't believe the moment is upon us

When we travel on plane, boat, and bus.

I feel like we are reaching a goal

That we set a long time ago.

Together we planned and saved

To seek out the monumental trek we craved.

I love your passion, spirit, and guts

To break us out of our corporate ruts

First on our list is Costa Rica,

Where I will zipline with my chica.

Then we fly to Guatemala

Where we learn Spanish and see waterfall(a).

We will secretly travel to the Cuban isle

Where I will smoke cigars all the while.

Then off to Pategonia for some hiking -

I think the scenery will be to your liking.

Maybe then we will hit Mendoza

To drink some wine and see how it goes-a.

At this point we should head to Brazil,

To see Ricardo and have a feijoada meal.

Why don't we head to Bolivia

Before the rain forests are oblivia?

Then on to Peru way up high

To see Macchu Pichu before we die.

Columbia should cap our southern trip -

Not overrun by drugs and is actually hip.

Then across the globe to Asia!

We can head to Thailand and Maylaysia.

Nepal, China, and Japan are on my list.

Cambodia shouldn't be missed!

Wow, we are going to see many places,

Eat crazy food and see new faces.

My gift this year is my sense of adventure -

Something we'll need to pack at this juncture.

Merry Christmas to my courageous wife

As we leave on the biggest journey of our life!

-Tom

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season:

-Tom

Our first week off...

Normally on a typical work day, I'd be looking at this:

Instead of staring at my computer at work this week, I got to look at this:


And this:

Guinness is good for you

We have a cat named Guinness.  You can read more about him here and here.  One of the hardest things we've I've done so far to prepare for our trip is saying goodbye to Guinness (the cat, not the beer - I don't know if Tom could ever give up the beer!). 

Bye-bye cubes...

Today is our last day at our respective employers!  I woke up this morning realizing that not working means no more income, a sinking feeling to say the least.  We are no longer DINKYs (Dual Income, No Kids Yet), we are now NINKYs (or maybe NINKompoops).  The anxiety will motivate me to be even more diligent with our budgeting: more eating in, cheaper entertainment (library!), and using up stuff we already have around the house before we leave.  Also, less shopping (see DINKY Life post on our recent money management). 

  

Above: Tom's old cube in silicon valley...note the corporate "flair" magnets on the filing cabinet telling me to power down at night.  I must have been a high energy user because I got two magnets.

Leaving great co-workers is tough.  People are very excited for us and the feedback from others has ranged from congratulatory to “Are you f-ing nuts?”.  The support we are receiving from people has been great and the endorsement from those who have done extended travel is helping ease our fears. 

We are not leaving for few more weeks, but I am starting to feel like the adventure starts now!

-Tom

Ditching our cubes to discover the world...

We wanted to come up with a succinct tag line for our blog.  Something catchy.  Something that piques your interest.  Something that makes you want to read further.  Something that sums up exactly what we are doing.  Something that... isn't lame.  Yes NOT being lame is about as ambitious we got. 

Well, I first came up with "A couple setting off to see the world... if we don't kill each other first".  Tom felt it was a little... harsh.  I had to agree but I also felt if I read that I'd want to keep reading to see why these people freakin' hated each other so much.  But we quickly discarded this one.  (Side-note: I really hope we don't kill each other on this trip!). 

Tom had the brilliant idea for "Tom and Amber's Travel Blog".  SNOOZEVILLE!  I told him I was asleep before he even got to "Travel".  Very descriptive but doesn't really make you want to keep reading.

Then we considered "Can two Swifts survive on love alone?".  However, something that makes me want to slightly throw up in my mouth probably isn't a good idea.  Along the sappy route, we had "Two Swifts, Two Backpacks, One Dream" and "Swiftly discovering the world together".

Of course then there are the cliches we came up with: "Boldly going where no Swift has gone before", "Got Travel?", and "We're going to keep going, and going, and going...".

"Dropping out to find out what the worlds about", "Discovering the world one beer at a time" were also considered.  However, when I really thought about the crux of what we are doing, we are leaving our corporate life to discover the world beyond the 3 short walls of our cubicles. There's got to be something bigger out there than beige walls covered with photos of places we'd like to explore but never have the time to get to.  So for the next six months we are ditching our cubicles to explore the world.  And we hope you join us at least in spirit by continuing to read this blog.

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- Amber