Iceland is a country of outstanding and sometimes alien beauty, but it costs. A lot. It is not a budget destination. On our first day in Reykjavik, we wanted a quick lunch after our morning jet-lag nap. The owner of our apartment recommended a pizza place around the corner. An eighteen inch … More Sticker Shock Iceland
Iceland is a great place to meet Americans. While the country’s natives number about 200,000, I believe there were at least that many Americans visiting at the same time we were. And you can always pick them out by their clothes, their volume, and their attitudes. To be less Ugly American and more polite guest, … More The Ugly American Abroad
When the car rounded the corner onto our street, my heart sank. Our home in Reykjavik for the next two days, a two bedroom apartment I rented on Vacation Rentals by Owner, looked like an Eastern bloc compound circa 1980. Not only were all the buildings low, square and constructed of gray cement, the walls … More The Reykjavik Apartment
Applying for a visa to enter China is no joke. The picture above shows the application when it was six pages short of completion. That’s 24 feet of paper! Last month, I ran our itinerary through the Visa Quick Check to see which countries required a visa for US citizens to enter. Visas … More The Visa that Ate the Kitchen
Solidifying our route around the world was a lot harder than I imagined. Our country itinerary is as follows: Iceland, Netherlands, South Africa, Italy, the Maldives, China, New Zealand, Hawaii, and Mexico in that order. How did we choose those locations? I wish I could say it was all very logical. Really, it was a … More Where we’re going
Never have I been more aware of the threat of terrorism than in planning how to circumnavigate the globe with my children. The news, family and friends have all pointed to the risks over the reward, and I’ve had to ask myself, is it even safe to travel anymore? To help answer my question, I … More We can’t go there, there, or there…
The sign at the doctor’s office read: If you intend to travel abroad in the next six months, please notify us immediately! So I did. It turns out that to travel nearly anywhere at or south of the equator, you need shots. A lot of them. Depending on your destination, they range from the familiar … More I have to get how many shots?
With so many issues to consider, it’s difficult to know where to start. I’d like to tell you that I have a plan, it’s all very scientific, and I know exactly what I’m doing. But I don’t want to lie to you. A few days ago, I threw a mental dart into the swirling cloud … More Quitting (public) School
Flash forward ten minutes from our decision to travel around the world: “That’s a little selfish, don’t you think?” “I don’t hear you offering to change your plans.” “You’re going to tank a trip around the world for that?” Picture Tim, Faith, Aidan and I still arranged around the kitchen island with our dinner detritis … More I have to miss what?
Over an unremarkable dinner several weeks ago, our family of four decided to take a trip around the world. The idea to uproot the children, throw aside our comfortable lives and plunge into financial turmoil originated with the noblest of beginnings: straight-up envy. My friend Elizabeth mentioned her plans to travel the United States and … More Where to Begin
Far Flung 