Comings and Goings

It’s become habit.

Each morning I log on to my computer to check for dispatches from the dozen or so families and travelers I have been tracking around the world.

RSS reports arrive from far-flung places like Puerto Montt, Tokyo, Cairns, Siem Reap, Cappadocia and Durban. Each post brings a new adventure, a new lesson or a new idea for a place to explore.

As our departure date approaches (under a month), I’ve started to think more and more about these travelers, where they are in the arc of their journeys, and where they are headed next.

Some are heading home, others just starting.

Below I’ve listed a few of the blogs I’ve been tracking. They are the perfect distraction if you are looking for travel information, inspiration, or an interesting story.

Heading Home

These travelers are nearing completion of their trips:

The James Family (of the North) – About the time Rick, Claudette, Alex and Luke return home to Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada, the James Family (of Washington, DC – i.e., us) will fly off to Quito, ensuring at least one James Family is perpetually traveling RTW. Rick and Claudette have helped us tremendously with our planning, and we look forward to the day we can meet in person and compare trip notes.

The McBride Family – Another Canadian family, this one from Ottawa. Their trip blog is an inspiration – but their Room With A View blog is pure genius. They’ve taken a picture from every place they’ve spent the night for the past year as they’ve traveled RTW.

One Year on Earth – Nashville newlyweds Derek and Shanna are in the closing stretch of a year-long honeymoon spent exploring the world. Their blog is full of great stories, pictures and very useful recommendations for the countries they visited.

Where The Hell Is Matt? – Internet phenom Matt Harding is back in Seattle after finishing his third “dancing” video. The first two are must-see TV (as is the latest installment). This is a guy who’s got it figured out.

Hitting the Road

These travelers are just beginning their adventures:

Pilgrims’ Progress – This Kiwi Family of ten (that’s right, ten) gets my vote for “Most Inspirational.” In October they’ll board a flight for Singapore to begin a year-long journey that will take them across Asia and Europe to England.

Family on Bikes – John Vogel and Nancy Sathre-Vogel are embarking on an incredible journey with ten-year-old twins Daryl and Davy. The family intends to travel from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina. By bike. They left for Alaska on June 8 and expect to complete the journey in thirty months.

Bangkok to Krakow – In early June, Karon and Madzia set off on a journey from Bangkok to Krakow with seven-month old baby Zofia in tow. Or maybe it’s the other way around 🙂 Five thousand miles is a lot of ground to cover with a baby.

The DeWilde Journey – This family of four from Oshawa, Ontario, is preparing to leave on their RTW in early July. Pam and John and children Simon and Danielle are heading across Canada before journeying to Florida, Nicaragua and beyond.

Family Trippers – Ian, Ann, Rory and Roonagh, a family of four from Scotland, are off to Capetown in early July, the start for a year long RTW that will take them to Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and Australia.

Almost Fearless – One of my new favorite blogs. Christine and Drew decided to do what they really wanted to do all along: quit their jobs and travel the world. They are off to Spain in early July.

Nomadic Matt – Part travelogue, part travel resource, Nomadic Matt’s recently redesigned site is full of inspiration and information. Matt takes off this summer for Europe, Asia and points beyond.

Lives of Wander – Theresa and Jeff (who will also be escaping from the Washington, DC, metro area) are preparing to depart this fall on their RTW, starting in Nicaragua and South America.

Still Going Strong

These travelers and still out there exploring, reporting and having the time of their lives:

Aiken/Windom Year Off – This California family will soon begin the fourth-leg of an amazing series of adventures that have taken them to Europe, North Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. Next stop: The California Sierras and the John Muir Trail.

Family RTW – Shawn, Jasmine and Shawn Reece Coomer have more than a year on the road under their belt already, and they are still going strong. Now in Southeast Asia, Shawn’s detailed blog is a virtual how-to guide for RTW travel — and his generosity in sharing what he’s learned knows no bounds.

Four Go RTW – The Edmeads Family from England is three-quarters of the way through their year-long RTW, aiming to finish up in September. Now in Australia (and with most of Asia already completed), their itinerary has them visiting the U.S. and Central America before heading home.

Soul Travelers 3 – Jeanne D’Arc, DaVinci and Mozart continue their multi-year, opened ended, long slow trip around the world. Currently in Europe, traveling primarily by RV.

Everything – Everywhere – Gary Ardnt continues his open-ended pursuit to see everything, everywhere. His blog offers great travel photography, Podcasts and updates on McDonald’s restaurants around the world.

Legal Nomads – Escaped lawyers Jessica and Jodi have gotten themselves in some pretty interesting situations and fully tested the South American health care system. Now enjoying Africa, the rest of the world to follow.

Wandering Why – Sean and Dawn left on their RTW with no set itinerary and no set return date. They’ve been on the road for 230+ days, seen a lot of South America and are now exploring Australia. Their wonderful sense of humor and spirit of adventure is evident in every post. Who knows where they will wander next?

Hall of Fame Travelers

Finally, for those who can’t get enough of quality travel blogs, here are four of my favorites that document completed trips:

Conor’s Mildly Thrilling Tales – Conor Grennan sets the standard. He’s insightful, funny and never takes himself too seriously.

Thirteen Months – A California couple’s beautifully executed blog about their RTW completed in 2005. Great writing, wonderful photography. A standard to shoot for.

The World Is Not Flat – Lee and Sachi LeFeever’s RTW blog from 2006 is one of the first I found when I started researching our trip. Great stories and pictures – and a lot of really helpful information, especially on technology.

Six In The World – When the Andrus Family appeared on Oprah in March 2007, a lot of families considering RTW travel became believers. Ours was one. After reading their blog, we believed for the first time we could do it too.

Finally, I want to congratulate John Higham, who passed on news this week that a book he has written about his family’s RTW will be published.

John provided invaluable advice and encouragement when we first began planning our trip. You can check out his family’s web site and read a few sample chapters of his book here.

If you’ve made it to the end of this post, through this long list of travelers, you might ask yourself: How does a person who [allegedly] works full time keep track of all these people?

Seems my daughter has wondered the same thing.