As my words begin to fill this blank page the sound of rain, pitter patter, rattles in my ears.
Today I wanted to be outside soaking up the fresh mountain air, running alongside the lake and mountain biking through the picturesque landscape.
Instead it’s 2:45pm and I’m still in my pyjamas, sat up in bed with my laptop on my knees. The weather is distracting me, my train of thought broken every so often by the relentless sound of mother nature throwing rain drops on the roof.
I wanted to be outside indulging in my surroundings, giving thanks for the journey I am on. For today has great significance for me, for us.
On this day exactly two years ago we boarded a flight from London Heathrow to Toronto, Canada and said goodbye to the world we knew. We waved Adiós to our 9 to 5, yelled ‘Ciao’ to the expectations of modern society and ran in completely the opposite direction.
730 DAYS OF TRAVEL
I spoke recently about the struggles I had faced to get myself to the point of no return. The panic that paralysed my body throughout that day was intense. Yet, as I have since realised, rather unnecessary.
Having contemplated the events that led us to that moment I thank the forces at work which pushed us to leave our jobs and propelled us towards the moment in which we find ourselves.
For although right now there is rain lashing at our window I know that tomorrow will bring a new day, a brand new view to admire and a new location to explore.
In the last 730 days we’ve admired innumerable views, from windows overlooking Costa Rican waterfalls and lush tropical rainforest to those looking out over the snow of a Canadian winter. We’ve poked our head out of a beach hut in Hawaii and a flung back the curtains of a house in the suburbs of Sydney.
ITINERARY REFLECTIONS
In The Past Two Years We Have //
// Completed 13 house sitting assignments in the USA, Costa Rica, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
// Rented 8 properties.
// Bought 3 different vehicles.
// Driven over 35,000km across Australia and Canada, through Costa Rica, around Oahu, Hawaii and down the length of New Zealand.
// Taken 15 separate flights, 6 buses and a train.
// Qualified as PADI Divemasters.
// Worked on the dive deck of a 5 star liveaboard exploring the Great Barrier Reef.
// Joined the crew of a yacht sailing across the top of Australia.
// Learnt the basics of macadamia farming and alpaca herding.
// Hiked on glaciers in New Zealand.
// Explored the crater of an active volcano.
// Joined a shark feeding dive 150km from the Australian coast.
// Charli has volunteered as a veterinary nurse and joined a ladies quilting club, learnt basic Spanish and joined the team of WildJunket Magazine as a columnist.
// Ben has mastered the dark art of auto electrics, become an expert in buying, revamping and selling used vehicles, had his photography featured in an international tourism campaign and has some of his photography on permanent display in New Zealand.
LIVING A LIFE OF TRAVEL
We’ve had more ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences than I had thought physically possible and have benefited immensely as individuals from the experiences each day has brought.
Our journey has taken us quite literally to the other side of the world and so far we’ve yet to return home.
While we have long since taken our baby steps with regard to our physical journey we recently started a new adventure. Much like our nomadic existence this exploration was into a new field, with no previous experience, untried and untested.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
In January 2013 we launched Wanderlusters. The website on which you find yourself right now.
We had no previous blogging and website experience or social media prowess and here we are 5 months later, a shoot amongst the flowers of spring desperately striving to find a patch of sunlight in which to flourish.
To those who have followed our journey into this great big scary world we thank you for your support, for your kind comments and words of wisdom. Our experience of travel has shown us that wants are possible, desires are achievable and it is the life you desire which you must strive to create for yourself.
So here we are, a writer and photographer team striving to achieve the existence we crave.
If you’re looking for more about us and our adventures head over to our About page.
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Here’s to 2 years of living a fulfilling life and 5 months of sharing our adventures with the world.
Cheers everyone!
Have you spent time travelling? What are you most thankful for? Share your comments with us below.