Welcome to our travel blog! It is a work in progress for the next two weeks but Jon was willing to get something up and running so I could start blogging! We are about to leaveon a year long adventure around the globe and this (longish) entry will answer the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How.
Who:
Jonathan Suter (25) & Allison Pelensky (25) (About Us)
What:
A one year (May 10th, 2008 – May 9th, 2009) circumnavigation of our beautiful planet.
Where [When]:
- Cross Country Road Trip [Apr 30 – May 9] We are renting a car and driving across the country. We will stop in Jasper, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Sault Ste Marie, and Toronto and finally arrive in Ottawa on May 8th or 9th.
- Dubai [May 10 – May 15]
- Jordan [May 16 – May 26]
- Turkey, Greece, Albania, Adriatic Coast [May 26 – Jul 17]
- Canada [Jul 18 – Aug 10] Jon & I will go our separate ways for 3 weeks in the summer. I will be attending and/or participating in 3 weddings in my 22 days in Canada and Jon will stay in the UK! He will return to Toronto to be in a wedding party on August 9th.
- Mauritius [Aug 13 – 20]
- South Africa [Aug 20 – Sep 6]
- Namibia & Botswana [Sep 7 – Sep 26] Overland Trip
- Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda [Sep 27 – Nov 5] I hope to turn 26 on an old German war boat that lumbers up and down Lake Tanganika.
- Hong Kong [Nov 7 – Nov 9]
- Japan [Nov 9 – Nov 29]
- Australia [Nov 30 – Jan 6] Family Christmas in Australia… so planned out already… so far in advance… Jon & I will spend a few days in Sydney and then a few days with my brother Dan in Melbourne. We’ll drive the Great Ocean Road to meet up with Jon’s sister and parents in Adelaide and go to Kangaroo Island. The 5 of us will take the Ghan train up to Alice Springs and visit Uluru (aka Ayers Rock). We will then fly to Cairns and head down to Airlie Beach where we meet up with Dano, my mom and dad, Jon’s brother Martin, his wife Debbie, and their two teenage boys Roark & Riley. All 12 of us will pile aboard a sailboat for 3 days over Christmas / Jon’s 26th B-Day. After the boat we will say good bye to the Suters and spend a few days in the outback and five days in a beach villa with my parents. Upon bidding adieu to my parents Dan, Jon & I will spend three days on Fraser Island!
- New Zealand [Jan 7 – Feb 3]
- Chile [Feb 3 – Feb 10]
- Easter Island [Feb 10 – Feb 16]
- Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, & Brazil [Feb 17 – May 9]
- Toronto, ON [May 9 – ?]
Why?
I could go on for days about the “why” – I’m not ready to be a grown up, I caught the travel bug and am itching to go explore the world, to live new cultures, to sit near the ocean and read a book, to see a Chimpanzee, to climb the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, to ponder the Moais on Easter Island, to meet a lion, to party in Ios, to be dazzled by the big buildings in Dubai, to experience Japanese culture, to celebrate Christmas with our families … upside down, to join an overland tour group, to be oh so ready to leave that same overland tour group, to strike out on our own, to rely on the kindness of strangers, to hug the Adriatic Coast, to go back to our favourite restaurants in Hong Kong, to take my first big trip that doesn’t include Thailand, to learn more about myself and to embark on this journey and the rest of our lives!
Jon will also have several wonderful answers to this question, not the least of which (I’m sure) is that he just doesn’t want to be boring!
How:
I will add several more detailed “how” posts between now and when we leave (because really, who needs to study for law exams) but your most pressing question is “how on earth are you going to afford this?” Jon has a different story because he worked hard and saved harder but as a student it was a little more difficult for me!
- Step 1: Be lucky enough to have wonderful parents who pay for your tuition all the way through. This is the only way I am able to fund my half of the trip without going into debt.
- Step 2: Save, save, save, every last penny. Avoid Starbucks – make coffee at home, avoid clubs – pubs and house parties are allowed, budget, record every dollar I spend and cut wherever I can. I also saved and invested all the money I made while working before I came to law school – I was living at my mom and dad’s at the time and that stack of cash is what is financing this trip.