Lufthansa Flight LH477 To Munich Is Ready For Boarding

and so are we! 

This is it! It is now! WOW!

After 8 months of researching and planning, we are ready to take off on our world trip. It is very exciting, and a little bit scary, as none of us have done something like this before. But I suppose a little bit of fear is healthy, as the adrenaline will keep us on our toes.

Sitting at Vancouver International Airport there is no more we can do, but go with the flow and enjoy ourselves. We have said our 'see you laters' to Andy's family, and it was especially hard to say it to Andy's 87 year old mother, Maud .

So where are we going? Well, we have made a rough itinerary, but it will probably change as we get tempted and inspired along the way:

- Switzerland: Spending a couple of days in Zurich to recover from jet lag,  doing a 3 day hike in the Swiss Alps and visiting friends in Geneva.

- France: Two weeks of volunteering at an alternative retreat in southern France and visiting friends in Cannes.

- Italy: Spending a couple of days in Barolo - yes, the area where the wine is made, volunteering for a week at a winery in Piedmonte, spending a couple of days in Florence, and the heading south to the Abruzzo area, Naples and Rome.

- Egypt: Pyramids, a nile cruise, temples and relaxing by the Red Sea.

- Jordan: Two days hike in the Wadi Rum desert, Petra, a float in the Dead Sea, and a couple of days in Amman.

 

- Nepal: Kathmandu, ten days in a Buddhist monastery, five day Poon Hill hike, 4 days in Chitwan national park, two weeks of volunteering.

- Bangkok: Relax for a couple of days

- Vietnam: Starting in Hanoi, finishing in Ho CHi Min City (Saigon), and hopefully spending Christmas in a cottage on the beach.

- Cambodia: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and a boat ride on the Mekong River.

- Time to head homewards probably via Hong Kong and Hawaii.

Let us know if you will be in the 'neighbourhood', as we would love to meet up and see a familiar face!

We have booked a few hotels in Switzerland and Italy, and also in  Nepal as Dorte's sister and brother-in-law are joining us there for 3 weeks. We have booked a flight from Geneva, Switzerland to Toulouse, France and from Amman, Jordan to Kathmandu, Nepal as we have to be there at certain times. Nothing else is booked, and we feel good about that.

So, if you are ready, let's hit the road together.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover– Mark Twain