Trip Reflections

Now that it’s been a little while since our 15-month trip has ended, we have had some time to look back and reflect on our incredible adventure. This blog has been a great way to share our journey and we wanted to thank all of you for following along.

Looking out over Lake Louise

Exploring Siem Reap

An evening swim in Santorini

Coming face to face with this gentle giant in Sri Lanka

Getting gas in Bali

We have been back in New York City since January and in some ways, nothing has changed. Thankfully, many of our friends and most of our favorite restaurants are still here. We are back in the same neighborhood where we lived before and it has been easy to plug back into city life. In other ways, we feel like so much has changed. The trip really altered our perspective when it comes to our priorities. The first and most glaring change came when we got home and realized we had way more stuff than we needed. We immediately purged our closets and many of the boxes stored in our parents’ basements. A more gradual change that has occurred slowly throughout the course of the past few months came from a lesson we learned in meditation practice. We have embraced the goal of mindfulness and trying to really live in the moment, so we have been doing our best to put an emphasis on being fully present. Last year, that meant immersing ourselves in whatever new place we were visiting. Now, it means taking advantage of everything New York has to offer.

Sightseeing in Saint-Émilion

Making friends in the Philippines

Checking out the market in Laos

On a sweaty train ride in Sri Lanka after a friendly local gave us his seat

Chris receiving instructions in French on how to operate a tractor

Since we’ve been back, one of the biggest adjustments has been how we manage our time. We were getting pretty accustomed to waking up every morning and then getting to spend the entire day doing exactly what we wanted, when we wanted (budget permitting). Now that our time and schedules are more limited, it has become so important that we maximize our free time, focusing on what matters most to us. Setting clear priorities was really valuable to us on the trip. We realized very early on that so many travel bloggers were right when they said “you can do anything but not everything.” If you set your mind to it, you can travel the world, but if you try to cram in too much, you will burn out. Just like in life, travel is all about striking a balance. We are slowly learning what this balance is now that we’re back in the real world.

“When you’re in a foreign country, never drink the water” they told us.

Mechanics working hard in India

Learning a new skill in Bali

The amazing staff at the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand

When in Belgium…

Looking back, it’s hard to put into words what the trip taught us. It feels like we learned so much about ourselves, each other, and the world around us, but how can you sum that up in just one blog post? One thing that was very obvious to us in place after place that we visited is just how similar people are all around the world. So often, the focus is placed on cultural differences and that can make travel seem intimidating, overwhelming and even scary. We made a list of our “trip fears”* before we hit the road and high up on that list was feeling unsafe. It quickly became clear that those fears were unfounded. The reality we discovered was that people around the world have so much more in common than we thought. We knew that people are united in basic human needs – food, shelter, safety, love and connection. What we didn’t realize is how similar day-to-day life was for all different communities around the globe. Families provide for each other. Groups gather in social settings. Strangers will help you if you’re lost (most of the time). People want to be happy and live fulfilling, meaningful lives. Just because the places where this happens may look different, or the languages spoken sound foreign, the basic principles remain the same. It would be so easy to look at our own community’s way of organizing these things and think that is the right way to do it, but if you can appreciate the nuances and small differences instead of judging them against what you’re used to, it can be such a rewarding experience.

(*Side note – from our list of fears, the only thing that actually ended up happening was us getting food poisoning and let’s be honest, that could have easily happened right here in New York.)

Captain Christina in Montenegro

Temple hopping in Myanmar

A neighborhood, barber shop… just like back home except a cut costs $0.80

Hiking in Croatia

Hitching a ride with the family fisherman in Sicily

We know how lucky we are to have had the chance to take this trip. It was such a blessing to have the time together to explore and to grow. It boosted our confidence in our problem-solving skills. It gave us exposure to incredible cultural experiences we never would have had back home. It put us to the test in the best way possible. It made us realize that it’s ok for plans to change or things to go wrong. It’s also ok if you don’t have everything all figured out.

Looking out over Athens at sunrise

Cranking out sugar cane juice in Bagan

In awe of this beautiful temple in Amritsar

Avoided losing our bags thanks to a helpful gate agent in Frankfurt

So… did we get the travel bug out of our system? Have we returned home ready to settle down and stay put? NO WAY! We may have roots and an apartment again, but we already have flights booked to Portugal this spring. We’re happy to be back, but travel has hooked us for life.

The Seychelles is paradise

Cooking class in Thailand

Sampling the local cuisine in Turkey

A peaceful spot near the White Temple in Chiang Rai

Our preferred method of transportation on the trip

One of our favorite quotes came from an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s travel show “No Reservations.” In his show about Brooklyn, Bourdain discussed the importance of travel and exploration in such a perfect way, it pretty much sums up our feelings about the trip and about life. He said:

“If I do have any advice for anybody, any final thought, if I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move as far as you can, as much as you can, across the ocean or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in somebody else’s shoes or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody. Open your mind. Get up off the couch. Move.”

Girls from our class in Jaipur, waving good-bye

Pretty good advice for all of us. So, until next time… happy travels!

-The Morts