Concluding Thoughts on the “Big Trip”

I write this nearly 4 months after the conclusion of our trip.  Reality has firmly returned (it didn’t take long).  Life is the same as it was prior to leaving – except Alyce is done with school.

So…Was it worth it?

We were able to save plenty of money through various tricks, but we still spent a lot.  An even bigger expense was the loss of income from each of us not working for three months.  Still, I’d do it again in a heartbeat…to answer the question – it was without a doubt, absolutely worth it.

We were able to see and experience more things in 3 months than many people do in their entire life.  We experienced many things we’ll never forget.  Plus, we had both been very busy over the last couple years between work and school, so it gave us a break.

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No one knows what the future will bring, and I believe it is important to capitalize on opportunities when they present themselves.  I’d recommend anyone else considering something like this going for it.  I wouldn’t go in to debt or anything like that – set up saving account and stock away some money every month….But if you can pull it off, don’t be afraid to push your regular bounds of comfort.

Sorry to get a little philosophical…I felt I’d add the above bit, as one of the things I did not find too much on when I started planning this trip is whether people had done something like this…and whether they would do it again.  And again, our answer is a resounding yes.

Another big takeaway for us is to go the extra distance.  What exactly do I mean by that because I’m not talking about a lame motivational t-shirt phrase?

Basically, we were faced several times with having to decide whether to stay at/go to somewhere a little more on the beaten path or travel farther for what appeared to be a more interesting destination.  And, it ended up being worth it without a doubt to travel a little farther for something more interesting every time.

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Koh Lanta was more interesting than Phuket would have been…Golden Bay was one of our favorite stops of the entire trip, despite causing us to spend a couple extra hours driving each way…Once in Golden Bay, Wharikiki beach was worth the hour+ drive and subsequent hike to get to it….We’re both very happy we went to Akaroa instead of just taking the easy route and spending the night in Christchurch…South Australia on the whole is more out of the way, but it was my favorite part of Australia…Kangaroo Island is out of the way in South Australia, and then we stayed in an off the beaten path location of Kangaroo Island – and had experiences we would not have had anywhere else.

My point being, don’t let a little extra travelling deter you from visiting a place you’d definitely like to visit…Though, at the same time, don’t go creating places off the beaten path to visit.  Just go to the ones worthwhile.

And here is some of my schizophrenic travel advice….When planning a trip, don’t lie to yourself about who you are/what you like to do.  Do what you want to do and don’t feel obligated to do any “must do” type activities.  That said, don’t be afraid to push your boundaries.  Things get boring if you never push yourself.

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So thanks for following along to anyone who read our blog at any point.  We loved getting feedback/comments; it kept us motivated to keep writing…and we’re very happy to have blogged as much as we did for our own recollection.

We still have lots to post on other things, but this marks my conclusion of “wrap ups” for our trip.

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2 thoughts on “Concluding Thoughts on the “Big Trip”

  1. Justin,
    What an amazing job you did with this website! I know everyone enjoyed reading y’all’s blog and being able to experience where you were and what you were doing. Your hard work paid off many times over! Can’t wait to read about your future travels!
    Tiki

    • Thanks Tiki! It was a pain at times, but both Alyce and I enjoyed doing it at the end of the day. And I know it is something we’ll be very happy to have done going forward.

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