Let the Preparations Begin...

Bridget:

A-P-P-R-O-V-E-D! Yep, that's right. The lovely people from New Zealand immigration services were kind enough to grant us permission to travel to their country. So with visas taken care of, now the fun begins....finding a job, a place to crash, international health insurance, bank accounts, transportation, etc. It has already been quite the trip down the information highway. We've been checking the exchange rate daily (currently at 1 USD = 1.5 NZD), emailing vineyards and orchards weekly, and occasionally brushing up on our "Kiwi" slang (our recent favorite: "chilly bin" or what we here in the states commonly refer to as a cooler).

Other than obsessively scouring the Internet for NZ insider info, we've been figuring out ways to live frugally once we're there. Well, I personally found a way to save $300+ per year, and here it is:



Say hello to Bridget as a brunette. Yes, a bit shocking at first, but hey, no highlighting = zero maintenance = zero dollars spent in a salon = more money for traveling to sweet places like Bora Bora and Fiji (in the NZ vicinity). I really didn't know what to expect...just told the guy to match my natural hair color and "voila," this is how it came out. Can't say that I'm completely used to it yet, but it's growing on me (no pun intended).

Another challenge is figuring out how much we can bring. For Craig, it's easy... a pair of shorts, pants, Chacos, a few t-shirts, a few jackets, and he's ready to roll. As for me on the other hand, well, let's just say that 9000 cubic inches (one extra large duffel) seems to be a really small space when trying to pack for an entire year in a country that experiences all four seasons at their best. Especially when you factor in shoes, jackets, laptop, camera, etc. Hopefully I can keep it under 50 lbs.

Well, we are getting more and more excited as the days go by. Only three months left 'til the big day!

Cross Country Road Trip of Epic Proportions

View Larger Map

So here's what the road trip route is looking like so far. We will start in Fernandina Beach, FL, and drive in a clockwise loop around the country. You can now zoom in on the map to get a closer look (thanks, Pops). We are counting down the days til August!

The Scoop

First of all, thanks for visiting our page! You may be wondering what this blog is all about...well, keep reading. Over the past couple years we have been dreaming of far-off places, drooling over travel magazines, and discovering that we both have a desire to see the world. Sure, we've done our fair share of day and weekend trips, many of which have done nothing but sparked our interest even more. Well, we've finally decided to make these daydreams a reality. We are taking it to the next level and embarking on a series of true adventures!

First mission: cross country road trip. That's right, one very old car, two people, three cameras, a few clothes, lots of turkey sandwiches, and even more friends and family to visit along the way. This trip will begin in August, depending on Craig's orders from the Navy. Look below for our planned route.

Second mission: New Zealand! Craig and I have always dreamed of traveling down under, and now it's finally time to "fly with the kiwis." We are planning to live and work there for about a year, starting September 28, 2009. Our visas require us to only work temporary jobs, three months at a time. Many of these jobs are in the agriculture and viticulture industries, so don't be surprised if you see pictures of Craig chasing sheep or me trying to reach that apple all the way at the top! We are excited because that set-up will actually give us a lot of freedom to explore the country and really get a feel for their culture. However, there is one slight problem....what if we love it? Well, we are not ruling anything out just yet!

We recently watched the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (great flick, by the way), and towards the end of it, there is quote that I think sums up the way we are approaching life, so we will leave you with that:

"For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."