We’ve been in South America for a month now, and on the road for a little longer (given our first stop in Walt Disney World). Adjusting to long-term travel has come relatively naturally. Some things are easy to adapt to (like not working is just as amazing as it sounds), while others are recurring frustrations (like the never-ending search for wifi and not being able to seamlessly stream Game of Thrones).
Long-term travel is different than a vacation in many ways. It’s not this glamorous life of fancy cocktails on the beach and looking fabulous every day (if fact, I think I wore the same shirt the whole time we were in Salento). It’s just life lived somewhere else, but in the best possible way.
We get to live our life against stunning and ever-changing backdrops, challenge ourselves in new (sometimes uncomfortable) situations and meet people from all over the world. But we’re still just living our life, as the same people we’ve always been.
There are absolutely days when we get to have incredible experiences that we couldn’t have had back in Chicago, like hiking Cocora Valley or drinking beers in a park, but watching the sun set over the Caribbean is just as beautiful as watching it dip behind the Sears Tower. And the things we actually do everyday are very normal for the most part. And we like that.
No matter where we are, we work from coffee shops, we cook dinner, and we go out for beers on Fridays (okay, we do that everyday lately). We shop at grocery stores and pharmacies, we take cabs and public transportation, and we get food and drinks in exchange for money just like we always have.
As we live our life in these different cities, we see more similarities in people and cities than we see differences. What I’m always finding is that no matter where we go, we are more alike than different. When we realize and accept that, maybe we can start judging a little less and loving a little bit more.
What I’m always finding is that no matter where we go, we are more alike than different.
That is why I wanted to travel and that is why I love to travel. I think it’s important to see how people live their lives all over the world, because I think you’ll find that while the words and currency may change, we are all the same. We are all just people living our lives, making friends, eating food, and just trying to make the most of this life.
Facts
- Cities: 4 (Orlando, Medellin, Salento, Cartagena)
- Countries: 2 (United States, Colombia)
- Disney Parks: 1
- Flights (including connections): 4
- Intercity Buses: 1
- Intercity Trains: 0
- Distance traveled (total distance traveled between cities across all modes of transportation): 3,591 miles
- Hotels: 0
- Hostels: 2
- Airbnbs: 2
- Organized Tours: 6
- Coffee Shops: 12
- Starbucks: 1/12
- Restaurants: 19
- Bars: 17
- Pizzas: 7
- Served Meat by Mistake: 1
- Distance Ran: 36 miles
- Marathons Completed: 0
- TV Shows Finished: 1
- Books Finished: 0
- Souvenirs Purchased: 1
- Belongings Lost: 1
- Medical Issues (sickness, injury, etc.): 1
Feelings
- What we miss: Being regulars at our favorite places. It’s really nice to have a third place away from home/work where you feel like you belong. Starbucks and Stout was that for us, and we dearly miss the friends we made there. We were in Medellin for 19 days and will be in Cartagena for 14 which did give us the opportunity to develop a bit of a routine, but that’s the longest we’ll be in any one spot for a while. We just miss having a home base.
- What we don’t miss: Working set hours at a set location. This doesn’t mean we don’t miss our jobs, we just don’t miss the expected (and honestly unnecessary) structure that governed them. We do spend good chunks of our days working on things (Kenny as volunteer social media director at a non-profit and me on this blog), so we know it’s possible to focus and work hard from outside an office setting.
- Hardest thing: Missing friends’ milestones. This past month, one of my friends had a baby, one turned 30 and got a new job, and one had a bridal shower and it’s hard to not be there to hug them.
- Best thing: Gosh – everything! I have to pinch myself sometimes when I think about how lucky I am to be able to see the world for such an extended period of time. One of the many great things though is immersing myself into the subculture of travel bloggers around the world. It’s been great to share tips and support with travelers near and far, famous and newbies like me. It really makes this big world feel small. I’ve also really enjoyed the fresh, local coffee!
Favorites
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- Restaurant: Camino Real – Salento, Colombia
- Meal: Blueberry Granola Waffles – Brunch – Salento, Colombia
- Street Food: Empanadas – Medellin, Colombia
- Pizza: Beer Mustard Pizza – Cafe Zorba – Medellin, Colombia
- Cafe: Pergamino – Medellin, Colombia
- Coffee Beverage: Pour-over Iced Coffee (fretta) – Epoca – Cartagena, Colombia
- Bar: KGB – Cartagena, Colombia
- Beer: Pilsen
- Outside Activity: Coffee Farm Tour – Medellin, Colombia
- Inside Activity: Tejo – Los Amigos – Salento, Colombia
- Views: El Penol, Guatape, Colombia
- Item in our Backpack: FlipBelt
- Local Grocery Product: Tostacos Picante (aka 3D Doritos!)