Our Upcoming Six-Month Adventure!

“The World Opens Itself to Those Who Open Themselves to the World” -  Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Yep . . .  we’ve changed our plans again.

Originally, we were going to South America, then we pivoted to Asia. And now - we’re heading back to Europe. At this point, we promise (and hope) - no more changes. With our flight just around the corner in early December, it’s too late for revisions anyway.

So what prompted this latest shift?

When it looked like the government shutdown might drag on and air travel was growing increasingly chaotic, we decided that we didn’t want that much stress hanging over our journey. Asia will absolutely happen someday, and we’re still excited for it. But for this six-and-a-half-month adventure, we’re following the pull of Europe once again - this time exploring places we’ve never been.

We’ll begin along Turkey’s beautiful and historic Turquoise Coast for our first six weeks - Antalya, Fethiye, and Kos - where winter temperatures are mild, with highs mostly in the upper 50s and low 60s. From there, we’ll head to Budapest and Vienna for a week each. Yes, it will be cold, but these cities are timeless, and we’re excited to experience them in the soft, beautiful winter light.

Next, we’ll spend five weeks in Croatia - Zagreb, Split, Rovinj, Zadar, and Dubrovnik - plus visits to Plitvice Lakes and Krka National Parks, both famous for their breathtaking waterfalls and natural beauty. From Croatia, we’ll move south into Montenegro for five weeks, basing ourselves in Kotor on the stunning Bay of Montenegro.

Then it’s back to Turkey for three weeks in Istanbul and a few magical days in Cappadocia before finishing with a month in Pézenas, France (a town we’re seriously considering as a future home), and a final few days in Girona, Spain before we fly out of Barcelona.

It’s a full itinerary, but hopefully we’ve paced it enough to let each destination (and ourselves) breathe.

If you had told me at the beginning of this summer that we’d end up changing our itinerary three times, I would’ve assumed I’d feel at least a little disappointed about the places we were once excited about but ultimately won’t be visiting. But surprisingly, that didn’t happen - and in the process, I learned something meaningful about myself. I realized that my attachment isn’t so much to a specific destination as it is to the experience of discovery itself. Once I understood that, it became easier to let go of the original plans. The excitement didn’t fade; it simply shifted. Each change opened a new door, a new possibility, a new story waiting to unfold. And rather than feeling a sense of loss, I found myself reminded of why I love travel in the first place: it places me in a posture of openness, curiosity, and the willingness to follow where life leads.

And that realization helped me understand my own love of travel in a clearer way. I do love discovering new places - walking unfamiliar streets, hearing new languages, and soaking in landscapes I’ve never seen before. It’s nourishment for my soul. But I’m beginning to realize that what truly excites me isn’t the destination itself as much as the culture that grows out of it. And when I say “culture,” I don’t just mean social norms, political viewpoints, religious customs, or spiritual traditions. I’m talking about something subtler and much deeper - an underlying energy that forms when people share a place long enough to develop a common rhythm of living.

It’s the quiet code beneath everything - the pulse, the tempo, the emotional climate of a place. It’s the unspoken language that tells you this is who we are, long before anyone says a word. And it’s often the thing you feel instantly, even if you can’t quite explain it.

I’m drawn not just to how a place looks, but to why it is the way it is.

What drew people here generations or even centuries ago? What forces - geography, climate, history, struggle, joy - shaped the rhythms of daily life that eventually became a culture? How did this landscape, this terrain, this light, this isolation or connectedness to others give rise to the behaviors, values, and sensibilities we encounter today? This is the part of travel that absolutely fascinates me.

Cities and towns are where this cultural energy becomes most visible. People often ask why we visit so many urban areas when the world is overflowing with natural beauty. And they’re right - there is spectacular nature everywhere, and we love that too. But cities and towns offer something nature can’t: a front-row seat to the cultural evolution of a people. They’re living museums of human behavior - places where you can watch daily life unfold and learn what makes a community that community.

What all of this means is that even when our itinerary shifts - even though it usually means twice the planning - I find it surprisingly easy to pivot. My curiosity about culture has become the anchor, not any single destination. As long as a place is new to us and carries its own story, its own history, its own way of being in the world, I’m all in.

Assuming, of course, the revised destination isn’t Siberia.

As we set out on this next journey, thank you - as always - for following along with Carla and me. We truly love the company. I’ll begin blogging again in earnest once we hit the road in December. If you sign up for our blog, you’ll receive an email notification each time a new post goes up - and we never share your email address, so no worries there.

Here’s to the cultures, the stories, and the beautiful unknown waiting just ahead. May the next six months reveal their magic one moment at a time.

We’re looking forward to sharing this adventure with you. Enjoy!