Flashback: Munich, Germany - Oktoberfest! - September 2010

Written by Adam

After paying a visit to the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen, the very next morning we made our way by train into nearby Stuttgart.  We then set our sights upon paying a brief visit to Munich, where the 200th Anniversary celebration of Oktoberfest was imminent.  Even being essentially a white wine kind of guy, I still wanted to go if at all possible.  

Travel Budgeting 101

Written by Karen

Two of the most frequently asked questions that I receive about our upcoming around-the-world travel adventure relate to our budget: How are we budgeting for this trip, and how much do we think this trip will cost us?

Flashback: Zuffenhausen, Germany - September 2010

Written by Adam

Sometimes the seeds that finally sprout to see a particular part of the world are planted years before you actually arrive.  Visiting Zuffenhausen, Germany is one of those exact situations, at least for me.

When I was about twelve years old, I went to the movies with my father and younger brother.  We all drove over to the Century 21 Theater in San Jose, California, home of a big screen and an even bigger sound system - at least in those days.  We saw a double feature way back when.  The first movie was Grand Prix, starring a youthful James Garner playing a Formula One racecar driver.  Open wheel racing, exotic European circuits and locales, but other than that, I don’t remember very much about the plot.

Day Trip to Napa Valley

Written by Karen

A gentle-sloped vineyard in Napa Valley

It’s a relatively short driving distance from the Bay Area, but it is a different world when you arrive in Napa Valley.  So, we took a day trip to Napa Valley with some friends of ours yesterday. It was an opportunity to catch up, hang out, sample some great wines, eat good food, and enjoy the unseasonably warm weather.  

Downsizing - Lessons Learned So Far.

Written by Karen

Santa Cruz, California

When Adam and I determined that we would take a year or so sabbatical away from our current lifestyle and travel around the world, we started to downsize. It was a practical decision.

In the Bay Area, storage facilities start at $200/month for roughly the size of a suburban bedroom. That’s not much space when you consider we currently have a 1400 square foot house with 3 bedrooms, 2-1/2 bathrooms and a full garage. Even with significant reductions to the amount of stuff we currently have, it will still be an expensive proposition to store and manage whatever household items that we decide to keep. So, starting to reduce the amount of stuff we had accumulated over the past twenty-five years was a motivating factor in our decision to downsize.