Thailand and Laos offered us the opportunity to throw ourselves into completely different cultures. In addition to exploring the temples of Bangkok and the beautiful beaches in the south, we also visited areas of Thailand severely affected by the tsunami and stayed with a local family in a remote Muslim village. And in Laos we had the opportunity to stay in a Hmong village during a hilltribe trek.

New Zealand is one big playground, making it an adventurous destination. For our short time, we focused on the north part of the South Island. Beginning in Christchurch, we headed north to Kaikoura for beautiful hiking, Renwick for wine tasting, and the Queen Charlotte Sound for more trekking; around to Nelson and Abel Tasman National Park for kayaking; and down the West Coast and over Arthur's Pass and the Southern Alps for a gorgeous drive.

Our first destination was Australia. It’s a big country with a lot of fascinating places to see, but with a three week time frame, not a lot of time to see it all. Sydney was our first stop before making our way up the East Coast, hitting Hervey Bay, Fraser Island, the Whit Sundays and Great Barrier Reef. From the beautiful blue seas, we headed inland to the magical red desert of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Our final destination was Melbourne, where we took in the Melbourne Cup, sipped the wines of the Yarra Valley, and drove the Great Ocean Road.

Timing is everything, so when we decided to leave our jobs at the same time, Michaela capitalized on this opportunity to suggest we hit the road. As a seasoned backpacker, Michaela was used to traveling for extended periods of time. But after 14 years in corporate America, this was a huge step for Michael. It was now time for him to put down the briefcase and strap on a backpack. We now invite you to follow along on our journey! Hopefully you will be inspired to make the time to create some adventures for yourself.