Posted by Niels & Amy on February 16, 2007

DAY 0  Off we go!

Oh boy, this is it! We're at LAX waiting for our flight to Tahiti, French Polynesia. We had a near disaster in Seattle as United Airlines could not find our reservation for the flight to LA and the plane was already full! Luckily the more competent people at Air New Zealand were able to save the day. Not exactly a stress-free start!!

We managed to move out at the last minute with thanks to Mom and Dad...whew. With one very nice dinner and a comfy B&B room and likewise mattress, we spent our last night in Seattle in style. Not sure if we are ready to rough it yet (very tired from the hectic moving out), but we're off now anyway and there's no turning back.

Please feel free to sign the guestbook or drop us a note. We hear some of you weren't sure if you should sign it, but we'd love to hear from you! Anyone and everyone is more than welcome to add to it.

Till next time...

Posted by Niels & Amy on February 03, 2007

DAY -14  Suddenly it is less than two weeks

11 days have passed since the last post and they have flown by. We are starting to feel a bit nervous about getting everything wrapped up but we're also feeling a little excited.

We have spent a lot of time looking into the challenge we are going to have of accessing cash, in local currency, on a somewhat regular basis so that we don’t have to carry large amounts with us and take an excess of travelers checks since they have a fair amount of fees associated with them or are useless in many places. We can also forget about using a credit card in most places. As a result of looking into this, we now know where we can expect to use ATM’s and cash in travelers checks throughout our trip, as well as where will need to plan ahead for and stock pile accordingly.

A major thing to tackle was determining what type of health, travel, and medical evacuation insurance we should take out for the year. After a lot of research, we decided on a policy that covers all of the aforementioned from World Nomads. Not only do they offer a policy that is pretty spot on to what we were hoping to find, but we are really impressed by the company's services, aid projects that they work to fund, and they are carbon neutral! After we decided to purchase our policy through World Nomads, we noticed that they offer sponsorship and after looking into it we applied and quickly heard back that they would like to sponsor us. This was definitely the biggest highlight since last posting! Click on the World Nomads banner on the right to check them out if you happen to be looking for travel/health insurance for your next trip!

Since we really are passionate about keeping our impact on this planet to a minimum, we decided to offset the emissions that will be generated by our flights as much as we can. Through conversations we have realized that many people do not know what offsetting carbon dioxide emissions is so, in simple terms, you compensate for the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by your flight. You can do this by funding projects, such as planting trees, that will absorb an equal amount of carbon dioxide. One of the organizations that facilitates this is Greenseat.com (see banner link on the right). If you also want to help put a stop to global warming, consider doing the same the next time you fly.

Posted by Amy on January 23, 2007

DAY -25  Making progress

Progress is slowly being made to wrap up many loose ends. I am just back from taking a load of things to store at my parent’s house, since they have offered to keep everything for us. It was nice to spend a few days with my family and just relax. Niels and I will be headed their way again in a few weeks to take the last of the things we want to keep.

Last night Niels and I took all of the gear we have accumulated and packed our packs to see if everything will really fit. It did, just barely. I can’t believe how big the packs are packed…so I think we’ll try to weed out a few more things if we can part with them! If you happen to be in our neighborhood and see two huge packs on the backs of two people, it is likely Niels and I breaking in the gear.

We’re happy to announce that Rex and Ruby, our two 3 year old turtles, are going to be adopted by our great friend Molly! That is a relief; we really wanted to make sure they found a good home.

This week is pretty much about wrapping small details up and determining what medical, evacuation, and travel insurance we will get for the coming year. It is starting to feel a bit less surreal now that many things are coming to a close.

Posted by Amy on January 15, 2007

DAY -33  Reality strikes

With little over a month to go until we take off, the realization that we really are about to leave this life behind is starting to set in. Prior to this, it really felt more like a dream.

I write this first entry while sitting comfortably in the apartment we have been living in for 4.5 years and for the first time since we moved in, it doesn't feel quite like home. No longer surrounded by the things we have collected and that have become so familiar - but by a few things and lots of boxes, bubble wrap, and the like. Oh, and of course lists. Lists and lists of things to do.

Our favorite things have long made their way to storage so that we can pare down to the bare minimum over the next few weeks to make the transition in the end as smooth as possible. (Hope it works!)

Friday was my last day of work, so for now the preparation and research is my focus. Niels will continue working up until a week before we leave. A while ago a month seemed like plenty of time, now I watch the hours turn into days and fly by wondering how this is all going to come together...definitely a worry I can manage :).

So far we have purchased almost all of the gear we'll be taking and obtained the medication we need to take with us as three of the island groups we will be spending a while in have malaria. We both have to be vaccinated for Hepatitus A and Typhoid, then health-wise we'll be ready to go. I plan to add entries somewhat regularly so stay tuned for additional content!