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Abroad Blog of the Week: Happy to be Homeless

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Happy to be Homeless was nominated to be this Abroad Blog of the Week by Ashley of the Parallel Life and it is quite obvious why. Happy to be Homeless is the story of a husband and wife (Bryan and Kristin) who have left friends, family, jobs, and the familiarity of the US to travel the world for two years. Their blog is quite simply amazing as they have just now finished their first year of travel and are about to embark on Africa. Kristin and Bryan tell about the incredible, the frustrating, and the challenging. I was able to catch up with Kristin (while they were traveling through Georgia) to learn more about their world-wide travels and how they’ve made it work for the past year. For those of us that are homebound, this is great blog to add to your reader for vicarious living.

Your blog has a pretty extensive map of where you plan to go. How did you decide?

A lot of places we go are on a whim. Before we left we just had a basic idea of areas we wanted to hit. Most the time we hear about interesting places as we go (especially from other travelers and locals) and add them to our itinerary. Our exact plans are constantly changing but we have a basic route of the world. We pretty much want to go everywhere that offers something unique so we try not to rule anything out. Sometimes we find ourselves in places we never expected to go because we are open to any good opportunities. For example, Antarctica was definitely not in our original plan but we went last February and it’s been one of the highlights of our World Trip!

What are the benefits and drawbacks of traveling with your spouse for such a long period of time?

I think this trip has been a really good thing for our marriage. For seven years (before our trip began in November 2011), we only saw each other on weekends because we worked opposite shifts. We’ve learned how to communicate better and work together to solve problems. I’m really glad we decided to do this before we have children because it’s been a lot of quality time together. We see each other at our best and at our worst.

Of course, sometimes we get on each other’s nerves. The first six months in South America had a lot of ups and downs while I adjusted to living out of a backpack and dealt with my homesickness. It was difficult for Bryan to understand why I was sad while “living the dream.” We are in a good travel groove now and are really looking forward to our 4-month overland tour of Africa that begins in a few weeks!

What have been your favorite hostels along your journey?

The cool thing about hostels is that they are all different and most are in prime locations for affordable prices. For example, we stayed in a hostel that was in a former Olympic Stadium and one that was in an old castle. Hostels usually have good social events and perks, too. Bryan had one of his all-time favorite meals at a hostel in Salta, Argentina that had a weekly Asado (Barbeque) on Wednesday nights.

Do you take days off from traveling and exploring?

Honestly, we don’t really slow down much while we are on the road – as you can probably tell from our map of the last year! We rarely sleep in the same bed for more than a night or two. Getting Bryan to sit still is a difficult task. He’s like a toddler; I can barely get him to sit on a beach for more than 10 minutes. :-) We did return back to the US last June for five weeks for Bryan’s sister’s wedding so that definitely recharged our batteries. We’ll go back to the US again for another break from travel in April. Family and friends have come to meet us during our travels quite a few times so that gives us a nice change of pace and helps with homesickness.

What is your advice to being happy and homeless at the same time?

Unlike Bryan, it took me awhile until I was content being “happy and homeless.” I used to derive a lot of my contentment from my friends and family nearby, my belongings, my volunteering, and my profession. The first few months were a huge adjustment for me with no job, no home, no schedule, and having my family and friends so far away. There were many days that I just wanted to go home.

After some time, I finally started to realize that there is plenty of time for careers, another home, children, and everything else. I started enjoying every free moment I had with Bryan. I can wake up in the morning and do whatever I want. I don’t have bills, a job, or really any responsibilities. Some days may not be the best, but for now I have my freedom and I’m going to enjoy it. I try to keep a positive attitude. We may be in a completely crummy city and a bad hostel, but tomorrow I may end up in a gorgeous place and in a nice hotel.

Thanks, Kristin, for a great interview!



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