It’s been just over 30 days, 5 countries, 9 cities, oceans, lakes, planes, trains, and automobiles! After being gone from the US for a little over a month we thought we’d share a little insight to what life has been like abroad.
Creating Structure and Balance
In preparation for our year abroad, Dave and I had many conversations about treating the next 365 days as our new life, and not a vacation. As many of you know, I’m a girl with a plan! Routine, structure, and consistency help me to feel my best. While Dave is more go with the flow and enjoys adventure, setting goals and accomplishing them keep him balanced. So we decided early on that we would build in certain aspects of our day to hold on to some normalcy.
A Day In The Life Of Us!
We wake up most days around 8am and have a cup of coffee (or two) in bed. We use this time to snuggle with Niya, check in on world news and social media, and plan our day. Then it’s time for a workout! Our goal is to get at least 30m exercise each day. Sometimes we hike, other days we run, but most often we do a home workout from YouTube. I love MadFit, she has everything from HIIT, Yoga, and Dance that doesn’t require any equipment. If it’s not a travel day, we choose something to do or see for the afternoon. We love anything with long walks, sightseeing, and a nice restaurant for lunch with Niya. In the afternoons we work on projects. For me, its editing pictures, posting on Instagram, and working on the blog. I also like to find good restaurants in our next location. For Dave, it’s working on trip planning, managing our Airbnb, and finding things to do and see. Most nights we stay in and relax. We put on music, pour a glass of wine, and talk about our day. I do the packing, laundry, and general things to keep us organized and Dave makes dinner. Before bed we try to check in with friends and family due to the time difference then hop on the couch or in bed to binge watch The 100 on Netflix.
Here today, gone tomorrow! Or maybe in a few days!
One thing that quickly became apparent was that life is better when we stay in one place longer. Not bouncing around helps with all of that routine stuff I mentioned, but it also just makes daily life easier. At first we were living out of suitcases, crumpled clothes, and could never seem to find anything. Not to mention that dragging bags up and down flights of stairs every few days was exhausting. Thankfully Niya grew up as a city pup always on the go and up for anything, but it was clear to us that when she (and we) stayed in one place for a few days, things were just more relaxed.
Shop This Post
Travel Days
Travel days can be a bit hectic but we’ve even found a basic routine for that as well. First things first – I always, always, always pack the night before! This helps eliminate any extra chaos in the morning, because trust me something always pops up. It’s coffee and a light breakfast then loading up the car with bags and the big girl. We try to keep our drives less than 4-5 hours for our sanity and my motion sickness. We plug in the GPS and playlist, and hit the road. We’ve seen some absolutely stunning landscapes of mountains, switchbacks, oceans, and valleys. Getting to a new place is equal parts exciting and nerve-racking, you never know what the location or Airbnb will surprise you with. Luckily, the majority of those surprises have been positive and exciting. Once we get settled in we usually head out for dinner and a glass of wine to relax and game plan our next few days.
Cheers to a Decade!
It’s almost hard to believe that we’re celebrating 10 years together! So much has changed in our lives since we first met. New jobs, moving neighborhoods, buying our first home. Opening our restaurants, selling them, moving to Florida. We’ve lost people and welcomed new ones to the world, and found out a lot about ourselves and each other along the way. This year abroad is something we have been so incredibly excited to share with one another. We’ve been lucky enough to find travel as a shared passion and look forward to all of the new life moments we get to experience together.
Another Year Gone By
I celebrated my 34th birthday last week and have had lots of time to reflect on the past and look towards the future. The first thing that always comes to mind no matter what year older I turn is the deep gratitude I feel for my life and the amazing people in it.
As I round the bend to my 35th I want to continue to work on finding peace in my life. I’ve come to understand that only I am in control of my reality, and by choosing to keep my mind and attitude focused on positivity, my future will continue to be open. I am a firm believer that you put your energy into people and things that return it with the same love and care. Consciously avoiding chaotic situations and people can be difficult and sometimes messy, but is essential.
Im so grateful to have the support from my husband, my best friends, and my family on this little journey called life.
A Message from Dave
30 days abroad has allowed sufficient time to convert between “I am on vacation” to “I am officially living abroad”. Routine daily activities are more challenging while on a 2 week vacation, things like daily work outs or cooking in as opposed to eating out 3 meals a day. I knew the faster we could get these items out of the vacation category and into the living category the more structure there would be to life, thus allowing Ashley hopefully to feel more ‘settled in’.
Unique also about our journey has been the addition of Niya of course. Her presence has ensured the development of a quicker daily routine. I’ve enjoyed this part a great deal. While she can’t accompany us everywhere, I’ve been pleasantly surprised that she’s accompanied us to in excess of 90% places we’ve been. She’s a big hit with the locals and tourists alike.
Lastly, comes the question “Could I travel indefinitely?”. While I believe the answer remains ‘yes’ it does so with the caveat that I do recognize even my own innate tendencies to root in locations even if we’re only there two or three days. Therefore, if traveling was a long term plan I would eliminate the 2-3 day stays and replace them with 2-3 weeks stays in places I found compelling.
Hvar Island for the win!
After lots of back and forth, our top location so far is Hvar Island in Croatia. We just couldn’t get enough of the hot sun and blinding water. Our apartment was roomy and had great outdoor space, and it was the first time we really just rested.
We’re looking forward to the South and North of Spain, Portugal, and more of France in the next few weeks. Then maybe the Netherlands and Belgium…and who knows what else 🙂
A Dog’s Life
Saving the best update for last…Niya is doing great! She’s been such a trooper being dragged around to all of these places on just about every mode of transportation imaginable. She draws a crowd wherever she goes taking pictures with people, giving out snuggles, and playing with kids. Her favorite daily actives still continue to be naps, looking cute for scraps of prosciutto, and longs walks, followed by more naps.
Having her on this trip is so special. Dave and I have said so many times that its just so much better with her. She makes us laugh and is the best travel buddy.
I just wanted to finish this off with a big Thank You for taking the time to read this little blog. It gives me a lot of purpose and Im finding it to be a lot of fun and a great way to chronicle our trip. I hope you’re enjoying it as much as I am.
From Abroad With Love – AG
