from dreams to reality: 18 days abroad this year

A month and a half ago or so, I blogged about dreaming big and turning those dreams into reality. I ended the post by setting a goal for myself of living in another country for a month in 2013. Consumed with desire to make that goal a reality, I thought, researched, and debated endlessly. Would my job let me take a month of unpaid leave? If they would, could I afford that? Would they let me work remotely in another country? Could I go for a month over Thanksgiving and Christmas to maximize vacation time provided to me?

Underneath all of those uncertainties loomed the question that fueled my passion: to where would I go?

I pitched several ideas to Zander, hoping he'd be along for the adventure, but knowing, too, that it's one I would happily endeavor alone. When he immediately said yes without a moment's hesitation or even knowing where we would go, I thought, "Yeah, this man's for me."

We picked December. A month of unpaid leave would be financially impossible for me. However, my organization generously gives employees 10-12 days off around the holidays, and combined with a week's worth of vacation time, I would have 17-19 days abroad. (Zan had vacation time to spare.)

We considered Nepal. My heart jumped and flipped and pounded with excitement. Nepal makes me feel alive without having ever seen it; it tops my bucket list. But - the trip would only be financially feasible if we could use Zan's Delta points. We talked with Delta and spent hours on their rewards website, analyzing route maps. In the end, we would have spent 40 hours in transit on both legs of the trip. We decided to build up more points, look even further in advance next year, and pick a trip we could afford out of pocket.

We chose Bolivia. I swear I researched flights for a month solid. We capped our flights at $800. The world felt like my oyster..... right until Kayak revealed the cheapest price is never under $1000. I whittled the list to Costa Rica, Belize, Ireland, Scotland, Amsterdam, and Bolivia. Drawn to Bolivia for the Salt Flats, Death Road, and picturesque capital city of La Paz, I put together an exhaustive itinerary and budget and presented it to Zan. He became a "Boliever" (hehe), too. We went onilne to book flights, and prices had risen from $795 to $960.

What next? We convinced ourselves to move forward with Bolivia at $960, justifying it by the incredible trip we knew we'd have... until prices jumped again to over $1000. I frustratedly went back to the drawing board (ahem, Kayak & FareCompare), and searched for tickets to all of the countries that didn't make the budget cut the first time around: Peru, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Ecuador, hoping for a miracle.

One ticket price came in so low, I refreshed the page and started over and checked it on other flight comparison sites. Within the hour, I compiled a sample itinerary and budget, emailed it to Zan, and said, "Let's book." And we did.

Tomorrow I'll reveal where we're going and a few budget travel tips from this "leg" of the trip. 

Clues and hints to where I'm going (if you want to play along, leave your guess in the comments!)


This country boasts the world's second highest capital city. 
It also has some of the world's highest volcanoes. 
And the altitude changes! Visitors pop their ears on the way up and fight the bends on the way down. 
A lot of travelers go to see this country's blue boobies.  

my writing in different spaces... 

what not to do in japan on viator