Sumiyoshi Taisha, Osaka, Japan

Osaka in April

One of our favorite shrines in Japan is the Sumiyoshi Taisha (shrine), it’s a bit quieter so a typical morning gives you the shrine to yourself. Hike up the iconic red bridge and make your way across the crunching gravel and past the old library.

view from the plane

Our Around the World Trip: the snapshot

In October of 2019 we took off for one of the biggest adventures of our lives and landed in Paris, France on Halloween. We made our way to the coast to the beautiful La Rochelle and then south for a night of splurging in Bordeaux just before heading to Portugal

Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kyoto

Kyoto in April

Kyoto is one of those beautiful cities were tradition and modernity strike a perfect balance. City center is a packed with Starbucks and Tully’s, but turn the corner and you’ll spot some locals in kimonos crossing the street.

Carl recording the lanterns

RTW Gear List

We’ve always been photo and videography enthusiasts, which meant a bit more in our luggage for the trip. It’s a pretty big challenge to pack a gear bag for a full year of travel, but here’s all the camera gear and electronics we lugged around with us.

Carl recording lories, Singapore

RTW Packing List

It may go without saying, but the better you know where and when you’re going, the more efficiently you can pack. While it’s tempting to bring all the “just in case’s”, lugging your closet around makes travel days a nightmare and can eat into your budget – plus it leaves no room for goodies!

Adrienne and Carl with Kacang in Bali

Adopting a Dog in Bali

11 months ago, we quit our jobs and took off on a year long worldwide adventure – and never expected to foster a puppy or fall in love.

Doha, Qatar

We were completely surprised by Doha, Qatar, though to be fair we didn’t have strong expectations. Doha felt like the Singapore of the UAE: it’s an international hub where English speakers will have no trouble, extremely clean and welcoming, and the perfect intersections of culture and food. You’ll get much of the desert vibes, at a much higher price tag but without the hassle and grime of Morocco (though we do love Morocco as well). The architecture throughout the city is striking in its myriad of forms; both striking and elegant.

Perdana Botanical Garden

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur (KL) is the Southeast Asia country to visit if you love a variety of Asia food. The major city was described to us as a “grittier Singapore”, which we found quite accurate. There’s that similar vibrant mix of Malaysian, Chinese, and Indian cultures but the streets are not as clean and there’s quite a bit more traffic. We suppose it comes with the financial territory though, but coming from Bali we were super excited to grub out on all the food we’ve been missing.

Rainforest World Music Festival 2019, Jungle stage.

The Rainforest World Music Festival 2019

I came across an online post about the Rainforest World Music Festival just after it happened last year while we were still in the planning phase of our Around the World trip. I remember immediately swiveling in my chair to ask Carl, “What do you think about an international music festival in the rainforest?” And with that, we slotted Malaysia for early July and it was the only hard rule we had for our route the entire year.