Where have we been?
An exit row to ourselves and we couldn't be sadder. The bright sun shining through the windows of our plane back to NYC. Why did we have to go back? Our week in Costa Rica had been magical. The beautiful scenery, the fun activities, the most friendly people, the laid back beach towns and surreal national parks, what are we going back to? "Allie, we should just travel!" It was the first time that I actually digested Nelson's proposal. He had said it before but now it seemed more do-able than ever.
We met 4 years ago on a hot summer night in NYC and hit it off right away. We had lived completely different lives, a girl from a small suburb town in upstate New York and a boy from the concrete jungle of the Bronx. Our experiences to that point had been very different, but our values and passion for travel were eerily similar. We had found our perfect match, our soul mate, and our perfect travel partner. We made it a point from the beginning to travel at least twice a year. With trips to the Dominican Republic, California, Arizona, Barcelona, Montreal, Costa Rica, and many many ballparks in between, we began to form a great travel partnership. Our passion for seeing new parts of the world grew. We found ourselves looking at the global map and saying "Where to next?" However, we were always longing for the next trip, to see more, to experience new things, to expand our minds. 2-3 weeks vacation was not enough to quench our thirst for travel.
That long flight back with no tvs or movies gave us time to think. Really think. Soul search. We thought long and hard about our passion and what we really want to spend our time and money on. We researched and to our surprise found many others who had done similar voyages. We got up the courage and decided to take the plunge and plan this amazing trip.
Nelson's Story
I was born in the Dominican Republic and brought to the US at a very young age. Growing up in the concrete jungle of the Bronx, NY, traveling was always something that I dreamt of doing but I never thought I would have the opportunity to do it extensively. The extent of my travels were regular trips back and forth to the Dominican Republic to visit family.
It wasn't until my junior year of high school when I decided to take an Italian course that I had the opportunity to visit Italy on a student exchange program. This helped me to see that my travel dreams were not so far fetched. I had caught the travel bug. While I was in college I took trips within the US, France, and the Dominican Republic with class groups. In 2005, I met a coworker who had a similar passion to travel. Yemi became one of my closest friends and we began traveling in the US together. In 2007, when he was a foreign exchange student in Germany, I accompanied him on a 2 week backpacking trip through eastern and western Europe (Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary). This changed my way of thinking and made me even more excited to see the rest of the world.
After every trip I've taken, my travel dreams become more and more a reality. I am now only a few weeks away from embarking on a trip, that years ago would have only been a dream. It takes a great deal of courage to make this decision but knowing that I will be taking this leap of faith with my best friend makes it easier.
Favorite travel memories (thus far): Meeting and becoming good friends with people at the baths in 35 degree weather in Budapest, Hungary, listening to Yemi and Akeem argue about whose beer has more alcohol in Madrid, Spain (and being the only one who could read the label in Spanish that said one was non-alcoholic), Being introduced to spiritus shots in Krakow, Poland, finding a secluded beach at Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica, being blindfolded and taken up to edge of the grand canyon for the first time, family trip to the Dominican Republic.
Best Travel Strengths: Communicator/Negotiator: I'm always the one reaching out to others, saying hello, and then 20 mins later I have a new friend and we are swapping life stories.
Allie's Story
My parents instilled in me a value for travel at a young age. So many memories on those long car ride trips down the east coast to Ocean City, MD and North Carolina's outer banks. We would visit family in Montreal and Italy. As we grew older my parents took my brother and I to many places throughout the US but our vacations were always centered around family. I think, the family that travels together stays together.
I made many trips in high school and college with friends and class groups. I felt comfortable traveling and getting from one place to another. When I started grad school I came in contact with students from around the world. The diverse cultures of our class grew my wonder for the world. The world seemed smaller and I wanted more international travel in my life. After graduating with an MBA and working as a project manager for 3 years at a large pharma company and meeting a man who loves to travel as much as I do, I'm leaving it all behind for a life around the world (at least for 6 months)!
Favorite travel memories (thus far): Evening with family in Pianopoli, Calabria Italy, Sunset at Villas Caletas, Jaco, Costa Rica, strolling cobblestone roads in Barcelona, Spain, hiking Pinnacle Peak in Scottsdale, Arizona, and waking to a rooster crowing at 5am in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Best Travel Strengths: Planner/Navigator : I like to plan our itineraries, track our budgets, and use lots of spreadsheets. (Okay, I'm the nerd on the trip). You know all that fun behind the scenes work that makes the trip go smoothly. I am also great at reading maps and GPS coordination. A great co-pilot if you will. I love to find great places to eat!
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