Making the Leap!

dream - plan - execute

Hi All,

Firstly, we are all well and having the time of our lives, so let's get this blog going..

Sorry for the delays in blogging, it has been hectic to say the least and when walking 20,000 steps a day, we were more likely to collapse than write a blog entry!

Now that we are getting our bearings and settling in we hope to post much more frequently.

This first entry is a brief history on how we got to this point.

We knew from the start of our relationship, 25yrs ago that we shared a dream to travel various parts of the world together, especially Europe. At times it felt this would remain permanently out of reach but in the last few years we kicked into high gear and decided to make this a reality.

The timing was perfect as the kids were off on their own, and we no longer had pets to look after. We were also feeling the urge to be more minimalist and live a more simple life (cull the "stuff", I was more to blame here as the hoarder)

The first big step was downsizing and finally getting rid of the mortgage. We sold our 4 bedroom in the valley and Lisa's grand piano 😢

We then managed to find a great little 1-bedroom "lock-and-leave" apartment close by (only 5 min drive to the city centre). We call it "The Tree House". It is small but everything we need and it has been quite freeing to live simple. Less chores, no maintenance and the small size definitely keeps my hoarding in check. Best of all, mortgage = 0

Now we were getting somewhere!

Through working and increased savings we began to finally plan the trip, then soon after, actually make bookings for flights and accommodation. That was a huge moment for us, the feeling of 'wow, this is actually happening', it was a bit surreal.

I wrapped up a 2yr IT contract at a local high school (a fantastic gig!) and Lisa wrapped up her work in piano teaching + early child care. I continue to own and operate my photography community, which means this is also a working holiday. As I continue to run the community, Lisa will shift to helping with the social media side.

We're now finally in Europe, and will attempt to be in the region for 11 months. Even better, our daughter Amelia is with us for this first leg as she represented New Zealand in an international tap dancing competition in Prague.

Coming up in the next entries: Our journey from New Zealand to Houston Texas where we spent some time with family, then our Journey and time in Prague. Stay tuned, we have a mass of images and stories already and it shouldn't take too long now that we have our heads around this platform 😉