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    • McPatton Manual (How To)
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    • To Go A Viking (Colin)
  • Track Our Trip
    • Where We've Been
      • Honeymoon Travel Path
      • Sara's Countries Visited
      • Colin's Countries Visited
    • List by City
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Getting Your Vaccinations in Asia

1/31/2018

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​We got the majority of our vaccinations in the USA.  However, two of the recommended vaccinations – the rabies pre-exposure shots and the Japanese encephalitis vaccine – were very expensive in the USA.  I’m talking EXPENSIVE – $1,775 total for just these 2 vaccines!  And that isn’t including the hundreds of dollars we spent on other vaccines.  So… the solution?  Get them done in Asia!  

And of course, prime selfie moment outside the Hospital for Topical Diseases in Bangkok Thailand!


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New Zealand: Our 42 Day Road Trip!

1/25/2018

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The picture above of Doubtful Sound says it all.  New Zealand has endless beauty and diverse scenery all on two small(ish) islands.  If you've ever questioned if it's worth it or not to make the trip, let us tell you: it is.  Start building that bucket list!  You can also see more of our pictures from the South Island here and the North Island here.

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Road Tripping Southern Patagonia in a Camper Van & How You Can Do It Too!

9/20/2017

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Written by: Sara & Colin
 
16 Days (September 1 - 16, 2017) and ~3,000 kilometers (~1,900 miles) driven...
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Southern Patagonia was majestic and stunning just as we expected, but Colin and I agree that it’s a very tough travel destination – so difficult that we’re conflicted on what to recommend.  We’ll get into the reasons behind our conflicted recommendation in this post.  Patagonia was one tough nut to crack on a budget and a bit of a letdown as a result.  Hopefully with our information, you can do it better!

This post has some personal commentary but focuses on sharing as much information, tips, and recommendations as we can remember them.  When we were planning our road trip, we had trouble finding the information we needed, so we hope that this can help you with planning your own trip around Patagonia.  

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Lessons learned after 5 months on the road

8/30/2017

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Written by:  Colin

​After 5 months of traveling around North and South America, here are some bullet point words of wisdom for anybody traveling overseas! 
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Getting to the Catedral de Sal Outside of Bogotá, Colombia

8/26/2017

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The Catedral de Sal is an underground Roman Catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 meters underground.  It’s an hour or two outside the city of Bogotá in Cundinamarca, Colombia which is near the town of Zipaquirá, Colombia. ​

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Land Border Crossing: Cusco, Peru To La Paz, Bolivia

8/24/2017

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Written by: Sara
 
I’ve crossed several borders in my time – a lot by air, but a lot by bus as well.  This was the most difficult border that I’ve crossed.  We could have been more prepared, but there wasn’t a lot of information telling us what to expect.  We had also heard from friends that you did not need a visa in advance for Bolivia as a U.S. citizen.  And it’s true – you don’t.  We just proved that.  But you do need more than just you and your passport.  Here was our experience, and hopefully it will help you avoid the same mistakes...

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Transportation Tips for Central America

7/27/2017

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Written by: Colin

What are the differences between chicken buses and tica buses?


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Budget Travel from Granada, Nicaragua to San José, Costa Rica

7/22/2017

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Written by: Sara

There are 2 options to get from Granada to San José.  You can (1) take a shuttle with Easy Ride (shuttles usually have A/C and might have movies playing as well), or (2) do it the budget traveler's way (more complicated, but can save you US$37 - US$67 per person).  You'll find that there are other bus companies in Nicaragua, but they don't leave from Granada -- they all leave from Managua.

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What do you pack for a trip around the world?

7/16/2017

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Written by: Sara

​I got this question pretty often before we left, and it's something I asked (and still ask) myself often as well.  Colin and I read several blogs about what to pack, and I even have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to packing for travel (never used Pinterest for travel suggestions?  Rethink your whole life!)

When I backpacked in college, I didn't have any nice gear or special hiking clothes.  I got my first travel backpack for my trip to Tanzania in 2010 on eBay for $30, and I continued to use it for the next 7 years.  It was great, but definitely a $30 eBay backpack.  Since this trip was for much longer, I wanted to do more research and spend a little more money on gear in the beginning to (hopefully) be more comfortable in the long run.  ​​

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Travel Insurance

6/27/2017

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Written by: Colin

​I spent 3 full days shopping around for travel insurance ruining my recent lasik by pouring through countless pages of fine print. I had at least 50 tabs open to try to compare information but ultimately turned to good ol’ fashioned paper and pencil and cold calling the companies. In this post, I’ll cover how we chose our insurance, what level of coverage we chose, and pitfalls that I’d love for you to avoid. A strong word of advice is to become extremely familiar with the fine print of the plan you end up choosing because if you do not follow their terms and conditions perfectly, you will be left with the fat bill.

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    Sara & Colin

    We are figuring out our travel as we go along, and we'd love to help you out with yours!  Here are some tips, tricks, and how-to guides.

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