around the world in eighty days

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we are back in the united states of america!

wow, the past eighty days have been so so incredible. i can’t believe we actually made that happen, and that it was even more awesome than we anticipated. so much has happened in the past 11.5 weeks: innumerable beautiful and interesting sights and sensations, so many truly amazing experiences, some really cool friends made, lots of lessons learned and complete wonders absorbed. it has been challenging at times and we have grown, as individuals and as a couple. we love and like each other even more than when we left, and we’ve been bonded together in such a unique way. god has kept us safe and healthy and the good has been so abundant. today, on day eighty of our epic adventure around the world, we are both feeling so grateful and humbled and blessed.

and so so glad to be home.

i have, of course, thousands of pictures and videos to organize! i am excited to begin blogging regularly again and to share our experiences around the world. i thought i’d restart the sharing with a quick stats overview of our trip now that we’ve completed it! it was really fun to compile these numbers and reflect on our wild and awesome trip.

80 days
6 continents
10 countries
3 layover countries (we are in constant debate about whether these count!)
26 airports
27 flights
1 missed flight
1 diverted flight
0 cancelled or delayed flights (!!! … until our very last flight to SFO, which was delayed an hour after i wrote this!)
3 trains (total of 64 hours of train travel!)
10 bus rides
6 rental cars
2 bike rides
2 safari jeep rides
17 boat rides
15ish subway rides
30ish taxi rides (some of them extremely long and bumpy!)
110 miles of hiking (and many more walking!)
20 military checkpoints passed
9-13 kilograms of backpack (depending on when it was weighed!)
sea level – nearly 18,000 feet
15 degrees fahrenheit –111 degrees fahrenheit
41 places slept (i counted all airplanes as one here – they’re all pretty much the same!)
14 tour guides
50ish sharks seen in the wild
2 foreign haircuts
1 throw-up + 3 really-want-to-throw-ups
300+ waterfalls seen (some repelled down or ziplined over)
3 days messed up because of weather (only 3!!)
2 bad sunburns
3 items lost or left behind (only 3!!!)
4 earthquakes felt
3 morning runs through city streets (i wish it were more!)
14 refrigerator magnets (our choice of signature, uniform souvenir) bought
3 additional souvenirs bought
1 dissertation formatted and error checked
5 books read
55+ gb of memory card filled
20+ pass-along cards given
6 mormon church buildings visited (5 worshipped in)
5 mormon temples visited (2 worshipped in)
6 sets of church meetings conducted by ourselves in transport or nature (when a church building was inaccessible)
100 rounds of nerts (our fave card game) and 35 rounds of boggle played
5 meals at american chain restaurants
4 pizzas
20+ ice cream cones (each)
1000+ kisses :)

we were a tiny bit sad today knowing the trip is over, but the really great thing is that our adventures are really just beginning, and continuing and new relationships ahead will be the greatest adventures of our lives. and through any and all that the future holds, we will be together.

Comments

  1. Welcome home! I'm also excited for you to begin blogging again - there will be some interesting posts!

    I already have a few questions:
    If you had to decide again what to do, would you decide on the same itinerary or would you choose fewer countries but spend more time in them?
    What are pass-along cards?
    13 kilograms for both of you?! How is that even possible (I bet you're so happy to have a washing machine)?

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    1. I'm keeping track of questions for a q&a post! But it was 9-13kg each :) We did a lot of laundry along the way! And passalong cards are cards with some info about the church and the Mormon.org website that we like to share with people we meet!

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  2. welcome home!!!! it has been so fun tagging along on your trip! thanks for posting such wonderful places and memories! glad you are home safe and sound!

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  3. I'm so glad your trip was so amazing and that you're home safe. I can't wait to hear all about it!

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  4. Wonderful stats! I love stats! Thinks for the tip on a new card game to try! Is there any chance on a future post that you can explain how you afforded this trip? So happy for you two! Enjoy the journey, whatever it brings!

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    1. Yes! Ian is going to write a guest post on budgeting and how we made this trip happen financially. Coming soon :)

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  5. Glad your home safe. Enjoy graduation this weekend. And good luck on your next adventure, Welcome to real life!!

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  6. I'm interested in the logistics of the trip. Did you plan out everything in advance or find transportation to some destinations and activities as you went? My mind is blown.

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