So we have finally decided to take that plunge and go on an extended vacation. It was hard to tell our employers because we actually quite enjoy our jobs and love the people we work with, but it is now official – we want to leave in February 2016.
We have created this blog to keep everyone informed about of journey, and considering how much prep work will be required, we thought it best to already bore family and friends with blow-by-blow accounts of our preparations.
At a time when we should be finishing off our studies, it is far more interesting doing research on our trip. Yesterday, we came across this fab website (http://indie.bootsnall.com/) to start plotting your trip and checking out flight costs.
So here is the initial extensive route plan. This will definitely change as we go, especially if we run out of money, but here’s shooting for the stars:
We never made it to Chile and went to Peru instead due to Chile’s visa requirements and the difficulty of obtaining the visa while away from your home country. So Chile will be our first destination on our next long trip beginning in November 2022.
We have been fortunate enough to visit 58 countries, so far…
Much of our travelling in the early days involved short stops, where we jammed in the sightseeing. In 2016, we took a year off work for slower travel. This was such an amazing experience that we decided to take another ‘extended vacation’ from November 2022 to January 2024.
We would definitely go back to many of the countries listed below because there is still so much more to see, and we would also be very happy to revisit a number of our favourite spots.
Here is the, hopefully, ever-growing, list:
Argentina (2010 – here we did a home exchange which is an interesting story for another day)
Australia (2013 and 2017 when we made Australia our new home)
We’ll revisit this list periodically and update it as we go. We have also excluded a few places where we were simply in transit, like several hours in Qatar, Malaysia, Panama, Serbia, and Kenya. We’re so lucky that we have managed to get to quite a few amazing spots and create great memories.
In a previous blog post about all the countries we have visited, we mentioned that we had been to Argentina on a home exchange. This post gives the low down of how a home exchange works and why it is a great way to go on holiday.
Please note that we have only done one exchange, but we would do it again in a snap.
You may have seen the movie, The Holiday, with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, where they swap homes for a vacation. Well, the website they use in that movie actually exists (www.homeexchange.com).
We registered our home in Johannesburg on the website (costing approximately US$100 a year) a few months prior to South Africa hosting the football (soccer) world cup in July 2010. An Argentinian family wanting to exchange with us over this period quickly contacted us. Argentina sounded good to us, and not being soccer fanatics, the choice seemed easy.
After initial contact through the website, you just start negotiating with each other directly to put a plan in place that will suit everyone. In the end, our Argentinian contact decided the come with four of his mates, which meant accommodation for us in two cities: San Carlos de Bariloche and Buenos Aires.
What did you do with your stuff during the home exchange?
We cleared out one cupboard in the main bedroom but left everything else in the house. Sure, you may be nervous about your precious items being stolen but there is mutual respect for each other’s homes.
We even left our car for them to use, but they were not adventurous enough to try to deal with Johannesburg traffic on their own.
Was anything damaged?
One serving platter was chipped. Otherwise, the house was left in pristine condition. On the other hand, we also left a mark on the wall in the room we stayed in when our suitcase bumped it. So, all in all, I feel these types of things would have happened as normal wear and tear with anyone in the home.
Any regrets?
Yes, we did not get to spend more time with the people we had got to know after several months of discussing the logistics of the exchange. We only briefly met on our first night in Buenos Aires to hand over keys.
More about our stay in Argentina
Bariloche is one of the most picturesque places situated in Patagonia on a lake. It has a strong Swiss influence with great chocolate available everywhere. In summer, it is a hub for all the adventure sports like mountain biking, off-road bikes, hiking and water sports. In winter, it is a short drive to go skiing in the mountains. We were there just as the first snow was falling.
Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina, is a vibrant modern city with plenty to do and see for tourists. We managed to fit in a tango show at Senior Tango, eat massive beefsteaks that Argentina is famous for, visit the famous cemetery where Eva Peron is buried, and take a day trip to see the colourful houses in La Boca.
During our time in Argentina, we also visited El Calafate. That story is worth its own post as it was simply magnificent, but it was not part of the home exchange, so it is not covered here.
Swiss influence can be seen everywhere in San Carlos Bariloche, Argentina
View heading up on the cable car in Bariloche before the snow really started coming down
View of the lake under the clouds from the top of the cable car in Bariloche
The famous colourful houses in La Boca, Buenos Aires
During our time in Argentina, we also visited El Calafate. That story is worth its own post as it was simply magnificent, but it was not part of the home exchange, so it is not covered here.
A wedding can be stressful, but it normally allows you to plan a great holiday for a honeymoon. An even better approach, if travelling is your main priority, is to elope.
In 2008, we eloped to Cancun, Mexico. Although this is probably a popular choice for Americans, it is a reasonably uncommon destination for South Africans.
Mexico came up as an option when looking at websites for destination weddings, and we ended up selecting The Royal as our hotel (originally a Real Resort that is now a Hyatt). This hotel appealed to us as it was an all-inclusive resort and was for adults only — which is great for a honeymoon option when you don’t want screaming kids at the pool.
The wedding package offered a free room upgrade, and a wedding co-ordinator to take care of all the arrangements. Our luxurious stay included a swim-up suite with an ocean view, a giant spa bath, Egyptian cotton linen, Bvlgari bath products and a Bose sound system. The resort also had five fine dining restaurants to choose from and 24-hour room service included in the package.
After two weeks of touring Mexico with a wedding dress in a little carry-on suitcase, we booked into our luxury resort. It was a great idea to spend a few days relaxing with a constant stream of cocktails, before our wedding day. Much to my fiancé’s dismay (and indigestion), I was also determined to try every restaurant and almost every item on the room service menu. It was a miracle we could still fit into our wedding apparel.
On the big day, we slept in and woke up in each other’s arms calm and happy. I was so glad we had a fancy steam shower in our luxury room to get all the creases out of our proposed wedding attire. However, the steam was so good that I ended up broiling my husband-to-be’s suit. Luckily after I had calmed down and stopped crying (you tend to be quite emotional on your wedding day), a few hours in the hot Mexican sun sorted out his suit.
When it was time to get dressed we parted ways briefly and joined each other at sunset to take our vows in the romantic beachfront gazebo looking out onto the ocean. Walking out of the gazebo, we had an audience applaud as some resort guests looked on from their rooms. A quick photo shoot took place to be able to share the memories with family back home before we enjoyed our private dinner on the beach.
Although weddings are normally big family occasions, our day could not have been more special or intimate.
Our big day on a beautiful beach in Cancun, Mexico
Our Mexican wedding is not legally recognised in South Africa, so we had to make it official with a wedding officer when we got back. Besides, our Mexican marriage certificate spells our surname completely wrong — the small joys of getting married in a foreign country.
We still wanted to share the experience with our friends and hosted a reception to celebrate with everyone when we got back. Was it the most cost-effective choice to elope? It can be, but certainly not the way we did it. But we are richer for the experience, and I would recommend eloping to anyone who asks. At the time, the hotel was very new, and although we have contemplated going back to recapture the experience, the experience is rather pricey now. So I’m glad we took a lot of photos, and we will never forget our magical Mexican wedding.
Our lovely honeymoon suite at our resort in Cancun
View from our room – never seen these lovely colours of the ocean until visiting Cancun, Mexico
