Who, What, Where and Why Not

     Years ago we started to dream about seeing the world.  Our plans started out as a summer vacation in Europe, to a year-long teacher exchange, to finally selling our house, taking a leave of absence from work, and travelling around the world with our two daughters. Our intentions are to venture through Iceland, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and Fiji, with lots of flexibility along the way.  We are teachers with two daughters aged 11 and 13. Thank you for joining us on our adventures.  Although I am not a writer in the least, I will try my best to entertain you and keep you abreast of our globetrotting experiences.

     Travelling on a budget with a family of four will certainly have its challenges, no doubt.   Luckily for us, my frugal hubby will hunt down any bargain there is to be had.  He is the only man I know that can leave the house on a Saturday morning with a shopping list, and manage to secure all of the items on that list from garage sales. I have never owned a new car, nor will I ever, but it is this philosophy that is enabling us to leave our jobs (the money) behind and live life like we have never before experienced. Our departure date is July 17^th 2013; we are bound for Iceland!  Iceland was not originally in our plans; however, booking our flights to Europe with Iceland air provided a free layover in Iceland.  So... Iceland here we come!

     Our travelling family consists of Dad, Mom and two daughters.  We had much debate over whether to use our real names or handles on this blog.  The girls had fun choosing their names; Brittney, Michaela, Elizabeth, and Catherine were some of the suggestions.  My only criterion was that the names had to be short since I was going to be typing them many times over.  In the end we came up with Mark, Lisa, Ally and Meg...pretty much some of the shortest names out there! 

     Mark is a geography teacher and although he seems to know almost everything there is to know about the world on paper (and everything else for that matter), he has seen very little of it. Mark has been responsible for planning our itinerary and booking the accommodations and flights. A job that has consumed a great deal of his time and promoted his extramarital affair with Ipad.  I really don’t understand what he sees in her; she wears the same faux suede garb everyday and shouts reminders at him more than I would. Inviting another woman into our bed is something I never thought I would agree to, but... it’s working!   

     Lisa, that’s me, is also a teacher – grade 2! My jobs have included organizing the finances, travel documentation, insurance, communication, education and packing.  The latter... I am still struggling with.  The debate of how many shoes are essential continues and there are many bets circulating about whether I will actually make it onto the flight within my luggage allowance.   

     Ally is our eldest daughter and will be graduating from grade 8 during our year abroad.  She is a highland dancer and plans to dance in the World Championships in Scotland, this August.  Meg is our youngest daughter, the most observant, keen minded of us all.  She will keep track of our belongings and notice anything amiss!  We have been told that our daughters are at the perfect age to whisk around the world, away from teenage temptations, and we couldn’t agree more.