We had an incredible year full of travel and now half way across the globe we’re promptly at the start of 2017— still on the road. We had a good time scrolling through over 3,000 photos Tom took and reading all the hastily written notes from traveling 18,000 miles. We had a lot of laughs, a great deal of triumphs, and moments of shear exhaustion. Travel can be hard work, but it’s a life we’re truly grateful to live. Just as a recap we wanted to put together a fun page of highlights over the past year. 

16 Photos As We Explore Cultures Outside Of Our Own

24 New Places We Explored

Mancora, Peru

Huaraz, Peru            

Cusco, Peru            

Aguas Calientes, Peru   

Huacachina, Peru        

Paracas, Peru            

Arequipa, Peru        

San Pedro De Atacoma, Chile 

Santiago, Chile        

Valparaíso, Chile        

Auckland, New Zealand    

Nelson, New Zealand        

San Diego, California          

Tempe, Arizona

Moab, Utah

Santa Marta, Colombia    

Palomino, Colombia       

San Gil, Colombia       

Barichara, Colombia        

Guadalupe, Colombia        

Salento, Colombia                

San Augustine, Colombia    

Ipiales, Colombia       

Banos, Ecuador          

Things We’ve Learned 

Human sacrifices still happen in remote villages in the Andes

Beer in Peru is terrible

Dentists in Peru don’t always wear gloves

We can’t control what happens, but we do have control over how we deal with it

There are good people and bad people everywhere in the world

Most prices in Peru aren’t fixed (AKA gringo tax)

Sand boarding is much harder than snowboarding 

Ecuador is expensive if traveling on a budget

Traveling from A to B in South America can be expensive, but once you arrive it’s very affordable

A VPN is necessary when traveling for identity security

Patience is important

Personal space is a luxury worth appreciating when you are afforded 

A good hot shower is a blessing 

Travel is hard work and not everyone wants to put in that work, but the benefits are well deserved in the end

7 Things We Never Thought We’d Get To Do

Bungee jump from 230ft 

Climb 15,583ft over a pass in the Andes Mountains

Swim in a waterfall

Have temporary residency in a country half-way around the world

Swim in the Pacific Ocean on Christmas

Rent a car in a foreign country and drive on the left side of the road

Travel to more countries than we are years old

Hike Machu Picchu

Stargaze in the Atacama Desert in Chile

Take a bus for 30 consecutive hours

Eat ants by choice

Gain employment in another country

Learn a new language in another country

Moments Of Unforgetable Bad Luck

Getting robbed at gunpoint in Colombia

Having our credit card information swiped 

Missing our overnight bus in Mancora

Getting a parasite in Peru

Throwing up out of a bus window on a six hour journey through the Andes

Getting into a bus accident in San Gil Colombia

Goals We’ve Met

Climbing Machu Picchu

Inspiring a friend from back home to travel for the first time

Inspiring our parents and families to get passports for the first time

Reaching out to new audiences through Scratch My Pack Travel

Finding jobs and a house in New Zealand in order to continue traveling

Planing a DIY wedding while traveling the globe

We look forward to another year circumnavigating the globe as we continue to fulfill big ideas and learn to live simply out of a backpack.  

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