So far we have had a great time back in Memphis catching up with family and friends. We were right back in the thick of things when we got home, and have already re-acclimated into society. It is and always has been difficult for me to recap on trips. There was so much that we saw and did that it is very difficult to put into words. I tried to keep up with the blog as much as possible, but there were some things that I missed. There are a few lessons that we took away from our trip that have really hit home to the both of us. Also, at the end of the blog are the final numbers of our trip with our favorites from the entire year.

1. We live in such a small world. Sometimes we think that there is nothing bigger than what we have going on right at home. We believe that the ways we eat, drive, and live are the only ways to do things. But as soon as you step off a plane, and everyone else lives completely different lifestyles, you have to learn to adapt. You begin to understand and respect cultures even if you don’t agree with everything. You begin to see that the world is bigger than yourself, and your priorities change.

2. There is a hurting world out there. Americans really do have it great, and we take that for granted. There is no place I would rather live than America after visiting places all over the world. Granted, our healthcare might not be to everyone’s liking, and our politics might be corrupt, but it is far greater than some of the places we visited. We have seen the poorest of the poor eating trash off the street, while the wealthy in the capital drive by in Range Rovers. We have seen people begging for money next to their mud houses in Morocco. It is a life changing experience to see those things, and realize “Wow we really do have it good back home.”

3. What we did is called a preferred life plan, and we want to continue to live that lifestyle. No we probably won’t go travel again for a full year, but what we did is addicting. After I took my first trip to Europe 3 years ago, I was hooked. Travel changes you for the better. You can never get enough of it. It opened our eyes to the world around us, and experiencing new cultures is the only way to live for us.

4. The number one question we got asked while we were doing this was “How did you get the money to do it?” I know most people thought we inherited a great sum or got a trust fund, but the answer to those questions is no. We saved…. Point blank, the money came from only Morgan and me. When we agreed to travel before we got married, we had initially said we were going to go for six months, and that turned into a year. We set strict budgets, and stuck to those budgets. We spent less living abroad for 1 year, than we would have spent living for 1 year in the US working. Granted, we did not make an income while away, but had a good plan on how to save money for a year. If anyone is ever interested in our budget plan and how to make it work for you, please just ask.

5. See everything. If you take a trip, don’t do it half way. When we were in Asia, we had seen so many temples that we just stopped going into them. We would say “We could go on this cruise on the Mekong River tonight, but we already took 3 boat trips.” We would sometimes talk ourselves out of doing things because we had already done similar trips. We tried to see everything we could, eat every kind of food, eat weird fruits, and put ourselves in sometimes awkward situations. Trust me; we remember the boat ride down the Bosphourous Strait in Turkey more than we remember sitting in our hotel room.

6. Always take public transportation. We tried not to take organized tour groups because we could do the same things for half the price. We would figure out ways to take a local bus to a site of interest, and then on to the next city. You meet a lot of interesting people and it makes for great stories.

So what is in store next for Morgan and me? We are in Memphis right now visiting with family and friends. Our goal is to move back to Chattanooga full time by the first of the year and be working. There is of course a lot to do between now and then, but this is what we want to do. We love the city, the mountains, our friends there, and we feel this is where we are being led to live. Thanks to all who prayed for us while we were gone, and who were so eager to speak with us when we got home. Until the next adventure…. Adios! Cheers, David and Morgan 1 Year Continents: 5 Countries Visited: 15 Cities Visited: Around 213 Number of plane flights: 21 Trains: 11 Busses: 40 Ferries: 1 Time Zones: 7 Miles Flown: 40,866   Kilometers Flown: 60,167 Currencies: 11 Hotels/Guesthouses: 102 Immigration Stamps: 30 Miles walked on the Camino de Santiago: 865km/ 536 miles Favorite Country: David- New Zealand Morgan- Portugal   Favorite Capital City: David- Hanoi, Vietnam Morgan- Istanbul, Turkey   Favorite Small Town: David- Luang Prabang, Laos Morgan- Hoi An, Vietnam Favorite National Park: David- Fiordland NP, New Zealand Morgan- Mt. Cook, NZ Favorite Albergue on the Camino: David- Rabanal del Camino Morgan- Roncesvalles, Monastery   Favorite Markets: David-Marrakech, Morocco Morgan- Krabi, Thailand Favorite Beach: David- Sagres, Portugal Morgan- Nha Trang, Vietnam   Favorite Museum: David- Toul Sleng Genocide Musuem, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Morgan- Hagia Sophia, Istanbul   Favorite Guest House: David-B-Lan Homestay, Hoi An, Vietnam Morgan- Jalan Jalan Emas, Melacca, Malaysia   Favorite Food: David- Thai Morgan- Thai   Favorite Dish: David- Cao Lau, Hoi An, Vietnam Morgan-Pad Thai   Favorite Drinks: David-Coffee with sweet milk, Vietnam Morgan-Berber Scotch, Morocco   Favorite Beer: David- Timisoarana, Romania Morgan- Chang, Thailand Favorite Fruit: David- Mangos from Cambodia Morgan- Mangos from Asia   Favorite People: David- Kiwis Morgan- Laotians   Favorite Trains: David- Romania Morgan- Romania     Favorite Busses: David- Turkey Morgan- Vietnam   Favorite Metro/Tram: David- Budapest, Hungary Morgan- Lisbon, Portugal   Scariest Moment: David- Bus station brawl in Morocco Morgan- Bus station brawl in Morocco Favorite Moment: David- landing huge fish on the Buller River, NZ Morgan- Spending everyday with my husband for a year   Favorite Grocery Store: David- Pak N Save, New Zealand Morgan- Pak N Save, New Zealand   Favorite Fashion: David- New Zealand- men still sport the short shorts Morgan- Seville, Spain   Favorite Language: David- Hungarian Morgan- Spanish   Best Plane Flight: David- Air New Zealand from LA to Auckland Morgan- Air New Zealand from LA to Auckland Favorite Airline: David- Air New Zealand Morgan- Air New Zealand   Favorite Church: David- Blue Mosque, Istanbul Morgan- La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona   Favorite Castle: David- Bran Castle, Romania Morgan- Sintra, Portugal Best Sunrise: David- Angkor Wat Cambodia Morgan-Milford Sound, NZ Best Sunset: David- Motueka, NZ Morgan- Camino de Santiago Best Exchange Rate: David- Vietnamese Dong- 20,000 dong= $1 Morgan- Malaysian Ringgit- prettiest money   Toughest Language Barrier: David- Turkey Morgan- Vietnam