Hi! Jessie Here.
In 2017, my husband and I packed our bags and moved halfway across the world from Seattle to London.
It was not the most logical move. Nor, was it the most financially-sensible. We had just spent a substantial portion of our life savings paying for our wedding, our honeymoon, and buying our first new home together (not even settled in for a year). Additionally, we were accepting pay cuts to relocate abroad with our current company, despite moving to a location with higher rents, cost-of-living, and taxes. We were facing new jobs, in new organizations, with new managers. We were leaving our family and friends in the States behind. What were we thinking?! But it turns out, it’s been a change that was needed, and already it’s been a life experience we’ll never regret or forget.
One of the biggest reasons we decided to move abroad was so that we could travel more and experience new things. Living in Europe makes it so much more convenient to get around (it still amazes me that you can take a train from London to Paris in just 2 hours!). Additionally, since moving abroad, we’ve adjusted our normal spending habits to help save up for travel expenses. Already, we’ve traveled to +50 countries since moving to London. From these travels, we’ve learned so much more about ourselves and about others; and yet through this process we’ve realized how much we have left to experience and learn.
Now this next part is going to get real cheesy…but here are some of my favorite travel stories.
We visited Iceland, where we marveled at gorgeous rock formations and felt tiny next to impressive waterfalls. We witnessed the shocking effects of global warming and saw large chunks of the glistening Jokulsarlon-Glacier break off and melt into the sea. Being surrounded by so much natural beauty and seeing it disappear first hand, reminded us how important it is not to be wasteful, not to take things for granted, and to take better care of Mother Nature.
We traveled to places like Berlin, Capetown, and Delhi, and learned about tumultuous histories and how cities re-transformed themselves through creative freedom and expression (where quite literally, citizens could turn run-down building blocks and crumbling walls into wondrous pieces of art that represent hope, harmony, and a united nation). In those places, we were reminded just how fortunate we were to be born and raised in a free, democratic society.
While in Dubrovnik, we had dinner in a tiny village called Bosanka and found ourselves completely surrounded by locals hosting a birthday celebration. The celebration was for the grandmother of one of the local families, and she seemed utterly drunk with happiness (or perhaps it was the grappa). Traditional, authentic Dalmation food was being served. A local band was playing Croatian folk music, and the entire group sang along. We still look back on this moment together fondly – it reminded us of our own grandparents who were similarly proud of their cultural heritage, and how much we missed our families back in the States. It taught us how important it is to cherish, and be surrounded by people you love.
In our travels through Scandinavia, we learned just how important life’s simple pleasures are, and that happiness can be found in the form of a plain bagel with cream cheese. This was discovered when my husband (despite being surrounded by loads of fancy modern Scandinavian restaurants…ahem Noma) was willing to walk some decent lengths to visit a local bagel shop while we were in Copenhagen, so that he could get a ‘taste of home’. How fitting that we learned this in a country that embodies Scandinavian ‘hygge’ lifestyle, a concept roughly described as a feeling of comfort and indulgence in all the good things in life a.k.a making the ordinary things in life meaningful.
Some people travel to meet new friends. Some people travel to try new foods. Others travel simply to ‘escape’ reality or to ‘forget’. Whatever the reason, I think that many would agree that travel changes you…it refreshes the mind, brings new perspective and appreciation for life. But it’s not easy to travel – the reality is that trip planning can be stressful, and most people don’t have the luxury (time or money!) to travel wherever, whenever. And that’s why I started this blog….to remind us of the memories….to share our itineraries and experiences with the world and make it easier for others to travel…..to reminisce on the amazing foods we discovered (and then attempt to re-make them in our own kitchen) and most importantly, to hopefully inspire others to go on an adventure (or at the very least, satisfy a little bit of the wanderlust!).
