This post was originally written in Portuguese and translated by Roberto.

by George

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 “The same way that slowing down improves your peripheral vision when driving, reducing your speed allows you to take more in while you travel.”

This analogy, lifted from Rough Guide’s First-Time Around the World, distills perfectly our approach to travel.

It’s highly tempting, in a trip of this scope, to visit as many places possible. It’s like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet and loading on shrimps, lasagna, orange beef, chicken tikka, and Caesar salad on a single plate. Our initial itinerary had 22 countries! That’s about two countries per month. And this without counting time in transit, the days we’ll need to sit still for rest, sick days, or time spent resolving any myriad pickles.

But we concluded that, as much as our infinite curiosity compels us, it makes little sense to spend only 10 to 15 days in a single country. If this was Brazil, this would hardly be enough to really know São Paulo and Rio. What about Natal? Florianópolis? Paraty, Jericoacara and Bonito? Forget it. Just as you’d be getting a handle on Portuguese basics, learning to love açaí and understanding that Brazilian way of getting things done, it’s over. Time to catch the next flight.

We also want to avoid the “been there, done that” ennui; in other words, get sick of traveling, losing the lust, get information congestion from yet another church, another downtown, another passing encounter.

The way we buy tickets will follow this same spirit: instead of leaving home with a pre-planned round-the-world plane ticket, sold by specialized agencies or airline alliances like One World and Star Alliance, we’ll buy as we go. We want to feel on our skin the right time to leave will be, rather than obeying a pre-determined schedule. To hop inside the motor home of a wandering Persian couple. To see the birth city of a new travel buddy. To find a perfect beach and park ourselves there for as long as we want.

The only confirmed destination is the first one:

As he head to the Pacific, we changed the stopover from LA to Vancouver. I’ll be able to see two childhood friends and, by chance, enjoy the city during the Winter Olympics, which begin in February.

After that, it’s New Zealand. But before that, we’ll extend a mandatory stopover in Fiji for one week. For obvious reasons. This one-way ticket ends in Australia.

We also plan on visiting the following countries:

Indonesia
Malaysia
Thailand
Laos
Cambodia
Vietnam
India
Syria
Lebanon
Jordan
Israel (thanks to them)

If, and only if time, will and money permit:

Egypt
Morocco
Spain

The adventure ends on our country of origin, Brazil, where we shall rest, see family, and recharge our batteries before returning to Montreal.

This is where we ask for your input. If you know one of these countries and have an unbeatable tip for us, let us know. Just use the comments here on the side.

The adminstration thanks you.