The Trip: An Overview

The first question we normally get when we tell people that we are quitting our jobs and traveling is, “Where the hell are y’all going?”

And, to be honest that is a very hard question to answer. So here it is, our plan as of February 2019. Where we are going, what we are planning on doing, and when we are going to be doing it. If you are looking for some background information on our trip, like why the hell we are doing it, check out the “About” section. As for planning, including tips and hiccups we have encountered on the way, stay tuned. Future posts will cover how we ended up on this plan, and why it is what it is, and more juicy details of what we plan on doing.

First Stop: Scotland and the West Highland Way

We will begin our journey is Edinburgh, Scotland, where we will spend a few days adjusting and acclimating to Europe. From there we will tour Glasgow, the Lake District, and do our first long-distance hike: The West Highland Way.

Details:

Dates: April 5-25 (20 Days)

Hikes/Trails: West Highland Way (7-8 Days) and The Lake District (3-4 Days)

Cities: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Ft. William

Highlights: Great Scenery, The Glenfinnan Viaduct, awesome pubs, and probably rain.

Next Stop: Coratia and the Via Dinarica; Bosnia and Herzegovina

From Scotland, we will fly across the Schengen Area to Zagreb, Croatia. We will make our way across Croatia, down to the coast, and we will do some hiking in the Paklenica National Park outside of Zadar. From Zadar, we will continue down to Split and finally to Dubrovnik. From Dubrovnik, we will head into Bosnia, and stop by Mostar, do some backpacking in the Blidinje Nature Park, and end our excursion in Sarajevo.

Details:

Dates: April 25 – May 30

Hikes/Trails: Via Dinarica (4-5 Days), Blidinje Nature Park (5-6 Days)

Cities: Zagreb, Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik in Croatia. Mostar and Sarajevo in Bosnia

Highlights: Rocky mountains, waterfalls, beaches, historic cities

Spain: Madrid and Barcelona

From Sarajevo, we will fly to Madrid, Spain and begin our travels in mainland Europe. In Madrid, we will meet up with our friends at Two Bad Tourists, to get a local guide of the area. We will then spend some time in Barcelona and at the beach in Sitges.

Details:

Dates: June 1-15

Hikes: N/A

Cities: Barcelona, Madrid

Highlights: Friends, wine, food, architecture and beaches

Tour du Mont Blanc: June 15 – 25

From Barcelona, we will fly or take a train to Geneva, Switzerland where we will make our way down to Chamonix and start the 10 day journey around one of the most famous peaks in Europe. Littered with mountain huts called “refugios”, the trek will be challenging but offer plenty of places for rest and a good meal. This hike is constantly one of the highest rated trails in Europe.

Mont Blanc and Beyond

After Mont Blanc, our trip will become a little less planned, as we will determine what our next moves will be. We plan on hitting up the following, but our time table and journey may change as we get there:

Bavarian Alps. We plan on heading to Germany for the Black Forrest and the Bavarian Alps, plus some sweet castles in the German countryside. We look forward to good beer, great walking, and some really great architecture.

The Dolomite’s: After Germany, we will hit up the Dolomite’s in Italy for some more trail walking. We will then head down to Venice and make get ready to make our way up to the great white north.

Sweden and Norway: Aaron’s big draw on this trip has been the Kungsleden (Kings Trail) in Sweden and Norway. It’s in the Arctic Circle, so we’re saving this for August, when it will hopefully be warm enough. Known for it’s remote beauty, we look forward to be truly lost in nature and experience the wilderness that is Scandinavia.

Goodbye Europe, Hello Asia – September and October

After we trek across Norway, we will be leaving Europe and heading towards Japan. We may stop in Tel Aviv on the way, but we will see. In Japan, we will explore the outdoors and big cities, starting in the North and working our way down. After about a month in Japan, we will head to South Korea, where we will spend some time exploring the country and soaking up the culture.

After That?

That is the plan for now, but we may extend the trip, and flip to the south to Australia and New Zealand. We may add in Thailand as well. Or we may be too broke and need to return home. We will see, but hopefully you will follow along and enjoy our trip with us!