The Journey| Frequently Asked Questions | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Q Whose idea was it? |
|
A
Neither of us is really sure, actually. We think it started while
debating where to take our next big vacation. There seemed to be far
too many choices for us: Erin wanted to return to China (I'd never
been), I wanted to return to Australia (she'd never been), and both of
us also wanted to go somewhere new. In a fit of desperation, someone
— probably me — said, "Why don't we just take a year off
and travel the world?" Rather than being met with a laugh, though,
eyebrows were raised, and some rusty gears in our brains started
turning.
The next thing we knew, we bought a world map poster, mounted in on the wall, and started putting in pins. |
| Q How long will you be gone? |
| A If we succeed in our plan to see the world, we'll probably be gone for somewhere between 15 and 18 months. However, we allowed for more than one "escape plan", in case we were to decide that full time travel just isn't for us, by only planning the first 6-7 months. While we're still going, truth is it's unlikely we'll be gone as long as we'd originally thought. So if we fail to make it all the way around, we'll probably go back to work for a few months, or a few years, before — hopefully — setting out again. |
| Q Did you guys leave your jobs? |
| A Erin took a leave of absence for 90 days, then was required to submit her resignation via email from Costa Rica. Oracle has been more generous to Keith, and has allowed Keith to remain on leave throughout the duration of the trip. |
| Q How are you paying for all of this? |
| A We have several years of Oracle stock options to thank — or curse, given its recent performance — for this. Provided our stock stays at a reasonable level for the next several months, we should be okay. |
| Q Will the recent terrorist attacks on the US change anything? |
|
A
Not at this time. Our first few
months have us going through Central America and South America,
areas where anti-American terrorism is pretty rare. (We're avoiding
those areas, like Colombia, where things are still a little shaky.)
The most troublesome areas — prominently Islamic nations in Asia and the middle-east — were already more or less off our charts. About the only place we're pretty anxious not to miss is Petra, in Jordan, since its future as one of the world's most remarkable archaeological sites is in question. But, of course, we wouldn't be anywhere near these places until next year, and a lot can happen between now and then. |
| Q Aren't you worried about anti-American sentiment overseas nowadays? |
| A That's why we're making it clear to anyone we meet that we're actually Canadian. We're memorizing the words to "O Canada", just in case. We think we live close enough to Vancouver to pull it off, and nobody hates the Canadians, right? (Except for the French, of course, but they hate everbody.) |
