As I traveled the world this past Winter, I was often amused at how cultural differences also contribute to some HILARIOUS moments where posted signs mean different things to different cultures. I just re-discovered some of my pictures from the trip and thought I’d share:

As a member of the LGBT community, I found it shocking when I saw this sign… and then remembered that my own Irish Aunt calls cigarettes by the same name. Can’t believe the proud display!

I’m still not sure what “Chulo” is in Nepali… but I do know that if a Mexican traveler were in town, they’d get a kick out of this.

What cracked me up about this sign was the lack of certainty… PROBABLY?

No related posts.

The Big Journey Google Map

As Patty and I get ready for the big adventure of our AROUND THE WORLD trek, we’ve got SO many items on our To Do list. As if I need more lists! Alas, we are booking our travel, researching the best prices for must-haves like backpacks, all-terrain gear, and the guide books that will help us make it through.

We’ve also sat down with one of the most helpful and supportive men I know, David Nett about the type of Video Camera we’ll be purchasing to film our documentary about the Unatti Foundation. It’s all really happening.

As I’ve continued to talk to many people about the trip, everyone keeps asking “How are you guys affording this trip?” The simple answer is: RESEARCH. Tons of it. And also, the support of our friends and family who want to see this story told. Join them by donating HERE.

The first step was figuring out where we wanted to go.

The good news is, we’ve narrowed down our destination list and rough itinerary. So far, this is what it looks like:

Los Angeles (September 30)
Bangkok
Kathmandu
Delhi (October 31)
Milan
Florence
Venice
Vienna
Prague
Berlin
Brussels
Paris
New York (November 30?)
Los Angeles

We’ve done smart things like buy a EurRail pass for all the traveling between Milan and Paris. Through STA Travel, we’re able to get on fancy trains and visit all of these locations (and any others!) for about $500 flat. Of course we have to find places to stay, but that’s where the hostels come into play! (LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE EURO FRIENDS WHOM WE CAN STAY WITH!)

We also were able to work out an amazing deal with a guy whom I originally met through Craigslist to get our flights out to Kathmandu for super cheap. I know it seems seedy to trust some man that I’ve never met, but as it turns out, we’ve emailed back and forth for quite some time now, and he has MORE than proven his integrity.

Basically, the guy has a BUNCH of frequent flyer miles that he’s not going to use. So what he’s doing is selling his miles to us at a ridiculous discount. This means that our flight from Los Angeles to Bangkok is about $700 instead of the $1,300 it would have cost us booking through the actual airline. We got super lucky as well because United Airlines just lowered their frequent flyer mile costs (so instead of 65,000 to Thailand, it’s only 50,000!).

This trip has already challenged us in the ways that we were hoping. We have to be resourceful, use a little faith, do a LOT of research, and just GO!

Looking forward to keeping you all in the loop as we get closer to our departure date!

Related posts:

1. It’s happening…
2. Opening up to Nepal