More BIG news!

Just a few days ago, I made a big announcement: Christian and I are leaving Amsterdam, getting married under the Mexican sun and moving to California.

And the last bit is just as exciting.

Christian and I are traveling around Asia for 6 months!

This Asian Invasion trip we’ve conjured up has been a plan-in-the-making for about 2-3 years. Actually knowing we’d go on this trip was the very reason I started Let’s Be Adventurers.

After my best friend passed away in April, we are more eager than ever to do this trip—life is for living. Devastation such as that is the very reason why some people say ‘live now’. Life is so uncertain and you never know what it will throw at you. 

After years of inspiration from other RTW trip bloggers, we are ecstatic and feel so lucky to be able to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip like this too.

Reaching this goal of ours has been an unbelievable feeling. Leave it up to crazy us to combine a destination wedding, a transatlantic move and a trip around Asia all after the toughest year of my life. It was something we had planned to do before Julia passed away and while we were so close to nixing all of these crazy plans, we decided to hit the ground running and just go for it—just keep swimming, right? While still grieving the loss of Julia, I know what has happened has made me feel a level of appreciation for life I've never felt before...and as each day passes, I feel stronger and stronger. This wedding, this move, this trip will be filled with so much love and unimaginable inspiration. And ultimately, I’m so so so excited that Christian and I get to experience all of this together.

In mid-November, Christian and I will board a plane for Nepal, then 2 weeks later, to Southeast Asia. At some point in the spring our travel buddies Denis and Emma will meet us and we’ll travel around Southeast Asia together. In those months we plan on exploring anywhere under the sun—Thailand (can't miss!), Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, anywhere—and will end the trip in China, Japan, finally Christian will get to see Petra, Jordan, we’ll stop back over in Amsterdam and Maastricht to visit friends and family then make the one-way flight bound for California. 

So…we need you...

Do you have any favorite spots? 

Must-visit destinations/hostels/restaurants/festivals in Asia? 

What are the most beautiful places you’ve seen or best experiences you’ve had in Asia? 

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One LONG commute to work today...

I'm not the type to give up a precious day off work to recover from a holiday (I mean what if I want to use that day for a long weekend?!). So if my flight arrives before noon (which 99% of them arrive before 9AM), then I'm going straight to work. Yes even if it means coming straight from a Costa Rican beach, through the jungle by bus to San Jose, to a layover in New Jersey, then across the Atlantic to Amsterdam, then to border control, a train, a metro and a ferry. Even if it does mean that my flight lands at 7AM and I'll have to put up with a full 8-hour work day after 16 hours of traveling (seriously). 

I can sleep later.

After one long-ass commute, my work day starts right now. 

Home Sweet Holland.

"Let's Go On an Adventure"

It’s amazing what those few words can do. Back in early October, I said those words to my best friend Julia. She replied with the words “let’s do it” (and one of the many reasons why she’s been one of my very best friends for 12 years). Then I let our two other best friends—Traci and Smitty—in on this adventure plan too. One thing led to another and within a few days we all had tickets to paradise.

So we’re off to Costa Rica!

This trip is going to be amazing. My friends also have an itch for travel—having been to Mexico, Amsterdam and NYC with Julia, Amsterdam and Belgium with Traci and to NYC and all over Europe with Smitty, it’s a fact that these are my favorite friends to travel with. Growing up we always had the most fun just sitting in my room in California and laughing about nonsense—these are the best kind of friends. So when a new destination is thrown in the mix, it's just ridiculously fun.

The four of us are taking a redeye to San Jose, Costa Rica, and will hop on a bus headed straight to the Caribbean coast. We’ve got no plans except to enjoy spending one whole week together—just the 4 of us—without the distractions of work, responsibilities, time differences and to give Julia a little vacay minus doctors and chemotherapy.

Christian is sitting this trip out but don’t feel too bad for him yet. He’s off to Poland with HIS closest friends for a few days. While we are each other's ultimate travel buddies, we’ve always encouraged each other to do solo trips with friends since friendship needs nurturing too...and ah hell who are we kidding, good times with friends just downright soothes the soul! 

So…adios for now…next stop: Costa Rica...

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Here's to 2013!

{Our gorgeous pics from Liz}

Yay 2013! I am so excited for this year. So what's in store for us?

-We kicked off 2013 with Christian's twin brother and his wife in a small Amsterdam bar flowing with beer inside and fireworks outside.

-It's my birthday in just a few weeks and I'll celebrate with Christian and friends all weekend long--pubs, cocktail bars, brunch, lunch, wining and dining!

-One of my best friends who I met in Amsterdam is moving back to Europe from Australia to live in London...not until she spends a week in Amsterdam with me first. And I think I'll be a regular on Easyjet's Amsterdam-London route :).

-My twin sis is throwing me a bridal shower Cali-style in February. She has a gift for throwing great parties...I can't wait to see what she conjures up! 

-I've missed my best friend's birthday for 4 years (shameful) so this year I'm making up for it...I'm treating her to a week in paradise and we're jetsetting to somewhere tropical and sunny.

-In May, Christian and I will join my mom and older sister for a long weekend frolicking around London, my mom's favorite city. Then we have a week in MY favorite city--Amsterdam :).

-In June, we're roadtripping around Iceland for 10 days with our favorite travel buddies Denis & Emma (past trips with them include Greece, Croatia, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam!).

-In July, we'll be international wedding hoppers--we're heading to some friends' wedding in Poland then will fly to Cali to catch another friend's wedding in San Diego the next weekend.

And the best for last is--we're getting married this year!

But all the fun doesn't stop there, we've got HUGE plans for the end of the year...and we are so stoked about it. 

What fun things do you have planned this year?

{Photos by Liz Denfeld Photography}

{Travel Bug}

Hi everyone! Being swamped at work, busy wedding planning and just getting stuff done (ya know that stuff you put off doing for so long?) has got me away from my computer for a while.

My friend Emma (the other half of the duo who we love to travel with...we've been lucky to travel to Croatia and Greece with them recently too!) tagged me in this quote on Facebook and I love it! It's great to get an inspirational quote to remind you about one of the many joys of life--travel. Another joy is that we will be hanging out with them in Paris next weekend (after Christian's brother's wedding this weekend)!!

And since Emma posted this, I've been looking in to re-booking our trip to Jordan which we cancelled earlier this year...we're thinking of adding Israel to the itinerary too!

Anyone ever been to Israel or Jordan? Would love to hear some tips!! 

{I snapped this pic of Denis, our French buddy who we studied with in Finland and Emma's boyfriend(!), at sunset during our trip to Naxos, Greece!}