The Most Impactful Takeaways from our Trip

Earlier this year, I published Before the Kids and Mortgage all about the whirlwind travel tour across the world that I took with my wife Odelia. 

Many people ask me, what are the most impactful takeaways from your trip?

Top Takeaway #1 – The trip was the best year of our lives

Nothing came close to the adventure, fun, and interesting people we met.  

The trip was the best decision we made as a couple before having kids!  

One should live life without regrets.  

If you genuinely want to do something, to try something, even as daring as selling all your belongings, quit your job and travel the world for one year, do it. 

There might not be a second chance.

Top Takeaway #2 – There is a “shelf-life” to these fantasies

By the end of the one year of travel, we were in the South Island in New Zealand.   

We drove next to an inactive volcano that had a beautiful, emerald green lake in it.  

Snowy peaks surrounded the volcano.  Truly a breathtaking view.  We didn’t even bother to stop and take some photos.  

By that time, we got tired of seeing new places, meeting new people, travelling all the time from one place to the other.  

At that moment, we craved to go back to “regular life.” 

We longed for the daily routines that define us, the same routines that we wanted to get away from at the beginning of the year! 

Perspectives can change at any moment.

Top Takeaway #3 – People matter the most, it’s all about relationships

People made the difference in every place we visited and explored. 

From the whole trip, what stands out the most are the people and connections we made. 

It wasn’t the natural beauty of the place or the food or the weather.  Or the famous sightseeing spots.

Whether our connections with people were momentary or have lasted much longer, the experiences with everyone on the trip were unforgettable.

Some of the most heartfelt hospitality that we received was from poor families in India and Nepal. 

You never know who you’ll meet along the way.

Top Takeaway #4 – Relationships take work and compromise (especially the romantic ones!)

In our relationships, it’s not an earth-shattering revelation, but as a newlywed couple, we learned the hard way that we must compromise if we want to make it work.

And being with each other 24/7, with no place to escape, or no individual down time, we had no choice but to grow and learn to be with each other. Otherwise, we probably wouldn’t be married today!

For example, we made compromises like giving up on hiking adventures to dangerous places in the Himalayas.  Or not going to Ayers Rock in Australia since it was a 20 hour bus ride.

We also underestimated how much risk we were going to take in backpacking in third-world countries. We experienced everything from food poisoning, tropical diseases, and driving with crazy drivers.

When you can make it through all of the unexpected things, hard stuff, and wild adventures from a year-long trip with your partner, you know you can make it through anything together.

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Read about all the places we visited and the amazing people we met in my book Before the Kids and Mortgage, available here on Amazon.