tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42060081050726161342024-03-14T05:19:08.180-05:002 Feet Out The DoorA couple on a budget, taking on the world.2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-40933080850070045642018-01-12T05:28:00.002-06:002018-01-12T05:28:30.745-06:00How Russia Defies Expectations
At the beginning of October 2017 we entered Russia, unsure of what to expect. Except that's not actually true. We had lots of expectations of what Russia would be. Problem is, we were wrong.
We've written about Russia before, which you can read HERE, but we feel like we need to talk just a little bit more about it.
See, Russia gets a bad rap. It's constantly in the news for political 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-38352011137533456002018-01-08T01:14:00.000-06:002018-01-08T01:14:24.754-06:005 Things You Learn on a Winter Tour of Mongolia
Our journey of Mongolia began on November 1, 2017. We had no idea what was in store for us as we piled into an old Soviet van with our driver and guide. We thought we knew; but we did not.
Our amazing group for the tour, guide Boggi on the left, driver Oggii on the right.
We met two other traveling couples on the train into Mongolia from Russia a couple days before and 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-53541036756364497472018-01-02T09:47:00.000-06:002018-01-07T10:41:31.919-06:00How To Deal With Bedbugs While Traveling
I lay awake in my top bunk unable to sleep. It was midnight in Krakow and I tossed and turned, trying not to scratch at the itches that seemed to be creeping up all over my arms and legs. I had seen a few mosquitos in the room, but didn’t hear any near me during the night. Finally, I slept.
A couple days later Ricky and I compared bites. They were red, but not swollen like mosquito 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-59728313579214780792017-12-07T05:15:00.000-06:002017-12-07T05:15:33.987-06:00The 3 BEST Shoes for Travel
By Talia.
There are so many YouTube videos and blog posts online about the best shoes for travel for both men and women, and I don't pretend to know everything. BUT, I have experience and feet and I think those are enough to have a valid opinion on footwear. So read on if you also have feet and a desire to travel!
**This post contains affiliate links. We may collect a small amount of $ 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-79114806875187992332017-12-01T03:57:00.002-06:002017-12-01T04:13:31.334-06:00Riding Camels in the Desert
When we arrived in the Gobi Desert of Southern Mongolia, we were surprised to see herds of camels justing hanging around. Cows and goats and sheep and even horses also wandered the desert together but we'd all seen these before. But camels? This was new!
On our second day our driver even stopped to let us take pictures with a herd. He called them over to the well (yes, he called camels. And 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-57000827222188768442017-11-24T18:00:00.000-06:002017-12-01T03:58:41.840-06:00That Time We Went to North KoreaNorth Korea, or the DPRK has been in the news a lot lately. And of course, it's not all good. What we see is scary, threatening, dangerous.
While we don't negate any of these things, because let's face it, when your leader is a narcissistic, nuke-happy child (sound familiar? anyone? 'Merica. We're talking about 'Merica.) it's not going to be the best place to live.
But here's the thing. People2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-34686492653650329312017-11-19T02:20:00.000-06:002017-12-01T10:43:23.287-06:00Riding the Transsiberian Railway
We are currently in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, having arrived here from Russia on the train. Well, on several trains.
See, our travel plan for this trip means we don't fly, which leaves us tromping over land. Of course, this is a marvelous excuse to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip on the Transsiberian Railway, something we have always wanted to do.
We began in St. Petersburg, Russia and took 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-15516260845328125022017-10-31T09:27:00.000-05:002018-01-10T00:45:38.546-06:00Getting Cultured with Russian Performing Arts
I’ve always
liked the ballet. I mean, I’ve always liked the idea of the ballet; I had never actually been before. But I always
liked the idea of attending a performance in a classical style of dance that
has been revered as the pinnacle of culture and refinement, then returning home
to discuss the finer points of music and story over a glass of sherry, a la Frasier.
Same for the opera. I 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-64637277231536548842017-10-08T08:50:00.001-05:002017-10-08T08:50:10.620-05:00100 Days of Travel!
We’ve been traveling for 100 days! At just a little over 3
months, we’ve done a lot of walking, adventuring, and visiting people and
places. Here are the stats:
Steps: 1,267,281
Kilometers walked: 863 (536 miles)
Best day: 45,000 steps (31 km; 19 miles). Thanks New York!
Cities visited: 28
Countries: 14
Hostels: 13
Friends and Family who hosted us: 8
Hours on buses and trains: We 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-60011020947481993642017-09-04T04:34:00.000-05:002017-09-04T04:34:14.192-05:00Chasing Pigeons: How to Be Happy
It is becoming increasingly clear that the happiest people at any tourist destination, monument, or historical site are children chasing pigeons.
Without fail there are pigeons, and without fail there are children running after them, arms flapping as if they themselves might take off into the sky with their feathered playmates. Parents call halfheartedly, trying to get them to return to the 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-36102033483967547382017-08-29T07:46:00.002-05:002017-08-29T07:46:45.218-05:00UPDATE: What we've been up to and where we are now
Well, it's been a long time since we've update the blog, and for that we apologize. Life has been crazy the past few weeks. I think we both had forgotten how much fun AND work it is to travel!
After leaving Ireland (Youtube vid is coming, we promise!), we went to London and Paris. Then we met up with family in Amsterdam for a few days, where we ate way too much fried food and ice cream. 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-85338330422089080732017-08-08T14:00:00.000-05:002017-08-08T14:00:09.682-05:00Why We Won't Fly
When Ricky and I started planning this trip, we thought we knew what we were going to do. First, we were going to buy motorcycles and ride from Texas to Pategonia. Then, we realized Central and South America were not the safest areas at the moment, what with economic crises, political turmoil, and drug violence.
So instead, we decided to buy a jeep in South Africa and drive all the way north.2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-86831003736058419202017-08-04T13:16:00.000-05:002017-08-04T14:04:41.640-05:00Finally on the Road....Sort Of.
We left on our trip about a month ago, on July 1st. We had just landed in New York, a first for both of us. We stayed with a friend and had a great time seeing the city.
But....
It didn't really feel like we had started traveling. It's hard to say why. Maybe because we were with a friend? Because we hadn't left the country? Because we weren't roughing it?
Oh well, we thought, our next leg 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-83193599140093692052017-07-20T06:17:00.000-05:002017-07-20T06:17:49.867-05:00What Immigration is Really Like
By Ricky
I have a confession to make. I’m
not proud of what I’m about to say, but I believe honesty is the best policy. So
here goes:
I have spent most of my life with a
bitter hatred towards the United States.
I simply hated the U.S. because
everything I had learnt and read about the US as a country and everything that
it stood for was against what my moral compass told me was 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-30619695947333188602017-07-09T15:46:00.000-05:002017-07-15T15:31:50.407-05:00Stranger Things: Loving Places Through People.
One of the greatest, and sometimes
weirdest, aspects of travel can be the people that we meet. Magic can really
happen when happenstance takes over and random and fortuitous encounters occur.
The meeting of strangers can often, somewhat counterintuitively, eliminate the
strangeness of a new place.
During our last trip, we knew we wouldn’t
be able to afford to stay in Hong Kong on our 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-28032384324550071742017-07-01T15:39:00.001-05:002017-07-01T15:39:39.619-05:00We abandoned our babies.
Yesterday we did one of the hardest things we've ever had to do.
We abandoned our babies.
These babies. How could we do such a thing?
Our fur-babies, that is. We have two beautiful doggos names Gimli and Lilith. They were both rescues from Beijing and they are the best creatures on the face of the world. In case you thought your pups are better, don't worry - they're not. But2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-40845975255294888072017-06-27T21:54:00.002-05:002017-06-27T22:02:50.218-05:00On Traveling With Mental Illness
Talia here, and it's time for some real talk.
I have depression. I've been "dealing" with it for about 6 years now. It's hard. It sucks. It's miserable. It hurts people close to me. In short, it's a big bummer that I'd really rather do without.
Living with depression is awful. Traveling with depression is...odd. I wrote about it during our last trip but thought I should address the topic 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-84626470287430700842017-06-23T22:59:00.001-05:002017-06-23T23:28:07.783-05:00A New Adventure Begins....Can we do it?Hey all! Wow, sorry for the scattered posting in the last year! We've had ups and downs as we've been planning and preparing for our next adventure.
We've been working a lot to save for our next trip and it's FINALLY HAPPENING!
Are you ready for it? Here it is!
America to Australia WITHOUT FLYING!
That's right; land and sea only to get across the globe. Sound impossible? Well, here's2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-88907654423505596052017-03-04T12:53:00.002-06:002017-06-23T23:28:32.794-05:00A Very 2 Feet Wedding Part 3: Vegas, Baby
Third time's the charm, right?
We decided to really make the marriage stick and do it a third time. This time, we headed to Vegas because, why not?
Spring Break was a perfect time to do it since we'd have a few days to enjoy the city and do fun things.
We packed up our stuff and our two dogs and headed out in our dented Hyundai for our very first road trip together. 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-572095892162709452016-05-04T20:47:00.001-05:002017-06-23T23:29:01.975-05:00A Very 2 Feet Wedding Part 2: Houston
As you remember, we had an amazing Thai Buddhist wedding ceremony in Bangkok in June of 2015. But we have a confession...it wasn't legal.
Not that it couldn't have been, it just wasn't logical for us to do the paperwork at that time. Here's the deal.
I did a few interviews and began online training for a teaching license. I got a job in Houston and had to leave at the end of July to start 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-71148935271845127402016-04-18T22:52:00.000-05:002017-06-23T23:29:14.893-05:00A Very 2 Feet Wedding, Part 1: Thailand
When we got engaged in October of 2014, we knew we wanted a wedding that would be very "us." We also knew that this sort of wedding wasn't going to be very easy on our families, for a few reasons. We had to find neutral territory, both literally and religiously.
Ricky was raised Catholic in Ireland, and Talia was raised Mormon in the US. Neither of us have been truly practicing members of 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-7772049860633011772016-04-04T20:44:00.001-05:002017-06-23T23:29:47.357-05:00We're Baaa-aaaack!Since it's been nearly three years since our last post, we thought we would let you know what's happened.
2 Feet got married!
We also ran a 10k in North Korea, went camping at the Great Wall, got another dog, were separated for a terrible 6 months, are currently in the US suffering through inefficient immigration red tape, have gotten our first tattoos, and are somewhat settled for the time 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-21836983643231782652013-05-23T06:43:00.002-05:002013-05-23T06:43:31.121-05:00Dealing with the Side Effects of Long Term Travel: A Failure's Guide
I was in the bathroom this morning getting ready to go to
the supermarket with Ricky. I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and some slide-on
shoes. My hair went into a ponytail, with a headband to keep back the flyaways.
I slapped on some mascara and some deodorant and was ready to go.
And then it hit me.
Nothing has changed.
During the nine months we were traveling I looked pretty
much 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-18222997676608856132013-05-11T17:20:00.001-05:002013-05-11T17:20:22.392-05:00Super Domesticity Girl to the Rescue, Or My Transition from Vagabond to Martha Stewart
Just a couple of months ago, I was on the road. I was
hanging out with macaques, eating cobra, and having my arm covered in giant
black scorpions. I was riding a motorbike through Vietnamese mountains and
taking pictures with endangered species. I was snorkeling in Thailand and
wandering through ancient temples. So, with all this in mind, my question is
this:
When did I become so damn 2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206008105072616134.post-17812848005707320802013-05-04T04:48:00.002-05:002013-05-04T04:48:34.868-05:00Happy Family: Pets and Apartments (Also, a shoutout for adoption)So, we're pretty much settled in. We have our TV and our bikes, but we can't really get some of the other things we would like, since our paycheck wasn't for a full month. Ah well.
Here are a few pics of the apartment.
Me, cooking the first meal in our kitchen that was apparently made for elves or something.
Handsome Ricky cleaning the windows. He even did the outside. We're 17 storeys up2 Feet Out the Doorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02579830965183937008noreply@blogger.com3