This will be an Epic road trip...
After a lot of questioning, pondering, praying and considering – weighing pros and cons, likes and dislikes, passions, interests and values – we were able to prioritize what was important to us about life and decide how we wanted to spend the next several years…
Check out our itinerary.It includes plans for sailing the South Pacific, road-tripping through Europe and other such adventures.
Read the travelogue.
But it all begins here. In Alaska.
It won’t end. I don’t think it could.
However, a monumental milestone we plan to reach in a couple of years will be El Fin del Mundo, The End of the World – Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
A Two Continent Tour – With Five Kids?
- So much to explore
We considered moving to Hawaii…or maybe Colombia, Thailand?
All those places would be cool to live.
But we’ve discovered something about ourselves.
We don’t like just living. We love exploring, discovering.
We love the thrill of arriving in a new place, unearthing all that it has to offer, learning from it, creating new friendships, trying new foods, immersing ourselves in the culture – and then doing it all over again.
And again, and again, and again.
It’s the exhilaration of exploration, the intoxication of discovery, the pleasure of pioneering.
To travel slowly with inspiration as our guide – free from the confines of restraints on time and location.
- Live deep. Live deliberately.
To ‘live deliberately, live deeply and really suck the marrow out of life’. That’s what we want.
So we contemplated doing the ‘RV thing’ – wandering North America in our own mobile home.
There’s a lot to see.
But we really want to explore South America.
We’re fond of the people, the culture, the food. We want our kids to solidify the language.
Flying there is an option. But how do we explore the continent like we want?
Why not drive there?
Our first road trip from Utah to Costa Rica with four children gave us enough confidence to know we can do it, and enough experience to know how stinkin’ fun it will be!
How You Know It’s ‘Your’ Adventure
The seed was planted, the idea sprouted, and with it grew our excitement.
- This is our adventure!
Yes, why not experience the Monarch migration in Mexico, explore Mayan and Aztec ruins, investigate volcanoes in Guatemala, pick up surfing in El Salvador, examine wildlife in Costa Rica?
All other ideas, plans and designs slowly fade from our mind, until all that exists is this one all-consuming conjecture.
Teach English in Thailand? Yeah, that would be awesome.
But what about Machu Picchu? What about the Panama Canal?
The more we thought, the more we planned, the more destinations we added, the more we KNEW that this was our adventure.
It was no longer a matter of IF we would do this trip, but only WHEN.
OOOOOoohhhhh…. of course you know we LOVE IT!!! What a great adventure! You’re going to have a blast, the kids are going to learn a ton and it’s going to be ahhhhhmazing!! Rock on Dennings!!
Jenn Miller recently posted..Continental Shift
Thanks Jenn! I’m disappointed that we’ll miss meeting you in Guatemala though- perhaps somewhere in the Earth we’ll catch up one day
Oh, I got to get to know you guys better. My new family of personal heroes. Wait til I tell teh wife and kids tonight, we might have to follow you.
Fantastic! Can’t wait!
Justin Mussler recently posted..The Best Kid-Friendly Adventure Movies of all Time
Thanks Justin! I’ll be checking out your site.
This is great!!!!!!! So excited for you. Do you know when you’re takin off yet? Costa Rica is one of the top destinations we’re considering right now and I would love to drive there and explore on the way. I’m still workin on the husband with the driving thing so we’ll see.
Not sure if our goals and timing would ever line up but it would b so fun to caravan part of the way with you guys.
Anyway good luck with the planning. You guys are awesome!
Tentative departure date April 25. Caravaning would be tons of fun. Maybe we’ll see you in Seattle end of May/first of June?? if you’ll be there.
We should be back in Seattle by end of May:)
Heidi recently posted..Do What It Takes
That will be an epic adventure! My husband and I did a smaller version, just driving from our home in BC down to Guatemala and Belize, it was such a fantastic journey. I can’t wait to hear all about your trip!
Amy recently posted..Unschooling – What We’ve Learned So Far
Awesome Amy, I’d love to hear about that trip
How long will you be in BC? Maybe you’ll still be there when we come through???
Still waiting for the house to sell so we don’t know how long we will be here. But if we are still here when you guys are driving down we would love to host you!
Amy recently posted..Unschooling – What We’ve Learned So Far
YIPPEEE!!!! I can’t wait to follow along! Now if only you were doing it on bikes…
Nancy
http://www.familyonbikes.org
We’re still looking for that tandem seven seater bike – as soon as we find it…
How awesome! I dream almost everyday of driving through North and South America. I know it will happen one day soon…
I hope you guys have an awesome time.
Cheers,
Colin
Colin Burns recently posted..Photo Friday- Carnivals and Uncles
How’s your road trip going? Aren’t you traveling Australia right now?
dear Rachel and Greg how awesome this sounds a great adventure for you 7, I love it I will follow you through your blog we are planning to reach the Dominican driving from Canada I ll let you know.You are really awesome guys.
Thanks Sabrina!
SO exciting! What a great way for your kids to grow up – seeing and exploring the world.
Rebecca recently posted..Photo of the Week- Sunset kayaking in Port Moresby- Papua New Guinea
This is great. I was secretly hoping your next big adventure would involve New Zealand, but hey, you’ll just have to sail across when you get to the bottom of S. Am.!
Marie recently posted..I Love…
Sounds like a plan
I can identify with your feeling of the ongoing adventure. We had thought we might move to Ecuador, or Costa Rica. But now that we’ve travelled Canada and USA, and lived on the east coast for a couple of years (we’re BCers), we think we might just do the 3mths here, 6 mths there sort of deal, and migrate south as far as we desire. A catamaran is another idea in the wings.
Karen recently posted..Having Tea
The catamaran would be fun!
We just moved to Ajijic 3 weeks ago from Tulum where we lived for the last year. I was playing with my big yellow lab Kona when I recognized Greg’s truck parked 2 door down. I ran across his family’s trip online last week. Small world.
Awesome trip I will see if I can offer some help to find advertisers.
Don’t ever sacrfiice your dreams, stop making excuses and start living like Greg & Rachel.
Life’s a journey get out and see some of it.
Thanks Larry!
Greg told me about meeting you. He’s excited to talk with you more (as soon as I’m over this stomach bug
)
hi guys,
so intesting to read about you all. we are traveling the C. and S. Amrerica these days. where ar you currently. still staveling?
Kobi
Thanks Kobi,
We are currently in Lake Chapala, Mexico. Where are you?
Alaska to Argentina,that awesome! you inspired me ! i going to make a plan for a trip “Alemania to Japan”
Sweet!
Oh, I got to get to know you guys better. SO exciting! Do you know when you’re takin off yet?
Ladonna Todd recently posted..Arthritis Tips
Hi Greg and Rachel,
We love keeping track of you and the adventures. Your kids and blessed to have parents like you to show them the things of other cultures besides our stereo type life styles. We are enjoying the big snows of Anchor Point. Got charged by a moose while skiing the other day. Pretty exciting for a few minutes as I fell in the process of the charge. She changed her mind about me. Had bad breathe maybe, but actually God was watching and had plans for me yet. If I had been in the house not enjoying God’s wonderful creation I would not have had an exciting experience.
You guys take care and God Bless.
Ann and Don
Sweet! Sounds crazy
I wanna go for a trip too and I recently went to one last week which was a very short trip in comparison to yours but was a fun experience. I enjoyed the interview. What is holding me back is my studies for now and I would see if I can go for a trip when I finish my studies. Keep on posting about your great adventures. They are really inspirational!
rashmi recently posted..Mouth-watering Macau
Thanks Rashmi!