Thursday, July 4, 2013

My Travel Inspiration Blogroll

This blog might slow down for a bit as Andy and I scramble to finish up everything we need to do around here and to tie up some loose ends. So just to give you some interesting reading material, I thought I would share some of the blogs that I like to read! Hopefully they will inspire you, or at least give you an idea of where a lot of my travel inspiration comes from.



LandingStanding.comI list this blog first because I've been following it the longest and most consistently. This is a blog written by a young married couple who decided to quit their jobs and take a year off to travel the world! I've been following them since 2011 through a lot of their planning stages as well as their travels around South America, Europe, Asia, and finally Australia. They have since returned to the states and are working to become location-independent. I love their philosophy on life, which is very common among backpackers: to live the life you want now, knowing that your time is finite.

(Fun fact: I discovered this blog while doing research for our insane 6-day Orlando theme park trip back in February 2012. They had some great tips on how to dominate Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, so if you're planning on heading that way, check them out!)


JackandJilltravel.com – Another blog about a young married couple, except that this one is primarily written by Jill. I love Jill's writing and sense of humor and if we were to meet in real life, I think we would get along just fine! She has been all over the place (I haven't read half of what her site has to offer), but I like that she can take even the most mundane things and make them interesting just by the way she writes.



Jasminewanders.com – She shares my name, my age, and my passion! When Jasmine first started her travels, the first place she went to was New Zealand on a working holiday. She has been all over the world since then and has now transitioned from nomad to expat, writing about life in Colombia.

One of her posts that got me thinking was: Who's In Control: You Or Your Possessions?



TheRoadForks.com – This blog is written by a married couple who traveled the world for 3+ years! They've been everywhere, including New Zealand, and their tips and insight have been very helpful. They recently had a baby so their blog has slowed down quite a bit, but there are still a lot of interesting reads to be found.
 


YoungAdventuress.com – Written by a, well, young adventuress! She is very open and honest on her blog and is quite the risk-taker. Another blogger who encourages her readers to live without regrets. She has been to a ton of different countries, but her next venture will be a year in New Zealand! With a shared interest in Lord of the Rings, I am really looking forward to following her adventures in “Middle Earth.”



Manvsdebt.com - Not really a “travel blog” per say, but I did discover this blog through the author's travels in New Zealand. Originally started by Baker, it followed his adventures with his wife and young daughter as they uprooted their lives to work in Australia. They ended up traveling around NZ and a bit of Thailand as well. What I love about this blog is that Baker makes his readers question the American Dream and the life path that we all find ourselves on (which he eventually made a documentary about). Alternatively, he encourages them to follow their own dreams, which may not include the house in the suburbs, the white picket fence, and the two brand-new cars. He writes a lot about living with a minimalist mindset (getting rid of your “stuff”) and expresses that we don't need as much as we think we do: as humans, we adapt to whatever living area we put ourselves in, whether that be a backpack, an rv, or a mansion. What I admire about him and his family is that they have the means to live more extravagantly, but even with a child, they choose to live in a one-bedroom apartment and own one car. He also mentions Dave Ramsey quite a bit, which Andy and I can relate to as we took the Financial Peace class together at our church. I could go on and on about this blog... There is a lot of great material here. Here are just a few articles that I found interesting:
            Renting: The New American Dream


So there you have it. If you find yourself looking for something to read, look no further!

I think what I love most about these blogs is that they push and motivate you to think outside the box and live an unconventional life. That could look like anything, depending on the individual. But the common theme is: stop making excuses and make it happen! Great stuff...

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