Creativity For Sale

Danielle has started an awesome fundraiser for our trip on her online store:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dannyliz.

She is selling postcards, miniature art, and t-shirts, with all the money from sales going towards our trip. There is also a place on her website to donate to us if you're feeling extra charitable :)

More Flight Finalizations

The downside of booking flights so far in advance is the inevitable shuffling and canceling of routes, and because a lot of our flight carriers are not based in the U.S., contacting them to reschedule can be a bit of a hassle. So far it hasn't been too bad, but it might prove more challenging when we're on the road with no phone...

We had to change our flight from Honolulu to Seoul, so now we have an overnight layover there instead of just an 8 hour day trip, and we had to change our flights from Kolkata to Mumbai, so unfortunately we won't have time to leave the airport in Kolkata now.

We also booked the final major flight segment from Africa to Europe. It's taken a month or two to get this done, because Yemenia had the cheapest flights but the WORST customer service. Emails went unanswered, or poorly answered, or answered in English mixed with a language I don't know, and there was no way to buy some advertised routes through their online booking service. Plus they required the passport numbers and expiration dates of all passengers, and Danielle's needed to be renewed. Finally I figured out it was easier to book through Expedia, which didn't charge a booking fee. The flight we picked goes from Nairobi to Sanaa (I doubt we'll leave the airport) to Rome to Frankfurt. We'll probably get off in Rome and volunteer on an organic farm for a month, and find a different way to Germany, but this way we have the option of going straight to Frankfurt if we want to.

So here's the updated itinerary:

Mon, Jan 17, 2011
Depart Denver at 1:05 pm and arrive in Honolulu at 8:35 pm (after a quick layover in L.A.)

Tues, Jan 18, 2011
Depart Honolulu at 9:05 am and arrive in Kona at 9:45 am

Thur, Jan 27, 2011
Depart Kona at 6:10 pm and arrive in Honolulu at 6:50 pm

Sun Feb 6, 2011
Depart Honolulu at 1:30 pm and arrive in Seoul at 7:20 pm on Monday, Feb 7

Tues Feb 8, 2011
Depart Seoul at 5:25 pm and arrive in Bangkok at 9:10 pm

Tues Mar 15, 2011
Depart Bangkok at 09:20 am and arrive in Mumbai sometime that afternoon after a short layover in Kolkata

Tues Mar 29, 2011
Depart Mumbai at 4:10 am and arrive in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania at 6:40 pm after a day-long layover in Nairobi

Mon Jun 13, 2011
Depart Nairobi at 4:30 pm and arrive in Rome at 4:00 am Tues, Jun 14. Possibly connect to Frankfurt at 5:00 am, arriving at 6:50 am.

Total cost so far: $2224.70 each

The Ultimate Sacrifice

I finally did it. I sold my beloved motorcycle, Trogdor, to raise money for the trip. So many good memories - going on long rides to see the fall foliage in Michigan, zipping through traffic on the highway, one last late-night ride under a clear sky on Monday before turning the keys over to the new owner. I had to turn away to keep my emotions in check as I listened to the engine's smooth purr fade into the distance. But I'm a few thousand dollars closer to supporting myself for a year on the road, and I know it'll all be worth it come January. Til we meet again, Troggy.