Trip Overview

Our family will be taking a one year trip around the world starting in July, 2013.  We are so excited to share the adventure of international travel with our two children.  At this point, we are planning to visit:

• England
• Scotland
• Ireland
• Baltic cruise out of Copenhagen with stops in Warnemuende, Germany; Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden
• Germany
• Poland
• Italy
• Croatia
• Turkey
• Jordan
• Singapore
• Indonesia
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Chile
• Argentina
• Ecuador
• Peru

We originally envisioned picking four spots around the globe to serve as our base, and we would do short trips from there.  However, with a year to fill, and so much to see, we expanded our list a bit!  We’ll probably be on the go more in the beginning, and will be a bit more settled towards the end, when we will be ready for more extended down time.

How did we decide on when to go?  Well, in June 2013 Bill will be retiring from the Coast Guard after 21 years, joining Anita in the retired ranks (retired in 2007).  Caroline will have just finished 5th grade (the end of Elementary School), and Daniel will be at the stage where he could start kindergarten, or could wait another year.  This seems like the perfect time to take a break from the ordinary and experience life abroad.

We will move out of our rental home in California, putting our household goods in storage for a year until we return and settle in Michigan.