Despite all the technology, web sites and apps associated with trip planning, sometimes a big wall-sized map of the world, a box of thumb tacks and colored string are the best tools to plan out a trip of this magnitude. We’ve had a blast pinning, re-pinning and winding lots and lots of colored string – especially after a dog grabs a dangling bit of yarn and pulls 18,000 miles of route out of the wall – to visualize our pathway. Switching to holiday ribbon, we are pinning much less as we are T-75 days to departure, and the route is taking form.
We named our trip Project Equator in part because as we began pinning favorite places, they all seemed to hover around the equator line. Alas, this is not an absolute rule where we may not veer more than 10° north or south of the equator or face abject failure of our mission. You’ll notice wanderings as far north as 45°N in Florence Italy, and just south of the Tropic of Cancer at 27°S in Easter Island, Chile. Maybe it’s our settlement in the upper-left corner of the continental United States, where our vitamin-D starved bodies crave sunnier spots, or maybe there is some centering line we’re in search of as we hop scotch across the Earth. Whatever the reason, the places closest to the equator have always had a special pull for us.
So, without further ado, here’s the route as a stands today. This table gives you a rough idea as to where and when we will be located, based on when we arrive. Many of the country visits bleed from one month to the next, and in a few cases, we’re wandering near or around the destination, but you’ll get the gist:
| MONTH | PLACE | WHY |
| September | Florence, ITALY | Food, of course… Oh yeah, the art is supposed to be cool as well… |
| Oia, Santorini, GREECE | If you’ve been, there’s no reason to ask why… | |
| October | Athens, GREECE | Hang out of the Gods and see where the seeds of democracy were sewn |
| Pitsidia, Crete, GREECE | Never been to Crete, and wanted a small town experience | |
| Barcelona, SPAIN | Architecture, culture, food, beaches… why NOT Barcelona! | |
| November | Seville, SPAIN | Great old-world European city that you can easily walk around |
| Lisbon, PORTUGAL | So close, and we need to fly from there to get to Marrakesh | |
| Marrakesh, MOROCCO | Ancient trade route, exotic markets, warm people | |
| December | Zanzibar, TANZANIA | Pure white sand, aqua blue ocean and a whole Island to leisurely explore |
| January | Arusha, TANZANIA | In search of the Big 5 and join in the great migration |
| Bagamoyo, TANZANIA | Building a library for Baobab House, volunteering in an orphanage and school, and helping women entrepreneurs | |
| February | Hanoi, VIETNAM | Returning home, visiting our friends at Dong Ahn Orphanage |
| Hue, VIETNAM | A Unesco World Heritage Site harkening back to Imperial Vietnam | |
| Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM | Besides having one of the best foot massage bars, we want to feel the pulse of Vietnam | |
| Bagan, MYANMAR | Because we can! Burma has called on us for a long time, and now it’s accessible! | |
| March | Koh Phi Phi, THAILAND | We’re so close… a couple of weeks of slowing the heart rate down and soaking in Thai island life |
| Yangshuo, CHINA | Besides staying with “Sam’s” family in their house, it’s the region of China Yve is from and we want to hang out for a while | |
| April | Beijing, CHINA | Great Wall, Bird’s Nest, Water Cube… Cliff’s 50th! |
| Shanghai, CHINA | Understand, learn and absorb modern China and the engine driving her growth | |
| May-June | Bali, INDONESIA | Full cultural immersion in the arts and one of the most spiritual places on earth |
| July | Cairnes, AUSTRALIA | Experience the Great Barrier Reef and Northeastern Australia’s amazing national parks |
| Tahiti, FRENCH POLYNESIA | It’s on the way to Easter Island, so how could we NOT stop? | |
| Easter Island, CHILE | Unravel the mystery surrounding what happened to this civilization | |
| August | Santiago, CHILE | Experience a South American metropolis |
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