6 Months, 2 Newlyweds, 1 RV

Ok, now that we have actually started handing out the wedding invites, with this address in them, we better explain what we are doing next year. As we are being asked by people and just assume they know...
SO...

When/Where are you going?
Next year, after the wedding (leaving on the 21st March, getting back on the 13th Sep) we are going to America and Canada for an extended honeymoon.

What will you do over there?
We arrive, pick up the RV, and drive for the next 4 3/4 months.  We drop the RV off on the 13th August, and fly to Seattle, from where we will be taking part in a 4 week tour through upper Canada and Alaska.
 While we are over there, we want to see as much as we can, and go everywhere we can.  We have not real set plan, apart from trying to avoid the cold, thereby starting by driving from LA to Florida.

What are you doing with your house/pets?
We are getting professional house sitters in for the time we are away, to look after the house and the pets.  They are reliable, and the deal is stay in our house for free (apart from paying the phone/electricity) and we get someone to look after our pets and deter would be robbers from an empty house.  They came through a company, and we have checked references, and met with them face to face.

How can you afford this trip, with a mortgage?
We have been saving for this trip for ages, to the point were we are working two jobs (day job and night fill), which we started when my tutoring stopped due to school holidays.  We have learned to live on a budget, and have stuck to the budget for the most part.

Wouldn't the money be better spent on renovating your home/saving/buying an investment property?
Well, maybe, but this is something we want to do.  If we don't do it now, who knows when we may be able to do it.  We want to have kids, and a trip like this is not something we would do with them.


How can we contact you while you are in America?
We will have our phones over in America, but with an American sim card, so best way to contact us, if required, would be to email nicol.family@hotmail.com, or comment on the blog.

Why do you have a blog/What is a blog?
A blog is kind of like an online diary.  We can update with pictures and stories about what we are doing, and people can read it when and if they choose.  This is to avoid the long emails with many pictures attached that can clog up email accounts.  Also, when we get back, we can have the blog printed so we have a written account of our trip, without us having to write it all down again.

I think that is the main questions we have been asked, if anyone has any, feel free to comment and we will answer them.

On another note, when we went to buy pet food for Woody (our dog - basset hound) yesterday afternoon, the pet shop had mini dachshund puppies for sale. This is what we want to get, in a years time.  They had this cute lil black and dark brown one that I held, that we would of walked away with, except for the knowledge we are going away next year and feel bad enough about leaving the pets as it is.  The good news is the pet shop gets dachshund puppies in approx every 6 - 12 mths, and we can put our name down when we get back, and they will contact us when they get the next litter in.

Well, this has been a long post.  Will update again soon

Well, we now also have travel insurance.  After much looking around, reading page after page of fine print in policies, and examining prices, we decided to go with AAMI insurance. Their price was good, they have 24/7 contact, will pay unlimited medical bills, will organise with a hospital the payment of bills and have rental car excess.  The only thing they didn't cover that we were looking at is pregnancy (not that we are planning on falling pregnant over there), but that was just a caution more so than a need to be. 
We are just waiting now for the dollar to rise a LITTLE BIT more...and then the money will be changed over and the RV paid off :)
117 days left till we go...
102 days left till we get married...
51 days of work left for me...

AND CHRISTMAS IS COMING :) also Kades birthday...

WE HAVE VISAS! Our trip down to Sydney was successful. We got up early to fly down, had a nice breakfast on the flight, but it was simply take off, serve food, pack up food and land. Once in Sydney we went to do the budget thing, catch the train to the city, but it turned out two train fares was more expensive than a taxi to the hotel. So we got a taxi. It was to early to check in so we went for a wander...unfortunately it kept raining on and off. We did see the mandatory sights - the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House.


We wasted time until we had to head back to the airport, and caught our flight home.

America here we come!

1st November, 140 days until we leave, 125 days until we get married. Plans are going good, Kade got his passport with minimum effort, we have applied for our visas and and have our interview on the 9th November down in Sydney, house sitters have been arranged, deposit paid for the Trek America Alaska trip, flights are booked, Comic Con tickets booked...
Once we make sure our visas are approved (B1/B2 year long multiple entry visa) we will then start to change money over, as the rates are pretty good and were sick of worrying and checking 20 times a day the exchange rate. Rather book it in now and pay for the RV then wait, maybe save ourselves a few hundred dollars, or have the rate fall and not be able to go.
We will also book our Disney World stay once the visas are approved, and get travel insurance (which costs a fortune!).
On another note, wedding plans are coming along good, we have most things sorted, working on the guest list and invites to have them out by Christmas. Once the new year comes Kate only has 6 weeks left of work, Kade has 8...times a flying...