Traveler Tuesday – Kate of Our Escape Clause

Can traveling around the world full-time with your better half be fun? If you look at all the photos that the Storms take on their blog Our Escape Clause, it certainly looks like it! Kate stopped by to answer my Traveler Tuesday questions and share insight as to what it's like to travel around the world and then the world again!

Let’s meet Kate (and Jeremy)!

[1] When and how did you become a traveler?

That’s a hard question to answer, but we’d probably pick the date we left on our RTW trip: May 10, 2016.

Up until 2013, neither of us had ever left the USA. Starting in 2013, we visited The Bahamas, Paris, and Cozumel on quick trips, and then went on our first multi-country trip in the summer of 2015–for 2.5 weeks, we traveled through Poland, Hungary, Croatia, and Ireland.

After coming home from that trip, we knew for sure that short breaks weren’t going to be enough to quench our desire for travel, so we started planning a RTW trip and left the following spring.

That trip was supposed to last six months… and yet, almost two years later, we’re still on the road.

[2] What kind of traveler do you define yourself as?

Independent and laid back.

We don’t like to sign up for multi-day tours if we can avoid it, as after a day or so, having our schedule tightly controlled makes us itch.

When we’re in a destination, we like to go at a somewhat leisurely pace, sightseeing for a few hours a day, soaking up the culture for a couple more (think long meals and time spent in cafes and markets), and then the rest of our time at home.

That schedule is definitely influenced by the fact that we work on the road, but it’s also influenced by how long we have been traveling–the sightseeing-10-hours-a-day style of travel is fabulous when you have limited time, but it just isn’t compatible with long-term travel.

[3] What do you love most about traveling?

The thrill of learning new things.

Whether it’s trying out new foods, stumbling through a new language, or learning an interesting historical tidbit, we are always looking to learn on the road.

[4] What do you dislike about traveling?

Packing and unpacking.

For the first year or so it didn’t bother us at all, but we’re getting a little sick of it at this point!

[5] Why should people travel?

To learn more about the world around them, to experience new cultures and foods, to stand in awe of the natural beauty of the world, to feel more in touch with lands that are foreign to them, to observe the underlying similarities in all people, to force themselves outside of their comfort zone, to understand how small we all are, to relax, to be invigorated… there are endless reasons that people should travel. The possibilities are limitless.

[6] What famous person would you like to travel with?

Anyone fun to be around that has a private plane big enough to cross oceans! Always wondered what it would be like to fly privately on a long-haul flight…

[7] Travel essentials – 3 things you always travel with.

Our laptops, our cell phones, and our camera–can’t imagine ever being on the road without them!

[8] If you’re a foodie, what's your favorite food city? Do you have a restaurant recommendation?

We love Tuscan food, so perhaps Florence? Il Latini fed us an incredibly memorable meal there a couple of years ago, though we have a tendency to eat at home a lot in Tuscany–the markets full of fresh pasta, pesto, fruits, vegetables, cheese, and inexpensive local wine are impossible to resist.

We adore Italian food in general, and we’re headed to the legendary foodie region of Emilia-Romagna this spring, so we think that will probably end up being our favorite foodie destination of all time!

[9] What's one location on your bucket list?

Only one?!

Let’s see–Nepal is one that is very high on our list that we don’t think we’ll cross off for at least another couple of years, sadly.

[10] Do you have a piece of advice for bloggers starting out?

If you don’t love marketing, don’t plan on making money blogging–writing and photography are both important to blogging, of course, but they’re useless without a deep understanding of internet marketing and a willingness to work on that aspect of your blog day in and day out.

[11] What are three other blogs that inspire you?

Oh, there are so many!

Three that come to mind initially: Never Ending Footsteps for forging her own path in monetizing and growing her blog (and also for visiting incredibly cool places), Heart My Backpack for making me desperately want to visit Central Asia and the Middle East, and Alex in Wanderland for being a good example of a successful global travel blog that also specializes in a certain region (in her case, Thailand and surrounding countries in Southeast Asia).

Kate's Lightning Round of Favorites

Airport: Don’t have one!
Mode of Transportation: Trains.
City or Country: Italy. But that’s hard.
Travel Gear: Tripod–it’s the only way we’re able to get good photos of ourselves!
Travel snack: Cheez-its in airports, fruit, and cheese when in markets.
Book: Too hard. Most recently — The Yellow Envelope by Kim Dinan.
Movie: Yikes–no idea.
Song: Collide by Howie Day is “our song” from our high school prom if that counts!
Quote: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” — Samuel Beckett

Thanks Kate!

You can keep up with Kate on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and of course on her blog. Wherever you catch her, I am sure you will enjoy her travel adventures!

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