About Us
Wait SCRATCH that – that isn’t how it happened at all! That’s from The Great Gatsby. Here’s what really happened, and it was a lot less magical…
Highschool…
Let’s rewind back to September, 2004, suburbia USA, a small, dilapidated high school (they built us a new one the following year) – the library. At this point, both immersed in our course work, Vicky in Holocaust studies, Dave in AP Physics our paths crossed (they had to, the library was tiny). But fate (or was it the lack of chairs?) brought us together and from then on we were inseparable (if you exclude the 4 year relationship-hiatus during college).
The travel bug was always there. Born in Russia and partially raised in Australia, Vicky is a travel fanatic. Dave, not born in Russia nor partially raised in Australia…also likes to travel. In 2006 we were off to Italy on our first unchaperoned cross-Atlantic adventure. The trip started off rocky with Dave leaving our credit card at home and ended just as rocky where Dave, again, left his carry on bag (loaded with his glasses, camera, and CD player) on top of the airport bound car – never to be recovered. However, when all was said and done, we had a magnificent trip filled with delicious pizza, eccentric people, and jaw breaking sites (but no gondola rides – Dave wouldn’t splurge for that). Following this trip, two things were discovered:
Dave cannot be trusted with our belongings
We are compatible travel companions
College…
With only a river between us, we stayed close friends in college. Vicky studied business management at Boston University and Dave studied Applied Math at Harvard. Each learned languages and studied abroad (Vicky to Spain and Dave to Russia). After graduating Dave got a job as a Business Analyst in DC and Vicky as an accountant. Yawn. On to the travel.
Our first paid vacation was to Greece. 8 full days and $4k later, we realized this was not a desirable (or efficient) way to travel. We wanted more time and we wanted it to be continuous. Thus, after only two years in the working world we decided to escape from cubicle corporate America. A two year backpacking trip across Asia and Europe seemed like a fair trade. Thus, since the fall of 2011 Vicky has been dissecting travel routes, exploring photography and delving into ethnic cooking. During this time Dave’s been wired to the computer (actually that’s always been the case), learning website design, film editing, and budgeting for the trip. Finally we’re ready to unveil the results of our hard work in the form of this blog.
The Website…
We knew from the beginning that we wanted to document our adventures and experiences with anyone interested in reading. However, if we stopped there we’d be selling us, and you, short. We want to make this more than just a travel blog rather a travel resource. A place where you can go for your travel needs. A place where you can see us get lost, over pay for cabs, and make the mistakes, so you don’t have to. All the while, we’ll be clearly explaining the full logistics around our excursions/accommodations/insert travel topic here. Hopefully by doing so we’ll inspire a few other travelers to hit the road!
Origins: Born in Moscow, Russia moved to Australia at 4 years old and USA at 9 years old.
Languages: English, Russian, Spanish
Favorite Hobby: Live to cook! Check out my recipes at my food blog.
Interesting Fact: At a volunteering event in DC met a start up caterer and eventually became partner in the company.
Countries Traveled to: 21
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| Ireland | Jordan | Portugal | Italy | Vatican City | USA | Canada | Czech Rep. | Israel | Mexico | Ukraine |
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| Netherlands | England | Russia | Spain | France | Australia | New Zealand | Turkey | Bahamas | Greece |
Origins: Born in Ashland, Massachusetts
Languages: English, Russian, (poor) French
Favorite Hobby: Computer gaming
Interesting Fact: Performed stand up comedy at a club in DC.
Countries Traveled to:16
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| Bahamas | Denmark | Sweden | Italy | Netherlands | USA | Russia | Spain | Turkey | Greece | Puerto Rico |
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| Canada | Aruba | Vatican City | Mexico | Israel |
Individual Bucket Lists (37)
| Dave’s Bucket List |
Date Accomplished
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Vicky’s Bucket List
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Date Accomplished
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| Participate in a protest that I really believe in | Learn one authentic, ethnic recipe from a local in each country we visit | ||
| Run with the bulls in Pamplona | Straddle the Equator | ||
| Base jumping at Park Inn Hotel in Berlin | Learn HDR photography | ||
| Eat an insect in South East Asia | 12/12 -Worm Paddies in Vietnam | Have a small farm or fruit/vegetable garden at least | |
| Visit all 7 wonders of the ancient world | WOOF during our travels | ||
| Visit all 7 wonders of the modern world | Learn to sail | ||
| Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro | Learn to fly a plane | ||
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| Explore the Amazon | Spend a week in a desert | ||
| 09/2011 – Topaz Lounge DC | Spend a week in a jungle | ||
| Visit all seven continents | Visit USA’s top National Parks | ||
| Go to Galapagos and see the turtles hatch | See Stonehenge | ||
| Visit concentration camps – Dachau, Auschwitz | Master landscape and portrait photography | ||
| Stay at a haunted hotel | Learn to meditate | ||
| Appear on television | Learn how to make pho | ||
| Road trip through America | 11/2012 | ||
| Travel to outer space or at least anti gravity | 9/2012 Note: We made the decision to eat Sushi at a local restaurant recommended by our CS hosts who said it was just as good and half the price! | ||
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| See an opera in Italy | Go to Antarctica | ||
| Write and publish a book in print | Speak at a travel conference | ||
| Meditate in India | Have travel blog be featured in renowned travel magazines and websites | ||
| 11/2012 – Yangshuo Eng School In China | Reach 10,000 RSS subscribers on this travel blog | ||
| 10/2012 – With CS host and friends in Seoul | Learn to speak 5 languages (at 3 now) | ||
| Snorkeling in great barrier reef | See the Taj Mahal | ||
| Learn to tango in Buenos Aires | Volunteer at an animal sanctuary | ||
| See the Northern lights | Visit all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites | ||
| Be in a movie | Learn how to play the guitar | ||
| Cage dive with sharks | Take cooking classes in every country we visit | ||
| Attend a foreign wedding (tribal?) | Learn how to kite surf | ||
| Watch a space shuttle launch in person | Visit all the countries in the world | ||
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| Solve a Rubiks cube | Water ski | ||
| Make a Youtube video that gets over 10,000 views | Write a cookbook | ||
| Do a polar bear swim | Have a cooking show on TV | ||
| Run a marathon | Give a cooking class | ||
| 06/2008 | Learn how to make sushi | ||
| Give a Ted Talk | Visit Burma | ||
| Go to the Sahara | Find treasure in the ocean | ||
| Ride the trans Siberian railway | Bike across America | ||
| Visit Easter Island | Learn to scuba dive | ||
Mutual Bucket List (23)
| Dave’s Bucket List |
Date Accomplished
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Vicky’s Bucket List
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Date Accomplished
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| Skydiving | 6/4/2009 (New Zealand) | ||
| Climb Everest Base Camp | Climb Everest Base Camp | ||
| Go on an African safari | Go on an African safari | ||
| Go to a world cup match finals | Go to a world cup match finals | ||
| Go to the Olympics | Go to the Olympics | ||
| Learn to surf | Learn to surf | ||
| Take a vow of silence for at least 5 days | Take a vow of silence for at least 5 days | ||
| Swim with dolphins | Swim with dolphins | ||
| Own my own business | Own my own business | ||
| Ride a hot air balloon in Cappadocia, Turkey | Ride a hot air balloon in Cappadocia, Turkey | ||
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| Bungee jumping | 6/3/2009 (New Zealand) | ||
| Go hang gliding | Go hang gliding | ||
| Snowboard in the alps | Ski in Europe | ||
