What safety precautions do you take to stay safe in an unknown place?
We frequent the U.S. Department of Defense website to check their recommendations for Americans and information about countries. We stay apprised of global news via BBC, CNN, and NPR, and surprisingly sometimes Facebook gets us information to further investigate faster than the networks. Regarding our personal safety, we are vigilant to lock the door, we attempt to avoid unexpected crowds of rowdy people (we have not always been successful), and we take the same street savvy precautions we take in the U.S. The irony is, our personal experiences have shown the U.S. to be less safe than the places we’ve traveled. Our biggest safety concern is the reality of driving in another country. Aaron is our pilot but it takes both of us to navigate and communicate about obstacles and directions. We have learned to adopt cultural nuances while driving that keep us safer such as knowing how different cultures use their car horns and how to handle the inevitable double parker. Another factor we look at re: safety is our insurance policy regarding health including evacuation. All that said, we have done some pretty adventures things and like other risk-takers, we weigh what we know against the unknown before we leap.
Where do you get your drinking water?
Thus far, the water has been entirely potable throughout Europe. We have filled Charlie with local water everywhere (including Morocco and Turkey) to use for hand washing, cooking, and dishes. The trick to knowing whether water is potable or not is to ask a local. Some places we don’t care for the taste of the water and buy large jugs to fill our water bottles.
What happens if you get hurt or sick?
We take care of each other and use doctors or a hospital if necessary. We also carry comprehensive travel health insurance through World Nomads. Tammy experienced a Nepalese hospital in the 1980s and we both walked into a private hospital in Bangkok in the ‘90s, but beyond that, we haven’t had need for care beyond an apothecary/drugstore. We had our teeth cleaned by a dentist recommended by our expat friend in Turkey: our experience went well and was affordable (about $30 each).
How do you balance work and play?
We’re still working on that. Generally, this new lifestyle enables us both to eat, sleep, and play when and where we want. We traveled without working for the first eight months, and we’ve only had three months to work out the balance of working on the road and together while trying to continue our journey. We’ve started to find a couple of effective working grooves – so far it’s working pretty well!
What do you eat to stay healthy?
We eat just about anything; however, we love good food and drink, and the world is full of good food and drink! Aaron is an excellent home chef who concentrates on good-for-you food that doesn’t sacrifice flavor for health. He’s also the king of salads and we eat his creative concoctions most nights. Luckily in Europe, there are lots of weekly markets for fresh fruit and vegetables. We also like not-so-good-for-you foods and drink such as cheese and red meat and beer and wine but believe moderation is where the balance is found.
How do you keep up a work out schedule?
As a runner, Aaron decided to forego his formal running pattern in exchange for the massive amounts of walking, hiking, and biking we’d be doing traveling. Keeping a work out schedule seems possible if you’re okay with the frequent laundry and showering. We haven’t had any problem getting exercise as we traipse around attractions, wander aimlessly through towns, and venture further on our bikes.
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