26 flights, 62 bus rides and 17 train rides later we arrived safely back in the USA after an easy 11-hour flight from Rome to Atlanta then a final flight to Colorado. Landing in DIA was surreal while asking each other if we were dreaming. It is emotional to know we fulfilled a dream and goal of ours and to then experience its end. Truthfully, it is a pretty amazing feeling.

Back home in Colorado

You are probably thinking ‘How will I survive without a bi-weekly travel adventure blog post from the Strand’s??’  Well, readers, we are thinking about you and about the withdrawals we will both experience.  How are we going to survive?

Rest assured we have enough material of additional stories to tell, travel tips to share and even a self-interview of the journey.  Blog posts will continue probably until the end of the year and then the writers and readers might need to go cold turkey and part ways.  Or maybe not…..the Strand’s adventures will always continue and we may just keep telling our story!!

With feelings of homesickness mixed with fear and uncertainty the final week was a roller coaster of emotions.  Even though our daily travel life was consistently uncertain not knowing what country to visit next or where to sleep that night, the one thing certain thing was we were on the road.  Being on the road gives a type of freedom many are not accustomed to with no worries of bills, car issues, work drama, etc.  There are many other stresses just different ones.  Coming home is a much larger change then our ever-changing daily travel life.  Homesick days were of course sprinkled throughout our travels, usually after a long travel day or if one of us was sick or covered in bites of some sort!  On those days we dreamt of routine days, daily comforts and familiar environments.  Now being home, those feelings have faded away because we know the grand adventure is at a close.  Nervous for the continual mixture of emotions to come and the reverse culture shock as they call it but ready to embrace it all as well.

Friends and family that know us well know this was a dream since we met nearly 10 years ago then turned into a goal 5 years before we left with planning, budgeting, and saving.  The emotional support and excitement we received from everyone during this time was amazing and now we are ready with open hearts for the next chapter in our beautiful life.  We have created a lifetime of memories in a year.  We thank you for letting us share them with you and following our journey!

Blog posts to come to keep you in anticipation…..

• Random Funnies
• Travel Tips
• Love Birds
• The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
• The Tale of the Traveling Brooks
• Overview of each country and continent
• Self Interview of the Journey
• The Bests and Our Favorites
• Massages/Hot Springs Overview
• Gap Year
• Reverse Culture Shock
• Why Travel