Whenever I am in the midst of spectacular natural beauty, I feel connected to nature and a higher power. Whether it be endless mountain peaks or a glowing sunset I know that I am blessed with a beautiful earth to spend my time on. There is no way that every rock formation and sandy beach around the world was just created by chance.

In the past, our trips have been short, week-long breaks from our home and jobs. The focus is usually on balancing relaxation with doing as many things as possible. To ensure that we relax enough and check everything off our list, we end up spending money to achieve those goals. We plan on changing that with this trip.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Taking a carry-on bag doesn’t even feel like a choice anymore, it feels like a requirement. I can’t imagine traveling with checked luggage for any length of trip. It’s more secure, economical, efficient and fun!

We have yet to settle down into a house, but our temporary home is our apartment in Chicago, Illinois. Even this home has changed three times in the past three years of living in the city. We have lived in three different neighborhoods and have loved each one for different reasons. The stuff we bring with us is basically the same, but the scenery is a bit different.

For some of us, food isn’t just a part of our travels, it’s the reason why we travel. Whether you travel the globe to try new foods and use food to form a deeper connection with the culture or just eat to live, food plays a big part in the travel experience. Share a food-related story from your travels or describe your best meal.

We climbed down a muddy hill into a rush of water that seemed to go on forever, surrounded by beautiful greenery and serenity. There were only 4 other people in these natural hot springs so we climbed up some rocks until we found our own area and there we sat. We felt the water rush over us and watched it swirl around the rocks and down to the next level. We listened to the birds and the wind through the trees.