Manali and Terry just recently returned from eighteen months of extended travel, visiting 27 countries and have now settled in Boston, MA trading their backpacks to briefcases once again! You can check out their website at or follow them on twitter .

Content, relaxed yet energized! We would definitely also add the word appreciative to how we describe ourselves. We appreciate that we took the time off to explore the world and yet we appreciate even more the opportunities that we have back home compared to some of the places we visited. We are so glad that we were able to take the leap and take full advantage of an extended career break, leave all our worries behind and be a part of this strong traveler community!

Our favorite part was meeting new people, experiencing new cultures and just being able to relax with no set deadlines or specific things to do. We learned so much about being able to be adjust to unknown surroundings quickly and be comfortable among strangers. We met some amazing and inspirational people in every country we visited and have been trying to keep in touch!

As soon as we landed stateside, we were glad to be home but definitely noticed the in your face marketing, large billboards and loud ads on the tv as soon as we had two feet on the ground for busy Christmas shopping season. Although people were still friendly, everyone was in a rush to cross items off the list with their to go food and coffee, scurrying to their next destination. We are going to try very hard not to fall back into the checklist mentality and enjoy every moment of every precious day!

When our travels were nearing the end, we were really tempted to continue to live abroad and begin a new adventure as expats in a foreign country. We attempted to find corporate jobs abroad but nothing really caught our attention, so we focused efforts back home in the States, keeping our options completely open to all 50 states. Eventually, wonderful opportunities arose in Boston, MA. After moving a day before a massive blizzard hit the area in January, we are still awaiting the warm weather everyone has promised will come soon!

Before we left and during our travels, we were worried that we wont be able to go back to a normal corporate desk jobs again, so we really tried to list out qualities that were important to us before we jumped back into the real world. During our job search, we looked for opportunities that allowed us to make an impact at work, schedules that were flexible and had great cohesive team environments. Although there is no perfect job, we are happy with our current situations, have shared many of our travel experiences with intrigued coworkers and hope they catch the travel bug soon! Our career break also taught us that there is definitely life outside the cubicle and we may even change our career paths in the future to incorporate some extended travel, whether it may be helping other people plan, hosting travelers or even retiring on a small remote island!

We are expecting a little baby backpacker this October! We definitely will be taking international trips as soon as we feel ready, especially since we have family abroad. Were hoping our kids are curious and interested in traveling early weve been inspired by many families that travel long term and plan to take a year off again sometime in the future!

We would highly recommend long-term travel to anyone! There isnt a day that goes by that we arent reminded of the fantastic places and people we encountered. We hope that we will cherish those memories forever as a couple and inspire future travelers.

People always say that we are lucky but honestly, luck has nothing to do with it! Once you take the first step, you will have wonderful experiences at your fingertips the world awaits!

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