Time really does fly when you’re having fun. We can’t believe its already been two months since we waved goodbye to Sweden and all its comforts. Staying busy and not having a Monday-Friday, 9-5 sort of lifestyle does mix things up and the weeks and days seem a lot shorter right now compared to “our old life”. As cheesy as it may sound, this is our life now. There has of course been ups and downs, more so than in the hustle and bustle of our old 9-5 life maybe, but we have also gotten further planning our time ahead in these two months then we had before leaving.
We are perhaps slightly wiser, definitely a bit older and possibly a bit more tanned than on the 3rd of February as we were saying our goodbyes to Ebba’s parents at the airport. So what have been our highlights, the biggest issues and what are we doing from now on?
The highlights
Lets start with the good. Living on the road, traveling and doing something different definitely comes with some advantages. One of many positive aspects of this lifestyle is seeing the sunset and sunrise almost every day. Living close to lake Mälaren in Sweden we saw some pretty spectacular sunsets close to home too, but the luxury of deciding your own schedule gives a bit more room to catch the sunrise every night if you wish to. We have also been spoilt Spending a lot of time of the Pacific coast where the sunsets are amazing (almost) every day of the week.
Another positive is spending so much time outside. We spend a lot of time walking, swimming and even eating outside. Our lungs are thanking us everyday for breathing in the fresh stuff instead of being stuck inside a stuffy, dusty room.
Not only are we spending time watching sunsets and being outside, but we’re also spending a lot more time together than we did whilst living in Sweden. We are the sort of couple that enjoys having mutual friends and that don’t mind sharing interests and spending a lot of time together. But, this is something different. Spending 24/7 together is special and something we think all couples should try! If you don’t kill each other after a few months on the road, you’re most definitely a good match in our opinion
Not to be forgotten is the experience of visiting new places, getting to know new cultures and meeting new people. This is the main reason why we’ve chosen to travel and although its been said before: stepping out of your bubble and comfort zone is so rewarding. We might be a cliché, but honestly experiencing new things every day is making us both feel very alive!
We have a lot of new favourite places, there honestly haven’t been any places that we have disliked. Some of our top experiences, however, have been spending time in Flores, visiting Tikal, climbing Mt. Acatenango, walking around in the cloud forests in Santa Elena and Monteverde and visiting the Whale’s Tail in Uvita (the posts on Monteverde and Uvita are coming soon, we promise!).
The struggles
We have been lucky in a lot of aspects so far. The few issues we’ve encountered have been minor ones, but we can definitely learn from them. Despite the reputation of Guatemala, we only experienced one incident that could qualify for this category and it was a minor one. We basically paid for a more expensive bus ticket from a travel agent, but were given a cheaper one. Not a big issue in the end as we made the bus after a bit of a discussion with the staff.
In Costa Rica, we stayed in a hostel that felt a bit dodgy and unsafe where visitors (non guests) could come and go as they pleased and the volunteering staff did drugs at the premises in front of all guests. No big problems here either, just didn’t feel like the safest place to keep our belongings and head for a good night’s sleep..
Other than these two incidents we’ve mainly had two issues: Ebba’s health and finding time, space and tools to commit to our pre-season training. We’re not sure if its been food related, bad water or some bacteria but Ebba’s stomach hasn’t been the most reliable part of our posse, to say the least.. Resting, cooking our own food and drinking bottled water has drastically improved her immune system though. In between stomach problems, switching locations quite often and not having much space in our bags for extra equipment – exercising and keeping to a fitness routine has been tricky. We’ve made it work most weeks, but we could definitely have done better. Thankfully we’ve got a few more months until the ski season starts so we’ve got some space and time for improvements.
Our future plans
Right now, we are spending a few days in San José, Costa Rica’s capital. As we have already announced we will be going to New Zealand for a Working Holiday, arriving at the end of April. But before then we will be spending three weeks in Australia, mainly in and around Sydney, seeing some sights, passing time at the beach and spending some quality time with friends.
In New Zealand, we will purchase a van to travel around in. We’ve got one “reserved” (her name is Rosie!) that we hopefully will be able to buy during the first few days in the country. After that we’re hoping to catch our friends Emma and Gareth in Rotorua before heading to National Park Village, where we will be based for a few months. National Park is where we met, a small village right next to Tongariro National Park. Have google if you’d like and feel free to come for a visit if you can! We will be based here until October.
After October, the plan is to travel around in our van exploring both the North and South Islands.
We are also planning on keeping up the blog and will try to update more often than we have done so far. So, please comment below or let us know the following: What do you like to read about? What can we improve? Please let us know! ❤️
