Betsy and Warren Talbot are the enterprising couple behind the inspiring travel blog Married With Luggage. Five months ago, they set off around the world from their home base in Seattle, and their first few months have been spent in South America. They can currently be found in the Antarctic Circle, enjoying a whole new world. With at least two and a half more years of travel waiting for them, they are still loving life on the road!
Where are you today? How much longer will you be there?
We are currently just south of the Antarctic Circle enjoying our first taste of icebergs, seals, whales, and the beauty that this part of the world has to offer. We will be here for 2 weeks before heading back to South America and tasting our way north with Argentinean and Chilean wines.
Betsy and Warren Talbot
You have spent 5 months traveling so far. What was one thing that you never expected to happen that happened to you?
We spent over 2 years planning every detail of the launch of our trip, but the one thing we neglected to foresee was an attempted overthrow of the government of Ecuador one day before we arrived. It made our departure a little bit more exciting than we expected, but it taught us a valuable lesson about being flexible.
What is one thing that you thought would happen that hasn’t?
We thought the 24/7 nature of our trip would have a negative impact on our relationship (negative meaning huge fights and insults about each other’s habits, beliefs, and even ancestry). While we have had our fair share of disagreements, we have been pleasantly surprised by how well we’ve adapted to this new lifestyle and how much it has deepened our bond.
How has advice from your blog readers helped to shape your journey so far?
We love hearing from our readers about their favorite destinations and advice on what we should do next. In fact, we’ve put together a map on our blog with all these suggestions and we use it to plan our next stop itinerary.
When are you planning on traveling to Africa, and what are you looking forward to doing there?
We don’t know when we’ll make it to Africa because we only plan one destination at a time, but when we do get there we are looking forward to an overland trip recommended by a fellow traveler as well as a volunteer stint at MonkeyLand in South Africa, which we discovered through Career Break Secrets. We are really excited to know of sites like Travelwires.com because we plan on spending many months exploring the wonders of Africa.
Would you ever consider being sponsored travelers? How would that change your blog?
We would be open to being sponsored travelers, but not if that meant changing who we are on the blog. We started our blog by providing a transparent view into a 40 year old couple looking to change their lives and chase their dream.
How far ahead have you planned for your trip?
One of the reasons for taking this trip was to help us learn to live in the moment. As a result, we plan only 1 location in advance for the majority of our trip. Of course, there are the big opportunities that arise that require a bit more planning, but generally we never plan more than 1 week in advance.
Blogger Maria Walters
Maria Walters is a freelance writer from Portland, Oregon, USA, who has lived abroad for over a year and still hasn't seen enough of the world. While she's not traveling, she enjoys interviewing other travelers and hearing about their adventures!
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Thank you for profiling our story on the blog. We are having an amazing time on this trip as each day we are discovering new experiences as well as new things about ourselves. We don’t know what each day will hold which adds to the excitement.
We look forward to seeing as much of Africa as possible as we know there is more to see than is possible in any lifetime.
It’s only my pleasure Warren, on your trip to Africa, don’t forget to include South Africa…there is just so much to be discovered.