Would You Like To Do This Too?

Do you want to travel? Have you gone out into the world and want to see more? Are you for the first time getting the travel bug?  Have you read this blog and think you could never do this too?

But you CAN! Traveling is one of the best, most rewarding and educational experiences anyone can take the time and opportunity to do. If traveling, or anything for that matter, is what you want to do, you only must decide you're going to do it and follow through with your plan.

Money always seems to be why some decide they cannot make a trip or travel to somewhere new. I always believe that if you want to do something, money should be the last barrier.

For Julie and I, we knew we would be traveling on a budget, but we knew we could make it happen.

First and foremost, we wanted to make this trip work. Second, we planned well ahead of time to ensure we would be able to save for our trip and prepare our work and jobs for an extended absence or resignation.

Next, we decided where to go, what we wanted to do and see and decided upon a budget. Julie and I booked our flight tickets months in advance and I searched for several weeks to find the best price and route plan. We also were sure to check visa and passport rules for the countries we would visit.

Julie and I will be working towards keeping a $10/day budget plan. This does not include our plane tickets. How will we do it? We are staying with many different families and friends and working in exchange for room and board. We already have WWOOFed in Canada and now will be Workaway-ing through Austria, England and Ireland.

Workaway.info is a site where hosts from all over the world open their doors to travelers and learners to help with farming tasks, building, child care, general house chores and other work imaginable. For 4-5 hours of work a day, the hosts will provide room and board. Every situation is different, but that is the general idea.

Julie and I will be able to work for the necessities, while also learning the culture of different areas, learning new skills and meeting some of the most hospitable people across the globe.

Making our plans ahead of time, finding ways to learn and work while traveling and knowing what we expected from this adventure were vital in making this trip happen.

However, the most important element to make this trip happen, which we never take for granted, is the love and support of our family, friends and loved ones. So many have helped us get here because of their encouragement, belief in us and love. If that's the last piece to making your travel or dream happen, find someone or a group of people who is able to stand behind you in what you want to do.

We want to thank everyone who has encouraged us with words, taken time to wish us well, helped set up hosts across the pond and gave us tips or treats to help us on our way. Most importantly, we thank those that allow us to leave home and follow our hearts and will be there when we return with open arms and extra hugs and squeezes.

There is nothing you can't do. There is no where you can't go. All you must do is start somewhere and do it. Happy travels!!

 Choose your path that leads to the mountains or valleys that you seek. 

Austria 'ist sehr gut'

Today I woke up to the sight of mountains. I scraped a tie stall barn for the first time in several years. I stuffed goat cheese into cups. Dana stirred the curds of the cows milk cheese in the copper lined cauldron. We ate wiener schnitzel. We pushed a very full wheelbarrow of hay with an awesome cover to (hopefully) keep it all in. We milked a goat, by hand. We listened while our current host family talked over dinner in a language I do not understand.

Today I have spent almost a week in the mountains of Austria. We arrived in Austria on Friday the 17th and are staying on a dairy farm southeast of Salzburg. Our host family uses the milk from their small herd of cows and goats to make delicious cheese on the farm. Each morning, Dana and I scrape behind the cows after they have been milked and go help with the cheese making process. Several days we have helped in the garden as well. One of our greatest accomplishments has been tilling the garden by hand! We have also helped sort the compost piles - separating the newly decomposed soil from the plants that haven't decomposed yet.

We are enjoying Austrian meals and talking with our host family. Some of the family speaks English and Dana does well speaking German with those who don't and translating for me. We have been able to take a few walks up the mountain trails and in the woods around the farm. It is so beautiful here!

We are having a wonderful time and are excited for what else is in store for us! Enjoy a few photos of what we have been up to and the amazing scenery that surrounds us!

PEI In Pictures

Our two weeks have flown by on Prince Edward Island. We've had the best time with our hosts and also in Charlottetown with the owners at a superb bed and breakfast. 

We are sad to say goodbye to this beautiful and wonderfully simple small island. Check out our time with a bunch of photos! 

A true Canadian experience: Tim Horton's!

Being Anne!

Tea at our wonderful Bed and Breakfast: Beside the Trail B&B. It was a super two days and the owners truly took care of us. In the summertime they even have a tea room! We will have to come back! 

Enjoying Charlottetown's finest in tasty souvenirs!

And the ship comes in! Charlottetown wharf! 

Celebrating the confederation conference, the beginning of Canadian confederation. 

Julie hard at work making the straw bed for the horses. 

A beautiful Welsh mare about two weeks away from foaling.

Doesn't Dana look cute? Well, at least the pony does! 

White Sands beach at sunset. 

An evening walk on the frozen beach. 

Julie makes the snow look good! 

Remember the earlier post with Dana? LOTS of snow has melted!

A healthy and nutritious supper-we couldn't forget the tea! 

Julie at Julie Lane. 

Lobster traps. The fishermen are getting prepared to hopefully be on the water May 1st! 

So many beautiful houses on the amazing sea!

Prince Edward Island was amazing! We thank our hosts for making it a memorable experience!

Fabric

Many years ago we would spend hours on sewing and craft projects for 4-H. And most of these projects were heavily procrastinated on and done only hours before check in began.

I would never have guessed that a decade or more later I would enjoy spending hours in the morning and afternoon working my way through piles of jean, wool and corduroy.

Because of the amazing amount of snow on the island, Julie and I were put to work indoors! We were snuggled away upstairs where the extra heat from the wood stove kept us wonderfully warm!

We spent the hours with a good movie, tv show or audiobook in the background as we worked away. We used leftover strips of wool and made long braided ropes that were sewed together and made into dog baskets.

We took the seams out of at least a dozen or more pairs of pants.  Then I ripped the legs into 2 inch wide strips and Julie put the right sides together and sewed them into long ropes of jean or corduroy. After the sewing was done, we trimmed the extra from the sewing and rolled the fabric into neat wheels to be used later for braiding rugs!

It was super nice work and a great way to spend cold and snowy days inside!

Dog Blog

Hugging Colby goodbye was difficult for me. My mom says that he greatly misses me and I miss him as well! However, the last two weeks two other dogs earned a small part of my heart. Of course, neither could replace my Colbster but I did enjoy snuggling with them.

Bauer and Summer are our host's dogs. Bauer is eight years old and is going to live forever. Summer is two and is only going to survive as long as Bauer allows. These dogs love and hate each other, they really are like siblings. Our host informed us that Bauer doesn't usually like people, except herself, but he loved me! He would climb up on my lap and loved getting attention. Summer loves all kinds of attention and is more of a lap dog than her much smaller brother. They really brightened our time on Prince Edward Island!

Dana and Bauer

Julie and Bauer 

Julie and Summer

Land of Anne

"I've always heard that Prince Edward Island was the prettiest place in the world, and I used to imagine I was living here, but I never really expected I would. It's delightful when your imaginations come true, isn't it?" -Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Like Anne, living on Prince Edward Island has been a dream of mine ever since I watched Anne of Green Gables. After reading the books, I wanted to see even more the land where the red headed heroin lived. I dreamed of seeing the red roads Anne questioned Matthew about, the shore where Paul's Rock People lived, and the community that raised the genius author who dreamed up these many characters who became my friends over the years. Some dreams really do come true!

The almost two weeks we have spent on PEI have been incredible. Who doesn't want to wake up and see the ocean? Or enjoy a cup of tea after spending a few chilly hours outside? Dana and I weren't expecting the snow that greeted us but we have decided that we wouldn't have had it any other way. We are so thankful for the experience of seeing the Island the way most tourists never see it. It has provided a way for us to go back in time and get a glimpse at the Island that Maud knew.

On Sunday we got the chance to really play tourist. Because we visited the Island on the off season, not much is open yet and the snow doesn't help matters but we didn't let that stop us! We tried to get to a lighthouse. We saw a few from a distance. I imagined that any lighthouse we saw was the one where Captain Jim lived. Eventually we made it to Cavendish, home of L.M. Montgomery and inspiration for Avonlea. Enjoy a sample of photos depicting the Land of Anne!

We visited the church that L.M. Montgomery attended and served as the organist for many years.

Julie at the birthplace of Maud

At the shore of St. Lawrence Gulf

Anne of Green Gables Heritage Museum - the house Maud grew up in and inspiration for Ingleside.

Birthplace of L.M. Montgomery

Avonlea Village - take a step back in time to experience PEI the way Anne did.

In front of Green Gables - the real house that Maud used for inspiration in the books

Ships waiting for the sea to open up and for it to be time to catch lobsters

It was very snowy at Green Gables. Both Dana and I fell in but I was nice and didn't take a photo of Dana. She didn't show the same kindness.

"But those red roads are so funny...what does make the roads red? -Anne

Confederation Bridge - 8 mile bridge that links PEI and New Brunswick

Dalvay by the Sea - Used as the White Sands Hotel in Anne of Green Gables-The Sequel and Road to Avonlea