What’s Up in 2011
Last week, we got a little deeper into the purpose of this blog/website. Bottom line: We want to have a place to chronicle what we do in an attempt to have a No Vacation Required (NVR) life – a life where every day is pretty much a dream day. We also want to inspire you to do the same.
If you’re nuts about travel / working virtually / giving back, all the better. We already have a lot in common!
We’re decompressing here in Seattle after one heck of a 2010. Looking back… We became Hawaii fanatics, uncovered Mexico, survived a multi-National-Park camping adventure, and even saw the Northern Lights (a longtime dream of ours). All told, we were on the road about five months – seeing fantastic places and meeting interesting people. Throughout 2010, we also advocated like crazy for those living in poverty and even managed to grow our virtual business (so that we can do it all over again in 2011!).
Throughout the year ahead, we’re going to continue sharing the exciting – and sometimes commonplace – details of what we have shaking in our corner of the world, but we want to go deeper. What to watch for:
- Traveling Deliriously: We’ve learned the most from seeing and experiencing the world. Boy oh boy, do we have a couple whoppers plotted for 2011. What we have cooking takes “multiple personality travel” to a whole new level.
- Living Deliberately: 1 in 6 world citizens are chronically hungry. We remain hugely inspired by them and by our experiences in Africa and South America. We owe it to less fortunate people to live the fullest lives possible and to fight on their behalf. Given that, we have a lot planned on the giving back front. We’re especially excited to kick off the year by heading to DC to advocate for human rights.
- Working Virtually: Now that we’ve been at it for a few years, we’ve sort of become, well, experts. We want to share some of our experiences having ultimate work freedom – location independence.
But wait! There’s more… Based on requests, we’re going to use our slice of the web to get into topics like:
- Our experience creating a NVR life.
- How to build your own NVR life.
- Our top travel tips (deals, smart travel, etc.).
- Wanna work virtually? What to consider.
- Top travel adventures.
Don’t worry, we’re not trying to make money from this. We just want to provide a place where we can chronicle and where you can find inspiration and tips to build an awesome life.
Your life should make you feel excited and you should be spending your days doing things that energize (not deplete) you. Remember, a NVR life is not about the travel or any of the specifics; rather, a NVR life starts with being happy.
Join us as we navigate our NVR life in 2011 and use our tips to jump in and create your own.
Time for a glass or two of champagne. Happy New Year!
What are you plotting for 2011?
***UPDATES:
Post on how things are unfolding in 2011:
On Traveling Deliriously:
Travelogue – Feeding Our Guilt in Boston
Travelogue – Conducting a B&B Showdown in Provincetown
Travelogue – Avoiding “Memory” in Prague
Travelogue – Chasing Sun in Honolulu
On Living Deliberately:
Travelogue – On a Mission in Washington D.C.
On Working Virtually:
Working Virtually – Find Your Strengths
Working Virtually – Differentiate Yourself
Pretty much the same. Inspire people – in my case the older ones – share experiences, make them laugh with funny stories and, again in my case, finding a way to get involved with Doctors withour Borders, my absolute favorite charity who do a lot of good. Happy new Year!
@inka- my sister-in-law, francisco’s sister is a doctor with doctors without borders! she’s also one of their prime spokespeople. let’s talk!
Great post, have a happy 2011!
Thanks Glen. You too. We hope 2011 is one amazing motorcycle experience after another.
Love love the new direction. And I don’t mind you making money off me, although I am broke
You just keep payin’ us with great blog entries and South American food porn. We get more than we give!
Looking forward to following you guys in the new year and learning more about the NVR life. Love the idea of “multiple personality travel” — can’t wait to read about your 2011 experiences.
Still trying to visualize my plans for 2011 beyond more extensive travel, more frequent (and better) blogging, and further developing my network of amazing travelers and bloggers. I also want to become more active in advocating for the cause close to my heart — multiple sclerosis awareness and support for finding a cure.
Happy New Year, NVR guys!
Thanks Cathy, we look forward to reading more excellent blog entries from you as well. We will also be looking out for some “schooling” on MS and how we might help.
looking forward to seeing what you guys have in store. im trying to work out what “multiple personality travel” means. interested to see your travel destinations.
i really need to learn how to work virtually as well. maybe that will be my new years resolution. that as well as to not use the weather as a topic of conversation. such a waste of time.
If you can successfully exorcize weather small talk, you can do anything. Working virtually is a piece of cake in comparison!
“Multiple personality travelers” are people like us who might stay one night at a hotel so scuzzy we won’t even sleep on the bed (we call hotel camping) and the next night land a deal at a luxury, 5-star hotel.
MPT is all about the value.
Looking forward to more great stuff from you guys in 2011! This is a travel year for us – it’s been awhile since we’ve gone long-term so just trying to soak it all up. Have a very Happy New Year! =)
Thanks guys! Glad to see you are kicking off the year right – testing beer in Auckland (such selfless research).
looking forward to all of the wonderful *gifts* you have to bestow on us in 2011! example: “you should be spending your days doing things that energize (not deplete) you.” just one of the things i’m working on in 2011 and i’m hoping others will benefit from as well. thanks for that and for so much more. happy amazing beautiful bountiful new year guys!
*blushing*
Thanks Lorna. That means a lot.
Happy amazing beautiful bountiful new year to you as well!
Yay, we’re getting to the ‘how’ part, nice one, look forward to it!
Where did you see the Northern Lights? Not fair!
Here’s to a great 2011
We tried to see the lights when we went to Iceland, but had no luck. So we tried again in Fairbanks, AK and had much better luck. They are awe inspiring. hands down one of the coolest experiences of our lives.
You guys already inspire me, so 2011 is going to be as good as, or better than 2010. Have fun and enjoy your New Year eve champagne!
Thanks Jim. The feeling is mutual for sure!
What a possitive post! Looking forward to what you guys bring in the new year, its nice to see people so inspired by travel. Happy New Year to you too!
You have a big year ahead… just a few more months until your RTW. We look forward to hearing about the trip as it unfolds.
Best of luck to you guys & happy New Year! I’ve enjoyed following your adventures and am inspired by your blog
Best of luck to you as well, Michael. Perhaps we will have the opportunity to connect sometime this year – Dia de los Muertos in Hollywood is now on our list thanks to you!
Seems like 2011 will be a big year for you! Looking forward to all the changes!
Thanks Matt. We are looking forward to a year full of travel, new experiences and more amazing people. Glad we had the chance to meet you this year… I am sure our paths will across again soon.
Love the direction you guys are taking the blog. have a great New Years and I’d be happy to give you my money if you convince me to part with it
Oh, and way too many things to write in my plot list but some include:
Finish my Japan Book
Publish my hiking guide to Southern Kosovo
Release our Lonely Planet ebook (Yay!)
A free ebook for my site
Keep being happy
Love the last one, Todd! have you been reading our blog
I’m looking forward to reading more about traveling deliriously, living deliberately, working remotely and giving back. (Plus seeing your cute smiles)
I made a teeny tiny breakthrough this week in getting my employer to agree to a one-month trial of working half days remotely. However, it’s been made clear to me that its highly unlikely to turn into a permanent perk. So I’m going to spend next year working like made on Plan B – building up a location independent business of some sort.
I love what you’ve done here, NRV guys. I’m such a big fan!
That sounds like a significant breakthrough, but your “Plan B” sounds even better. That’s a great goal for 2011.
This is a great post! In the last few days, I’ve thought a lot about my direction for 2011 and one thing I want to focus on more is giving back. As a matter of fact, I have been working on my new site and actually create a link called “Travel Gives Back” that will focus on organizations that help others and the needs of people around the world.
That’s one thing travel has taught me. And honestly, the influence of travelers on social media has got me thinking about that more as well. So yes, we do have a lot in common already! Good luck in 2011 guys!
The “Travel Gives Back” link sounds like a great idea, Jeremy. Can’t wait to see your new site!
Will be paying very close attention to this blog in 2011. Wonderful stuff!
Keep up the good work and happy 2011!
Looking forward to being inspired by you some more in 2011. Do you think you can fit in a trip Down Under?
Don’t tempt us, C & C – we take those sorts of questions VERY seriously. Hmmm…. time to check airfares.
Looks like you guys had a great and eventful 2010. I’m really looking forward to see how you created your own NVR since it is something I’m working on and would like to fully establish during 2011. Wish you the best and hope you have an even better 2011! Happy New Year!
What an inspiring post! I look forward to reading about your adventures in 2011! I have to say… I love the “no vacation required” lifestyle that you guys talk about. It forces me to take a step back and look at my own life. We have been feeling a bit overwhelmed with work, and were in need of a vacation over the holidays. I’m making a conscious effort to not let this happen in my everyday life anymore.
I also love how you talk about “living deliberately” and giving back to humanity. Keep up the great work, guys! Happy New Year!
Awesome post you guys – and excellent resolutions. I can’t wait to continue to follow your journey through 2011. Happy New Year!!
I’ll continue to grow the sandbox. Spreading the word that you don’t need a lot of money to have fantastic travel adventures. I’ll continue to give back where I can. Last year I supported Kiva, and Passports With Purpose. I haven’t made the decision as where my charity dollars will go this year.
We love Kiva and were instant fans of PwP the minute we heard about it.
I am still trying to figure out what it is that yall do location independent???
Looks like yall had an amazing 2010 and are going to have an even better 2011!!! I think 2011 is going to be an AMAZING year for a lot of people (I am talking about me…lol t-minus 56 days)!!!
Keep inspiring people because it is working. Y’all have inspired me.
i love the fact that you guys are loving what you are doing and you are enjoying it. very few people get to experience that. happy new year
How nice! Have an inspired 2011!
Here’s to a whole new decade! ; ]
Thanks, Matt – Looking forward to following your adventures as well.
It is a relief to read that there are still people out there who travel and totally enjoy themselves but don’t leave their conciensce at home AND putting their experiences to help out others. Bravo, guys! More success to your endeavours in 2011
Well put! Thanks, Michael.
I’m loving the philosophy and hope everything goes well in 2011! Happy New Year to you guys and look forward to the upcoming adventures.
You guys are so supportive and inspiring right now, that I can’t wait for the changes and new aspects of the blog! Hopefully, we can met up somewhere in the world! You guys are the types of people I want to also know IRL!
It’s never boring here guys! Looking forward to multiple personality travel.
We love to travel! We are plotting to do more of it..but it’s just hard to do it with work & school. SO basically just making the time for what we love to do most is what we want for 2011. I’m kind of jearlous that you’re living a NVR life—you’re happy & giving back at the same time (oh how I wish I could be you lol)
Thanks for the comment, Tiffanie. Sounds like you’re well on your way to an NVR life of your own!
Looking forward to more posts. Working on a cruise ship is definitely a NVR life too, but it’s just not sustainable indefinitely. So would love to learn more about working virtually.
I really love your blog and am glad I have recently discovered it. Your journey is inspiring! I look forward to learning more about how you have made NVR come together for you.
Your plans sound ambitious in the best way possible. I realized over my past year of travel that you can’t just travel for the sake, you got to create goals.
It’s always nice to read how others are approaching this life!
Onward. You’re an inspiration.