The Wenzel’s Big Adventure

The idea of stepping away from our careers and traveling with the twins came up while we were sitting on the couch one evening. I needed a change from my job, so I posed the questions to Corey, who initially thought I was crazy but eventually agreed that we should take the plunge. The kids had yet to start school or were too vested in extracurricular activities, so this was the time to fly and see the world before we were too busy. 

The initial travel plan was based around South America: Fly to Columbia, Chile, or Peru, work our way down the west side, and then back up the east side. Unfortunately, too many countries faced civil unrest, so we started looking at Asia.  

We had previously backpacked in Thailand and wanted to return to this side of the world for a while. Full disclosure: I went into our first backpacking trip to Thailand in the wrong mindset. All-inclusive trips to Mexico had been my only tropical travel experiences, so naturally, that’s how I thought backpacking Thailand would be; I was wrong. Reflecting on the trip after we returned, I remembered how amazing the people were, the exotic and beautiful landscapes, and how great it would be to get back.  

Over the years, we have discussed visiting Bali, Indonesia. After reviewing flight costs to other Southeast Asian locations, we settled on Bali. Cost was a driving factor in the decision, but the country’s allure also played a role. While talking with her sister one evening, Corey mentioned we’d booked our tickets to Bali.  Her sister, who also enjoys traveling, decided to join our adventure (for a few weeks) and booked flights.  

Over the next few months, we began planning our big adventure.  We compiled a soft list of countries we were interested in and started planning travel (planes, trains and automobiles) and accommodations for our first five countries: Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and India.  These countries make up the first 3.5 months of our trip.  We decided to pause our planning at this point to focus on our employment transitions, get our house ready to be rented, and digest and work through all of the destinations and travel information we’d gathered. 

I remember saying to Corey one night, “Could you imagine trying to plan a trip like this or any multi-county trip back when the internet did not exist?” From determining the overall best travel credit cards (high reward points, low transaction fees, etc.) to travel insurance, vaccinations, medications, daypacks (for the kids and ourselves), kid’s toys, sleeping apparatus/aids for the plane, accommodations, transportation, travel compression packs, daily activities, etc., the list goes on. It took quite a lot of research, planning, and a lot of combing through the reviews. For example, Corey researched and determined which travel credit card offered 0% foreign transaction fees. Most credit companies charge a 2% fee on transactions outside of Canada, which, in our case, would be an unnecessary expense. Delving into hotel information and reviews also took considerable time. In some instances, we found the reviews, ratings, and pictures for properties quite different based on the booking site we were on. A property with high ratings and reviews on one website would not have the same on another. As I said, the internet has been an excellent and essential tool for us. 

There were many long nights and stressful days leading up to the trip’s start. Thankfully, we’ve been surrounded by our amazing families and friends who’ve encouraged and supported us along the way. We’re excited to begin this adventure and can’t wait to share the stories we make along the way.