Airplane Mode

Well, we’re off! We’re currently chilling in the Miami airport, awaiting our flight to Colombia. We had a very early start to the day, but we all got a bit of sleep on the first plane ride. Lounge access with our credit card was clutch for free food and drinks. In fact, we plan on making a second visit there before boarding begins. It’s amazing how prevalent Spanish is here, so we’re brushing up on our language skills already. We also noticed a cultural difference, even though we’re still in the US. Talking on the phone via speaker mode or playing videos without earphones is totally normal! Nobody seems bothered by the noise, and nobody seems to think it’s rude. The introverts among us are glad to have noise-cancelling headphones. Next stop: Colombia!

Twas the Night Before Tripmas

The past week has been a blur with school ending, Christmas in between both of the kids’ birthdays, packing, spending several hours talking to customer service about all sorts of unexpected issues (Apple, UMR health insurance, VRBO, PayPal, etc.), repacking, and trying to check off all the things on our lists! 

Today was jam-packed with getting typhoid shots, dropping off the cats, emptying out the fridge, doing laundry, and last-minute packing. I had the kids write down some of their thoughts before falling asleep tonight. We leave the house at 3:30am tomorrow morning, fly to Miami and have a 6.5 hour layover, and then fly to Cartagena, Colombia.

Jonas: I’m feeling tired as Mom walked in at 21:33 and told me to make this, so I’m feeling like getting up at 03:30 is going to be hard, and the plane rides are going to be long. When we get there, it is going to be bedtime at about 22:00 in Colombia and then being baptized by fire with New Year’s Eve the next day. But overall, I’m looking forward to the trip and want to sleep now. The thing I’m going to like most is the street food (P.S. we have to filter ALL the water), and I will miss the people I left in Colorado (maybe excluding some of my homies-haha). Now I’m going to get about 4 hours of shut eye on my last night in Colorado.

Johanna: Today was hard dropping off the kitties, and I am very tired and miss my kitties very much. I really enjoy my comforts at home in Denver, Colorado, and I don’t want to uproot my life, traveling from place to place. Tomorrow is going to brutal, because we are waking up early, flying for the entire day, and unpacking in our new place. I’m also going to miss my friends a lot, but thankfully, technology can help me keep in touch and learn about what’s happened back at home. I look forward to trying the new foods, seeing amazing landmarks that I only read about in books, and experience the new culture that South America and Asia have to offer. Luckily, my grandparents have helped tremendously with getting everything out of the fridge, cleaning, and much more. I’m not going to get a lot of sleep tonight and am preparing myself for the trip ahead.

The Goodbyes Begin

 

Over the weekend, we let the kids invite some of their closest friends out to dinner as a farewell event. It was great to see them all laughing together and making memories before we go. Missing their friends is going to be one of the hardest things about the trip, though they plan to keep in contact by texting on their watches. One week left of school!

How We Told The Kids

After their sixth grade school year was done, we took the kids out to a nearby Peruvian restaurant for dinner. After trying some authentic dishes, we presented them with their “tickets” and explained the plan to travel abroad for the first half of 2026. They were fairly shocked! Mostly, they had a bunch of questions about school, logistics, etc. Even though we are just a few weeks away from departure, I think they are still processing how this trip will affect them, but they are also excited!