Our Route Across the Globe

June 27, 2013 at 8:04 pm  •  Posted in Inspiration, trip planning by

Despite all the technology, web sites and apps associated with trip planning, sometimes a big wall-sized map of the world, a box of thumb tacks and colored string are the best tools to plan out a trip of this magnitude. We’ve had a blast pinning, re-pinning and winding lots and lots of colored string – especially after a dog grabs a dangling bit of yarn and pulls 18,000 miles of route out of the wall – to visualize our pathway. Switching to holiday ribbon, we are pinning much less as we are T-75 days to departure, and the route is taking form.

We named our trip Project Equator in part because as we began pinning favorite places, they all seemed to hover around the equator line. Alas, this is not an absolute rule where we may not veer  more than 10° north or south of the equator or face abject failure of our mission.  You’ll notice wanderings as far north as 45°N in Florence Italy, and just south of the Tropic of Cancer at 27°S in Easter Island, Chile. Maybe it’s our settlement in the upper-left corner of the continental United States, where our vitamin-D starved bodies crave sunnier spots, or maybe there is some centering line we’re in search of as we hop scotch across the Earth. Whatever the reason, the places closest to the equator have always had a special pull for us.

So, without further ado, here’s the route as a stands today. This table gives you a rough idea as to where and when we will be located, based on when we arrive. Many of the country visits bleed from one month to the next, and in a few cases, we’re wandering near or around the destination, but you’ll get the gist:

MONTH PLACE WHY
September Florence, ITALY Food, of course… Oh yeah, the art is supposed to be cool as well…
  Oia, Santorini, GREECE If you’ve been, there’s no reason to ask why…
October Athens, GREECE Hang out of the Gods and see where the seeds of democracy were sewn
  Pitsidia, Crete, GREECE Never been to Crete, and wanted a small town experience
  Barcelona, SPAIN Architecture, culture, food, beaches… why NOT Barcelona!
November Seville, SPAIN Great old-world European city that you can easily walk around
  Lisbon, PORTUGAL So close, and we need to fly from there to get to Marrakesh
  Marrakesh, MOROCCO Ancient trade route, exotic markets, warm people
December Zanzibar, TANZANIA Pure white sand, aqua blue ocean and a whole Island to leisurely explore
January Arusha, TANZANIA In search of the Big 5 and join in the great migration
  Bagamoyo, TANZANIA Building a library for Baobab House, volunteering in an orphanage and school, and helping women entrepreneurs
February Hanoi, VIETNAM Returning home, visiting our friends at Dong Ahn Orphanage
  Hue, VIETNAM A Unesco World Heritage Site harkening back to Imperial Vietnam
  Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM Besides having one of the best foot massage bars, we want to feel the pulse of Vietnam
  Bagan, MYANMAR Because we can! Burma has called on us for a long time, and now it’s accessible!
March Koh Phi Phi, THAILAND We’re so close… a couple of weeks of slowing the heart rate down and soaking in Thai island life
  Yangshuo, CHINA Besides staying with “Sam’s” family in their house, it’s the region of China Yve is from and we want to hang out for a while
April Beijing, CHINA Great Wall, Bird’s Nest, Water Cube… Cliff’s 50th!
  Shanghai, CHINA Understand, learn and absorb modern China and the engine driving her growth
May-June Bali, INDONESIA Full cultural immersion in the arts and one of the most spiritual places on earth
July Cairnes, AUSTRALIA Experience the Great Barrier Reef and Northeastern Australia’s amazing national parks
  Tahiti, FRENCH POLYNESIA It’s on the way to Easter Island, so how could we NOT stop?
  Easter Island, CHILE Unravel the mystery surrounding what happened to this civilization
August Santiago, CHILE Experience a South American metropolis

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3 Comments

  1. Dave Picarillo / August 14, 2013 at 7:42 pm /

    Cliff

    It is Dave Pic, back in Boston. Got to tell you I am in awe of this undertaking and Amy and I will be following along with our two daughters. Truly an adventure, that I am sure no one will forget. Believe it or not, I may actually be in Shanghai in April and it things sync up…. Safe Travels

  2. Judith Dern / August 15, 2013 at 6:57 am /

    Amazing! Fantastic! Stupendous! I am thrilled you seven are taking this adventure. It’s perfect! The clock is counting down. Can’t wait for photos and stories.

  3. Lisa Yalen Zamperini / August 15, 2013 at 9:39 pm /

    Cliff,

    I am so excited for you. What an amazing experience this will be for the whole family! I can’t wait to live vicariously through the Sharples family!

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