Joe and I have great jobs we love and promising careers.  We have old cars, and needed home improvements including a bathroom that needs remodeling. Why risk our careers and spend a small fortune on a trip?

• We want to live an adventurous life.  We think this is exactly what life is really about.
• We want to have a special shared memory and experience with our daughters. The girls, 9 and 11, are old and strong enough to do this, but young enough not to have other plans and to still want to be with their parents.  We know the teenage years are coming and then they will be gone.  Now is the time!  We hope this adventure will create a deep bond we can draw on when times are tough.
• We want experiences very different from our everyday lives.  There is so much diversity on earth and yet we spend almost all our time doing the same old same old.  We want to immerse ourselves in a world far different than our own.
• We are confident our careers will not be adversely effected. An epic getaway will allow us to reset and return to work with more focus and commitment. Our creativity and innovativeness will be enhanced by our new set of experiences. However, in all honesty, this is our greatest concern, but we are hopeful and going for it. Also, we have budgeted some money for unemployment following the trip, just in case.
• We want to invest in experiences not material possessions.  Although the cars and the bathroom are an embarrassment, the joy of a bright shiny new replacement would soon wear off. We hope to create an amazing shared memory that lasts.