Mr. HalfFull and I plan to spend the summer traveling around the world.  We’ve dubbed this trip “30/40 World Tour:  Quest for Passion.”  What does that mean???  I am 30-years-old and Mr. HalfFull is 40-years-old.  These are supposed to be big decade birthdays, so we decided to do something big — namely, travel around the world!

We have been thinking about this trip for years and even did a more local honeymoon in anticipation of this world tour.  We are both very excited and rather “half full” about the trip.

The “Quest for Passion” part of the trip is more of my personal goal as Ms. HalfEmpty.  I read many blogs that encourage pursuing your passion and doing what you love.  But what if you don’t know what that is?

I know what I don’t want to do and have been transitioning my career, but the right path for me has been elusive.  I hope that a change of scenery including new people and cultures will provide me with some clarity.  Even if that does not occur, I know it will be a memorable experience and add many coffees and stories to my life.

We plan to travel for 10 weeks from June to August and will be posting here all summer to share our adventures with you.  We will start in DC and fly to LA.  Our original plan was to move time zones slowly and get acclimated, but sometimes flight schedules change plans!  We will only be in LA for 12 hours and plan to take the Big Blue Bus to Marina del Rey for lunch, a nice walk, dinner, and the sunset.  Then we will head back to the airport to leave the country!


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Our first international location is Fiji.  We are looking forward to relaxing on the beach and sailing between the islands.  This will be a great opportunity to recharge and get in the travel frame of mind.

After a week in Fiji, we are off to New Zealand for three weeks.  We will be visiting during their winter season and are a bit worried about the clothing situation.  We are each taking one carry-on bag, which does not provide much space for bulkier winter gear.  We may stick mainly to the warmer North Island, but hope to visit the South Island and maybe even rent some gear to ski.

Then we fly to Noumea, which is known as the Paris of the South Pacific.  The city is located in the island country of New Caledonia.  Mr. HalfFull read about Noumea as a kid and always wanted to visit.  We plan to sip delicious coffee and munch on baguettes in cafes.  As an added bonus, we will both get to practice our French!

After realizing we forgot more French than expected, we head back to the English-speaking land of Australia.  We will fly into Sydney and discover the city for a few days before joining a “bus safari” to Melbourne.

Our flight from Melbourne will take us to Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar.  My cousin got married in Mauritius last summer and after seeing the photos, we had to go!

After a week of sun and sand, we will head to Dubai for more sun and sand!  We only have a quick layover in Dubai, but hope to get a sense of the place and avoid temperatures over 100 degrees for too long.

The remainder of our trip will be in Europe, starting in Munich for a few days to see family.  Spain is the final country of the 30/40 World Tour.  We will fly into Barcelona and eventually make our way to Madrid to meet up with Vaugan Town, an English immersion program for Spaniards.  The program (including 4-star-hotel accommodations and food) is free for native English speakers, who are there to help increase the fluency of Spanish business people.  I first heard about this program from The Professional Hobo and was intrigued.  Mr. HalfFull and I applied and were accepted for a session in Barco de Avila.

After our adventures in Spain, we will head back to Washington, DC with a trip around the world under our belts and perhaps a new perspective.

  • Have you ever traveled around the world?  What advice do you have for us?
  • Have you visited any of the countries on the 30/40 World Tour?  Are there must-see locations or foods you highly recommend?  Do you have housing recommendations?
  • Have you found your passion?  Did it require searching?
  • By calling it “Quest for Passion,” am I putting too much pressure on the trip?

Ms. HalfEmpty

Ms. HalfEmpty is a 30-something introverted realist, perhaps a pessimist. But she's trying to see the world half full on halfempty4now.com, which she started in February 2011. Her worldview may not be all bad, as it probably helps keep her husband, Mr. HalfFull, grounded and out of trouble!

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