Today marked our last day on the bikes in South America. It is also 6 months since we began our trip and one week till we fly out!

We are having a hard time believing our South American trip is over. It has been an incredible 6 months and leaving is very bittersweet. There is still so much we haven't seen and we both are starting to feel comfortable with our Spanish. We loved the remote, diverse, rugged landscapes and the people have been so kind, welcoming, and helpful. It all made for amazing cycling! South America was originally our "test" to see if we would want to continue the rest of the trip by bike but now we can't imagine traveling any other way. We love the slow travel, the freedom, and the power of carrying everything we need on the bike.

When Ross first suggested we quit our jobs to travel I worried a year would be too long for me. When I suggested we travel by bike, he was worried the slow travel would mean we would see less. We originally planned to take a year, then a year and a half, then maybe two. Our trip continues to evolve. Now it looks like we are going to let our budget dictate how long we are gone. The more we are on the bike the further we want to go and the more we want to see.

So in one week we fly to Europe! We're spending a couple more weeks off the bike to travel around with my family. We'll hop back on the bikes in Copenhagen. We don't have solid plans but we do have a general direction - east! From Europe we plan to bike through Turkey to Central and eventually South East Asia. We don't know where we will end up, maybe Japan or maybe Australia. We're poor planners so we may end up hopping on some planes to avoid visa issues. If our budget allows maybe we'll go further or maybe home will pull us back sooner. But we are looking forward to new places, loose plans, and the road ahead!

-Paxton