About
In The Beginning
The idea about traveling down roads unknown originated after a weekend of visting
with friends in Phoenix, Arizona in 2006. While waiting for our car to the airport,
we discussed the possibility of traveling south of the border into South America
and on into Africa following. We love to travel and we love to go places no one
or very few people know about. We also love to share our experiences with everyone,
and, even more, we enjoy introducing non-travelers or resort travelers to adventure
travel.
Starting Out
Eighteen months later we set off on our journey not knowing what to expect. We had
built a web site to share with the world. We had purchased equipment to document
as much as possible. We had quit our full-time paying jobs. We had sold or given
away most of our belongings. We had saved up enough money to survive for 6 months.
We traveled from the US/Mexico border down into the heart of Mexico, south into
Belize and eventually landing in Guatemala where we studied Spanish. The next month
or so were spent in Nicaragua followed by Costa Rica and Panama. With a goal to
experience Carnaval, we stopped quickly in Colombia to apply for visas and boated
down the Amazon River into Brasil, eventually ending up in Rio de Janeiro just in
time for the biggest party on earth.
Year One: Part Two
Six months had passed and we found ourselves in different places than we expected
to be physically, emotionally and spiritually, and heading in different directions.
Jason elected to keep traveling, spending the next few months in Argentina, Nicaragua,
and El Salvador before eventually returning home to the United States. Brendon stayed
in Brasil for the next few months before traveling through Venezuela and returning
to Colombia where he met up with David.
Year Two
What started out as 2 months living and loving Colombia, turned quickly into 4.
Almost 6 months later, after Brendon fell for a Colombian named Andrea, he and David
we were booted out of the country with expired visas. The new relationship continued
to flourish as we traveled to Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina. Andrea visited
twice while finishing up her university degree, before we boarded a flight from
Buenos Aires to Cape Town in May 2010. The World Cup 2010 started and we soon found
ourselves befriending more and more people from around the world, watching tons
of football aka soccer, and enjoying the hot and cold of South Africa. As all great
things must come to an end, we headed to Mozambique for a week before flying to
Kenya for a once in a lifetime safari in the Masai Mara. We had a plan to seriously
backpack the rest of Africa, but complications of visa, high time and money costs
for transportation, and work obligations pushed us all the way to Egypt. Nearly
6 weeks later, after diving in the Red Sea and seeing the Great Pyramids, we took
off...
Year Three
When the trip was first envisioned, it was to see the underdeveloped nations of
the world, the unknown roads across The Americas, Africa, and Asia. But we really
had no idea what exactly would happen and we adjusted our plans when our friends
from Brasil decided to hit up the Old World, Europe. Andrea came too! For two months
starting in September 2010 we hopped trains and planes between Germany, Czech Republic,
Italy, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary before meeting up with Andrea's family in
Greece. After a fun, exhausting time, everyone was broke. David headed home to the
United States to start preparing for university, Brendon followed his now fiance
Andrea home to Colombia that November of 2010
Year Three: Part Two
After a 3 month hiatus, while Andrea finished up her degree requirements, we flew
to India in March 2011. 30 days later we were ready to see some clean and green.
Malaysia came next, followed by Indonesia where we met up with a childhood friend
of Brendon's named Mark. We stayed in the nicest hotels ever thanks to him and toured
Lombok, Bali in Indonesia, Chiang Mai and Rai in Thailand. Broke and tired again,
it was time to relax, work, and live in the last country of the journey. We rented
an apartment-hotel in Chiang Mai for 2 months while Andrea studied Thai massage
and Brendon focused on coding. Time flew as expected and it was time to
go "home". On August 25th we left Bangkok with anticipation for the life's next
journey, landing in the States 24 hours later. We'd made it around the world, visited many places, met many amazing
people. Our three years adventure down roads unknown was now complete...
Beyond
So what now? Our love and passion for travel and culture still remains. We, Andrea
and Brendon, will continue to travel down roads unknown, while other times roads
trampled. At the same time we'll create a life, a home to hangout in the meantime.
There is so much life, so much of the world left unexplored by us. Whether
it be the big cities of Asia, the remote villages of the Americas, or the beaches
of Africa, our journey continues throughout life. Our blogs, our photos, our experiences
will continue to thrive right here...so stay tuned and enjoy!
Our Hopes
We hope this gives you a glance into a few of the ideas behind us. Feel
free to explore more "about" Roads Unknown from the perspective of all
the individuals involved, as we each have our own goals, dreams, and ambitions for
traveling. Just remember these blogs, photos, and videos are here for you: our family,
friends, and fans, to enjoy as much of this experience with us as you want. And
don't forget, you can always quit your life, whether it be for a week or ten and
join us in an adventure of your own down roads unknown...