Four months pass quickly while in a routine, but the adventure of travel has warped my perception of time. We were in Europe a month ago and that seems like an entirely separate trip. Even a week ago in Ubud feels distant.

Some days we feel homesick and some days we feel tired of the road, but we realize what an incredible adventure we are living and are grateful for this experience. I am sitting on a rooftop patio with a mocha frappe and views of volcano and ocean as I write this.

We miss a sense of control, hobbies, and understanding our surroundings. Every city and every country feels like starting over in learning how to navigate, dodge traffic, access money, and negotiate for goods and services. Then we see the fires in California and we remember that even home has its troubles.

Thanksgiving will be our first big holiday on the road. I did miss one in college when I was a temporary security guard for my closed dorm building: I spent that Thanksgiving alone on a ghost campus with a burrito on the beach as my dinner. This one will be less lonely, but I don’t think it will feel like a holiday.

My initial plan had us international for 11 months with two months of camping in the US, but our speedy pace through Europe make it look like we will be international for 10 months then camp for one. A big factor to this is timing the seasons. Europe and the US are entering Fall and Winter, so we want to explore Asia and Australia until at least mid-March before going back to Europe to travel the Balkans. The earliest we would want to begin US camping would be May. We’ll see if we add some Africa and South America to make the timing work out.

I have read 33 books and Aaron has read 18 over the past four months. Our backpacks are deteriorating, but they will hopefully last a couple more months before requiring replacement. Our Hokas are starting to wear thin as we have put over one thousand miles of walking and hiking on them since the trip started. The Tevas are finally getting their turn in this beachy climate. We have lost plenty and replaced sparingly: Fitbit, pillow, electronics bag, pack cover, windbreaker, shirts. We bought cold weather gear for the Himalayas, but we will probably leave most of it behind now that we are in the tropics. We don’t have room in our packs for nonessentials. However, I hate being cold so I will drag my jacket and beanie around the world just in case.