About

Hello and welcome! We are Tim and Joanne Joseph, and we are delighted to have you here. We are a little old-fashioned, madly in love, have a deep appreciation for natural beauty, a thirst for learning, and a joyful zest for life.

In 2013, we sold our home and gave away, sold, donated, threw away or stored the rest of our “things”.   Our plan is to see as much of this big beautiful world as we can, for as long as we can, taking pictures along the way and sharing our experiences with anyone that wants to follow along.

JMJ_5963
Tim and Joanne

2014 came and went in a flash.  January was a finalizing period where Tim prepared our son to take over our company and wrapped up some loose ends. February was a fabulous trip to Turkey with my sister and brother-in-law.

From March through October we immersed ourselves in an exhausting, exhilarating, madcap trip around the world that included visits to 29 countries and culminated in a 30 day cross-country (USA) road trip.

After a short stay at our small cabin in the San Bernardino mountains, we headed to Guatemala for almost three weeks, and then back “home” for the holidays. When the dust settled, we realized that during 2014 we managed to explore a total of 31 different countries.

So how would we top that in 2015?  Well we didn’t, but still had an amazing year!

We learned a few things about ourselves and traveling that we know influenced some of the choices we made last year.

  1. Sometimes seeing/doing more things/places does not equal more value
  2. When you try to do too much, everything runs together
  3. We are not (quite) as young as the mental image we hold in our heads
  4. Travel is not only exhilarating, it can also be exhausting
  5. Staying in one place longer allowed us a better/deeper experience
  6. There are a LOT of beautiful places right in our own backyard (in the USA and Canada that is) that we want to see

So we took things a little slower – kind of anyway…

We started out 2015 with a month-long trip (mid January to mid February) to Africa where we visited South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana. We also managed a Gate 1 trip to Amsterdam, Belgium and Paris that was followed by a fantastic Uniworld cruise through both northern and southern France.

A personal highlight was spending time with my sister and brother-in-law chartering a motor boat and cruising through the San Juan Islands and into Canada.

You can click on this link to see a recap of our 2015 travels.

2016 took us to five different continents!

NORTH AMERICA – Hawaii and Mexico

SOUTHEAST ASIA – Singapore, Cambodia and Vietnam

AFRICA – Morocco

EUROPE – Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, France, the Netherlands

SOUTH AMERICA – Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands

Click here for a recap of 2016 travels.

Our travel plans for 2017 were a little calmer and closer to home. Near the end 2016 we purchased a small 25 foot RV that we named “Ellie Mae Camp-it”, so road tripping was the main plans for that year. From June through mid September hit as many of the Western USA and Canadian National Parks and National Monuments as we could. Here is a link to some of our National Park stops.

There was still be some International travels as well with a trip to Mexico to visit the Copper Canyon, a trip to New York City followed with a Princess Cruise in October to see New England and Eastern Canada for fall foliage. The year ended with a return to South America over the Christmas holidays to explore Chile, the Falkland Islands, Uruguay, and Argentina.

2018 was brought in on board our Princess Cruise which terminated in Buenos Aires. From there we continued on with an Intrepid tour that included the wetlands of Argentina, Iguazu Falls and Rio de Janeiro.

We managed to take some pretty awesome RV road trips to fill out the year, including spending some time in Southern Oregon, a loop through Colorado, and our most recent exploration of Idaho and western Montana.

2019 was primarily made up of RV trips here in the USA. The highlight would have to be a seven week cross country drive from California to Illinois and return.

2020 started out somewhat normally for us with a fabulous trip to Sri Lanka. It was during this trip that we realized that the world was about to be turned upside down, but the severity had not sunk in just yet. It was not long after returning home however that lockdown went into effect. Thankfully our mountain cabin was well stocked and relatively isolated.

2021-2022 are a blur and like so many of you our lives were put on hold, especially when it came to traveling. We were guardedly optimistic and booked a trip to Japan that was scheduled for April of 2023. Sadly due to continued uncertainties, the trip got canceled. We did manage to get away for a short four day Princess cruise just before Christmas.

2023 has brought a return to, or at least a birth of, a new normal. We have packed away our face masks, gone on small local road trips, attended several plays and other performances, and visited a couple museums. We have enjoyed being a tourist in our own backyard here in Southern California.

We are very ready to start traveling once again. It may not (at least initially) be as often as I would like, but extremely grateful that we will soon be on our way to see, explore, learn and experience as much of this big, beautiful planet as we can.

I hope you will follow along with us to see where we end up next!

Tim and Joanne

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259 Responses to About

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  1. transcribingmemory says:
    October 18, 2016 at 7:35 am

    Wow, what amazing adventures. Thank you for the interest in my blog and I look forward to following yours.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. Hemingway and Steinbeck says:
    October 18, 2016 at 6:25 pm

    Thank you so much for finding our blog and following us. Mom’s all excited about your blog ‘cuz she thinks you two are doing such great things. She does want to know why you haven’t managed to visit Minnesota. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. HesterLeyNel says:
    November 3, 2016 at 8:28 am

    Thank you for the like on my blog. You have an amazing lifestyle and I must get back here to read about your adventures. Keep well and keep traveling.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. allysoally says:
    November 7, 2016 at 1:18 am

    Wow, you two look like you are on a wonderful adventure. I’m quite envious. Best wishes 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  5. Wandering Dawgs says:
    November 28, 2016 at 5:09 am

    Thanks for following my blog! Enjoy you new RV adventures! There are many great blogs by RVers. I have gotten many ideas for places to camp and things to do by reading their blogs. Have fun as you explore our beautiful country!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Travel blogger / Nomadic Adventurer says:
    November 30, 2016 at 9:23 am

    Tim and Joanne, I love your blog and I will follow your journey. Your journey is impressive and the photos are incredible. 🙂

    I’m currently in Tucson and the cold front has me shivering beyond belief. So, it is time for the former Southwest Florida retiree to move to warmer weather, and Galveston TX is the soon to be explored location. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  7. EttaD says:
    December 18, 2016 at 1:31 pm

    Wow!! What an adventure, you guys have an amazing life. There’s nothing more exciting than travelling and seeing the world in which we live.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  8. GP Cox says:
    December 29, 2016 at 3:45 am

    Pleased to meet you both.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  10. JC says:
    February 1, 2017 at 7:11 pm

    Thanks for visiting my blog, it’s appreciated…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. Wendy says:
    February 2, 2017 at 1:57 am

    Wow – what inspiring people you are. Thanks so much for popping over to my blog for a read and leading me here. I’m on the cusp of a big change and you’re inspiring me to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’… I hope 2017 is a truly magical year for you too! x

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  13. usathroughoureyes says:
    February 13, 2017 at 6:49 am

    Hi Tim and Joanne Joseph! We are so happy to notice you discovered our site thus allowing us to find yours. Wow and wow again. We love your “about” page and echo everything you express especially the remark “we are a little old-fashioned, madly in love, have a deep appreciation for natural beauty, a thirst for learning, and a joyful zest for life”. You have been so blessed with such extensive world travels. We had always heard of people downsizing and the joy they felt but it is only when we did it ourselves that the true joy hit home. There is such a big world out there and seeing it through television just doesn’t do it justice. There is something about being there up close and in person that makes your soul tingle. We look forward to being along on your journey and seeing through your eyes and words.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Tim and Joanne Joseph says:
      February 13, 2017 at 9:48 am

      So glad to meet kindred spirits! And yes, there is really no substitute for travel. Although a great book, a travel documentary and excellent photos can help bring an understanding, it is when one actually sees, hears, feels, explores, smells and experiences it for yourself that we truly grow. Wishing you happy travels.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  14. Pingback: Searching for Bluebells | Scribbles and Grits

  15. Sharon, Leadership2Mommyship says:
    April 22, 2017 at 6:00 pm

    I love this! Safe travels to you both!

    Like

    Reply
  16. cricketmuse says:
    July 8, 2017 at 8:01 pm

    Thanks for stopping by! We have discovered that we are definitely not infected with the travel bug. I enjoy your travels and applaud your blog.

    Like

    Reply
  17. LivingOnTheDiagonal says:
    July 15, 2017 at 12:43 pm

    Gee, I’ve learned the same six things as you have! #3 definitely resonates.

    Like

    Reply
  18. wholelifeelements says:
    September 4, 2017 at 9:48 am

    Hey! thank you so much for reading and liking my blog. I sincerely appreciate it. It looks like you guys are having one hell of an adventure. Looks absolutely amazing. Beautiful website lay out by the way.

    Like

    Reply
  19. itsgoodtobecrazysometimes says:
    September 19, 2017 at 9:59 am

    Hi

    Thank you so much for visiting my blog and liking a few posts. Sorry it has taken so long to come and visit yours. Hope you come back again soon

    Trina

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  20. tracynicole22 says:
    October 4, 2017 at 11:32 am

    I just began following your blog and already I love reading your posts! I’m excited to see how you enjoy the New England/Canada area this fall and I hope my blog entry about my cruise there in Sept. gave some insight on how great it is. The foliage wasn’t changing as much as I had hoped when I was there so you should be able to see a lot of pretty colors!

    Like

    Reply
  21. gogofishgreen says:
    November 12, 2017 at 2:23 am

    What a mulitude of beautiful images you leave along your path of life. As I have opted the pedal work for the last years and appreciating the option of remaining and exporling what lies nearest to my heart and home; it is enchanting reading and viewing about places far off. If per chance you come accross one of the latest Hope Spots from Dr. Syliva Earle, Mission Blue, please let me know.
    Sincerely and all the best for Thanksgiving in Illinois :-)).
    Jesera

    Like

    Reply
  22. mikeakin1 says:
    December 3, 2017 at 12:28 pm

    looking forward to your posts

    Like

    Reply
  23. katiegirl06460 says:
    May 24, 2018 at 7:19 am

    This is an amazing blog. Thank you for liking my blog..please visit often..I look forward to reading more of your adventures.

    Like

    Reply
  24. Tokeloshe says:
    July 30, 2018 at 5:32 pm

    I love your blog!
    Stunning photos and great information.
    Great travels ♥

    Like

    Reply
  25. Morris Brook Farm says:
    September 15, 2018 at 9:28 am

    Thank you for liking my post “A Plan or a Pipe Dream”. Your blog and your stories are an inspiration to me! Pack up the camperette and hit the road, and see some of the amazing places I have read about. Looking forward to catching up on your travels, and seeing what else you get up to.
    June

    Like

    Reply
  26. stevescountry says:
    October 13, 2018 at 4:41 pm

    Thanks for liking my post ‘Fall Hiking and COFFEE! In The Winter?’ Just glanced over your blog a bit and I am going to enjoy following along with your travels! It will be a great way for someone like myself who is basically confined to my apartment to travel the world and see all these wonderful places. Enjoy your travels! Steve.

    Like

    Reply
  27. Brad Nixon says:
    January 27, 2019 at 12:22 pm

    Okay, I’m holding you to your promise, and expect you to emerge from that cabin and get blogging. I followed you so I won’t miss it. Happy trails.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  28. KT says:
    February 4, 2019 at 10:19 am

    I have never been more jealous. I love to sail and my only real dream is to circumnavigate the globe with the wind. Congratulations! Enjoy and I hope one day to follow in your wake.

    Like

    Reply
  29. Mary Sheils says:
    September 1, 2022 at 5:32 am

    Missing you guys….what’s up?

    Like

    Reply

  30. Pingback: What’s Our Story? ~ The Travel Part… | A Note From Abroad

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