Posted on March 6, 2017
Journeys may come to an end, but memories last forever.
Thailand will be the last country of our trip around the world. We are going home! It’s been the time of our lives, the greatest thing we have ever done and we enjoyed every second of it, every breath we took. We have experienced things and grew from them like we would have never ever imagined before. We thank God for everything we have learned from the blasting times and even more for keeping our backs in the challenging times and letting us grow from them.
We are definitely not the people anymore who we were, before we stepped on that airplane to Rio de Janeiro eight months ago. Traveling changed our appearance maybe a little bit, but our minds a lot. Our eyes got used to seeing things from many different perspectives. We saw lifestyles all over the world, explored different cultures and met amazing people – people from all over the world who will be our friends forever. All of you who have the slightest wish or urge to travel – please – don’t hesitate and GO for it! You will never regret it. 🙂
When we think back to uncountable memories, it almost feels overwhelming and it becomes hard to focus on only one special moment – there are too many! 😉
From sitting in an airport with a one way ticket to South America with no plan to watching the sunset in the middle of the desert, from sleeping in hostels to living in our own van, from hiking at over 5000m in the Peruvian mountains to catching waves at endless beaches, from not showering for days to getting all fancy for weddings, from -12°C/10°F in Uyuni to over 40°C/104°F in Sydney, from 3rd world countries straight to 1st world countries and culture shocks, from the highs to the lows,… a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Wow!
We actually planned on exploring more of Asia and we have even talked about going to Africa but we decided that it is time to go home to focus on Dougs health condition. Stonytrails go on, now it’s our mission to kick this Rheumatoid Arthritis in the butt! We are positive that there is a way and have faith that we will be able to get it under control.
Anyone who knows more about Rheumatoid Arthritis understands how big of an accomplishment this journey has been for us. Doug has been a trooper and I’m so proud of him. I’m really grateful for how strong he was – for us – that we were able to go on this adventure.
– We explored 8 countries,
– spent about 75 hours in airplanes, (excluding layovers)
– went almost 5000km/3100miles by bus in South America alone, (longest bus ride was 18 hours!!! Are we crazy?)
– drove over 15000km/9300miles (between rental cars, our own van and mopeds/motorcycles)
– visited over 100 cities and towns…
242 days of exploring the world! Traveling is so exciting, but also exhausting. It was weird when we clicked the button to book our final flight, but we knew why we did it. We are ready to come home and give our family and friends extra long hugs. We can’t wait!
Woohooo!!!
See you soon!
Anna & Doug
Updated on January 22, 2017
Update on Facebook!
What have we been up to? What does a “normal” day look like?
Hey Stonytrailers! 
It’s been a while. We landed in Melbourne/Australia over a month ago. Since then, time has gone by so fast. We are enjoying the gypsy life – living in the Stonytrails Mobile (conversion video below). Cruising around in our van, stopping wherever we want, falling asleep and waking up right next to the most amazing beaches feels like the purest form of FREEDOM.
So what does a „normal“ day look like? And where have we been and what have we been up to? Click here to find out!
Anna & Doug
Posted on November 20, 2016
Self-guided Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu
I talked about it a while ago and finally I finished the itinerary of our trek to Machu Picchu. It was amazing and we can only recommend diving into this adventure. This article will give you a good overview of how to to the trek by yourself and without a guide – yes it is possible!
You will find all the details you need to know to do the trek. The article includes information like preparation, day-by-day itinerary and most of the expenses.
If you still have questions feel free to contact us for more information. 🙂
Click here to get to the detailed guide for the Salkantay Trek.
Updated on August 12, 2016
About crazy hot and ice cold bus rides
In Rio de Janeiro we learned pretty quickly that bus rides in South America are a little bit different than the ones in Austria.
Point 1 – The schedule
Up until now we haven’t figured out weather the sometimes existing schedules are only there for decoration and the bus drivers themselves decide when they want to leave or if the delay is due to technical problems on the vehicle. Read More
Updated on August 6, 2016
Goodbye Rio!
Our first week of traveling couldn’t have gone better. Rio de Janeiro is a great city which fascinated us with its deversity. Skyscrapers, a lot of traffic, slums, beach bars, boardwalks and Co. blended with wonderful nature. We always could relax under palm trees on the beach, in parks or on top of a mountain and get away from the big city feeling. Read More
Updated on July 27, 2016
Facebook Updates
Hey Friends! Here on our Stonytrails-Facebookpage you find some quick Updates and some pictures! 🙂
Right now we have some problems with loading pictures up to the blog. I hope we can solve that problem soon.
Updated on July 22, 2016
Chaos, stress and no plan at all
The last two weeks in Austria have been quite a rollercoaster ride! I actually wanted to inform you guys about the last preperations for the trip and keep you updated but no chance, we just had so many things going on. Packing list and co will be coming later. Read More
Updated on July 3, 2016
Where are we going? How long?
This is how our trip could look like. Since we only booked one flight anything could happen. We wanna stay flexible and only “plan” step by step but we have an idea of where our journey could lead us to. Read More
Updated on July 3, 2016
Packing moving boxes – We are going to Rio!
There’s been a lot going on recently! We booked our first flight. We are starting our trip on July 18th and we are going to Rio de Janeiro – Brazil! Read More
Updated on July 3, 2016
