We made it.

After much planning and even more day dreaming, "Juan Goman" and I have made it to Guatemala for our three-month travel adventure. First things first, thank you for encouraging us to pursue this idea and for cheering us on. There were many logistics to untangle along the way, but with your support we persevered and made it to the fun part: the trip itself!

FAQ:

• We saved some money, quit our jobs, disconnected our cell phones, rented our house in Denver and put our things in storage (I'd also recommend a visit to the Goodwill on Broadway as we've ensured it's fully stocked).
• We plan to travel for three months throughout Guatemala, which we chose because it came highly recommended by friends who had visited/volunteered here, and it fit our criteria: a Spanish-speaking country that neither of us had yet visited (Spanish-speaking so that Cara could navigate/practice and Johnny could learn). I also have a great opportunity to work with nonprofit Friendship Bridge (Puente de Amistad) during the trip.
• We tried not to pack too much, just one backpack each, so please excuse the repeat outfits in our photos.
• We'll have to be flexible on the vegan diet we've been following for the last eight months or so (to ensure proper nutrition and so as not to miss delights like Guatemalan pepillan). 

As to why we wanted to leave good jobs and a stable, happy home-life in the first place, that's more difficult to sum up here -- it has something to do with having caught the "travel bug," wanting to learn Spanish, the soul-draining confines of cubicle life and attending a Meet, Plan, Go meeting one fateful night.

I'll save it for another day. 

We are now in Antigua, a beautiful, tranquil colonial city surrounded by three volcanoes. (Yes, they are active, and yes, we'll be roasting marshmallows on one of them soon enough). We'll be here until the end of April, staying at Casa Menta, a wonderful shared house owned by a young Japanese couple (they also set out from Tokyo to see the world and loved Antigua so much that they decided to stay). So far, so good.

Photo bombed by a Guatemalana lady at el arco de Santa Catalina

Wish you were here! 

Cara and Johnny