Andrew and I loved our time in New Zealand and Australia so much a few years ago that we decided it was worth a revisit – this time to explore parts of both countries we didn’t see the first time around. We were smitten by the pastoral and at times, majestic, landscapes in New Zealand, with the people and the food very close seconds. We spent more time on the north island the first time around – this time we will be only on the south island including a multi-day biking trip through areas we missed the first time with the same company we used before. We only visited Melbourne last go around in AU, and this time we will base ourselves in the Sydney area.
We are excited to have my brother, Noah, and his wife, Dalia, join us for part of this trip, and our dear friend, Kathy from Seattle is our travel buddy for the whole adventure. We will miss Kathy’s husband, Louis, but it will be fun to explore together with people we love so much. We’ve become devotees of “home exchanges” over many years and this trip is another bonus of this type of travel. There is no money exchange between families…we simply exchange homes. A lovely family from Queenstown will be staying in our home while we are staying in theirs. We’ve become virtual friends over many months and that’s really the experience we have had many times over in numerous countries. When we are in Sydney we’ll be staying in the home of another couple who is not coming to the States but they collect “guest points” they can use for other travel and they will be traveling in-country. This gives all involved the opportunity to experience “living like locals” and we have always found our home in pristine condition on return, and we leave their home just as we found it. I know this is not for everyone but we wouldn’t trade the cross-cultural exposure for anything.
This trip comes at a pivotal time for Andrew and I. Having sold our company, Patient Power, a couple of years ago to a larger media company that owns a handful of health-related websites, we have passed on much of our “tribal knowledge” to staff at the new owner company, and can continue to be a resource to them as needed. But most of our time as we head into 2023 will be devoted to more time with family and friends, travel (of course), and continued devotion to patient empowerment and advocacy. We are also very keen on mentoring young people who are interested in health communications and hope to have opportunities to teach, consult, and guide with the experience and passion we’ve accumulated over more years than I can admit.
My plan is to share our adventure “down under” through this blog – spice it up with pictures of the beauty we know we will find on these islands and continent so far away, and share impressions of the culture and peoples we’ll get to know along the way.
Kia Ora!
Esther
Living La Vida Loca 