We use numbers to mark the passage of time. Three weeks, one year, two decades. This gives us a reference point with which to compare things, but it doesn’t tell much of a story. In a weeks time, a life can be upended by the death of a loved one or forever changed by a financial windfall. Over the course of a year, one could meet the person they will grow old with, become engaged and get married. Or they could graduate high school, drop out of college and end up teaching English in rural China. One can watch an entire decade, 3,650 days, elapse with the vast majority of those spent at a job they dislike, surrounded by people they cannot stand. A lifetime, measured in years or decades or even a century, made up of images whirring across closed eyelids like a carousel slide projector gone awry.

Today marks exactly one year since we boarded a plane bound for Taiwan with nothing more than the contents of our backpacks and an address, written in mandarin, that we were to locate upon arrival. Much has changed since that day, both personally and professionally. My wife and I have lost clients and found others, gotten laid off and started new businesses. We have made new friends and attempted to learn new languages. We’ve been joyous, sick and exhausted and in awe all in the course of a day many times over. When I look back on the time we’ve spent on the road, I am at once overwhelmed by how much we've experienced and surprised at just how normal it has felt. From that very first day. I can say without hesitation that it has been the best year of my adult life.

We’ve been hot, sweaty, frustrated and in tears (well one of us has). We’ve triumphed, laughed, been lost and found our way. We’ve conversed with cab drivers who couldn’t have been more friendly and narrowly escaped being robbed by others. We have lived without dishwashers, dryers, microwaves and blenders. We have had an irate Croatian woman (grandmother of our Airbnb host) barge in on us without knocking for using the air conditioner. We have grown accustomed to adapting to our surroundings. Our comfort zones have expanded simply by living every day. The best part of traveling with a partner is that complementary skillsets (as well as likes and dislikes) make for a very effective team.

There have been highlights, for sure. Hiking through mountains, valleys and rainforests over four days to witness Machu Picchu at sunrise. Tracking a giraffe on foot through the African bush for an hour and a half, eventually walking right up to him as he ate from a tall tree. Hiking into the Columbian jungle and spending the night in hammocks directly over the ocean during what felt like a hurricane. Many nights in Argentina spent inhaling rare steak and red wine. Really though, we have experienced a year of small moments that add up to a life well lived. Mostly we are thankful. Thankful that by luck of timing we live in an age where this lifestyle is possible. That we have friends, family and colleagues who are supportive. That we have each other.

We don’t know where we’ll end up, and if we will “end up” anywhere. We have our travel schedule mapped out through the end of 2019 and into 2020. I don’t foresee us reaching a point where our “trip” comes to an end, because at this point it has ceased to be a trip and is just life. I don’t expect there to be some moment where we look at each other and think “well that was fun, time to go home.” Perhaps I’m wrong about that, or perhaps we will simply tire of living in Airbnb’s and spending roughly a day or so each month traveling to a new destination. The beauty of having nothing to tie us to a particular location is that if and when that time comes, our options will be limitless. The only thing I am sure of is that we will continue to seek adventure wherever we go. I cannot wait to see what the next year has in store for us.