We are Jeff and Nicola, and we live to travel. We've completed our third full year of global exploration, with our most recent journey spanning from August 2024 to July 2025. This travel freedom is thanks to the "Four-for-Five" deferred salary leave structure from our careers: we work for four years on 80% pay, and the fifth year is dedicated to exploring the world. Nicola recently wrapped up her third such leave, while Jeff, now happily retired (as of June 2024!), is on a permanent adventure.
But our passion for the road doesn't pause! In between our major trips, we’ve squeezed in amazing adventures to places like the Galapagos, Egypt, Scandinavia, and more. Nicola, the original explorer who introduced Jeff to the world, has visited 111 of the 195 UN Countries and Observer States, while Jeff is catching up at 91.
Our travel style is all about authentic exploration and smart planning. We stay in affordable Airbnbs, hostels, and local hotels, hunt relentlessly for the best flight and transport deals, and save tours for only when absolutely necessary. We approach the world with an open itinerary, knowing the direction but letting the details unfold—because the best stories are always found off the beaten path!
Our epic Pacific journey cruised from the intimate lagoons of French Polynesia (Bora Bora, Moorea) across four days of open sea to the volcanic shores of Hawaii (Hilo, Kona, Maui). This post covers our entire Tahiti to Honolulu cruise, highlighting the dramatic contrast between two Pacific paradises.
The first leg of our month-long South Pacific cruise took us from Fiji to Tahiti! We detail the dramatic boarding scare, snorkeled the spectacular reef at Dravuni, enjoyed the cultural centre in Samoa, explored the beautiful Cook Islands, and finally reached the paradise of Bora Bora and Moorea.
A two-month journey from the spirituality of Antigua's Semana Santa, the colossal Mayan ruins of Tikal, Spanish lessons on Lake Atitlán, and the Lagoon of Seven Colours in Bacalar. We wrapped up in Riviera Maya and survived a flight cancellation in Cancún before leaping across the Pacific to Fiji.
We cracked the code for a budget Maldives trip: skipping the resorts for local islands Gulhi and Maafushi. We found the best house reefs, enjoyed nightly shark viewings, and survived a territorial fish attack! This is our full story on local guesthouses, cultural quirks, and the 25-hour flight home.
