14 Feb

Posted at 02:44h in Uncategorized
What have been the "defining moments" of your life? What are the most important situations and events you've experienced that have shaped you as a human being? Have you ever experienced an event that was so deeply intense, or powerful, or scary or or moving that it changed you to the core? I think it's difficult to get through life without having at least a few experiences like that... And if you live the way Missy and I do, you'll probably encounter a few more than average. We spend the winters in a different part of the world every year with our children. Last year we lived on the beautiful island of Bali for 5 months, the year before we had an epic South East Asian Adventure... And this year we decided to live in the Middle East; the Arab Emirates, Oman, Lebanon and Egypt. Travel is one of our greatest passions. We've enjoyed over 20 years of intense, focused, adventure travel together. We've shared MANY life-changing experiences, which have made us smarter, shaped our lives, our parenting philosophy and our relationship. But nothing could have prepared us for what we would experience in Cairo in the winter of 2011…

26 Oct

Posted at 08:25h in Quality of Life
When it comes to travel, the question Missy and I are most often asked is, “What was your favorite trip ever?” The answer to that question is simple; there is NO WAY we can answer that question! Every trip we’ve taken has been different and wonderful in it’s own way… From luxurious indulgences in SE Asia to challenging safaris in sub-Saharan Africa, from short romantic getaways in Europe to extended stays in 3rd world countries, from rainforest treks with our friends to awesome educational adventures with our kids… It's just impossible to single out one travel experience as our favorite trip ever. But Missy and I really DO want to share some of our travel experiences with you, so we created a series of posts that outline some of our favorite trips BY THEME.

22 Oct

Posted at 10:04h in Quality of Life
Transylvania, surrounded by the mighty Carpathian mountains of Central Romania, is one of Europe’s best kept secrets... Missy and I spent a week driving through this beautiful region and it was one of the most unusual and enjoyable travel adventures we’d ever had together. From the moment we crossed the border from Hungary, it was “goodbye Starbuck’s and McDonald’s” and we spent the next 7 days exploring ancient castles, virgin forests, medieval towns and rural villages that haven’t changed much since the 18th century. The name Transylvania conjures up images of vampires, werewolves and haunted castles – and there is a very good reason for that...

22 Oct

Posted at 08:06h in Quality of Life
Myanmar, formerly Burma, is one of the most mysterious and undiscovered destinations in the world. One of South East Asia’s largest and most diverse countries, it is situated on the vast Indian Ocean in between the two great Asian civilizations of India and Thailand. A land of breathtaking beauty and charm, it has only recently begun to emerge into the modern world. Myanmar is called “the MOST Buddhist country on earth”. And for good reason…

21 Oct

Posted at 08:03h in Quality of Life
Two of our dearest friends were invited to attend a wedding in La Paz, Bolivia (how random is that?) and they asked us if we wanted to join them. Heck yes! (it doesn’t take much to get Missy and me to jump at a chance to go somewhere we’ve never been before…) And we all decided that, since we’ll be in the neighborhood, we should stop by Machu Piccu in Peru to take in one of the world’s most awesome sights at the same time! So off we flew! Miami to Panama, Panama to Ecuador, then over the great desert lake of Titicaca and straight on to Bolivia...

20 Oct

Posted at 08:01h in Love Relationship, Quality of Life
When it comes to romance, Europe wins hands down! Nothing compares to walking hand in hand down the cobblestone streets of a medieval square at sunset, looking for that perfect cafe table to spend a romantic 3-hour dinner, gazing into each other's eyes and sharing a beautiful bottle of wine... If you're in love, that's just as good as it gets. One of the most romantic places we've ever been in Europe is the stunning, crescent shaped island of Santorini, Greece, with it's quaint white villages clinging to the volcanic cliffs above black sand beaches...

19 Oct

Posted at 07:59h in Quality of Life
Missy and I have seen a lot of the world, including many 3rd world countries, and it’s pretty difficult to give us culture shock… But that is exactly what happened on this life-changing adventure… We’d been trekking through India for more a little more than a week, dressed traditional in Indian clothes, eating the local food, experiencing the local customs and taking in the EXTREMES of this fascinating culture; from the most spectacular opulence of the Taj Mahal, to the most intense poverty in the back streets and alleys of Dehli… But nothing could prepare us for what we’d experience in Varanasi.

18 Oct

Posted at 07:51h in Parenting, Quality of Life
My good friend, Tim Ferris, wrote a little book you may have heard of, "The Four Hour Work Week" (it's sold like 10 trillion copies). Missy and I read it at the same time in early 2008. Among the many big ideas in that book, Tim poses the following question (and I paraphrase); "If you have a job you can perform remotely, why not go live in another country for a while, have a serious, life-changing adventure, and come back smarter, wealthier and substantially more cool?" Reading Tim's book just happened to coincide with another discovery, namely, that our youngest daughter, Jade, was dyslexic, which is why school was so difficult for her. She needed a change. And we needed to do whatever was necessary to help her increase her self-esteem. These factors, coupled with our already passionate love of travel, could only mean one thing...

23 Aug

Posted at 14:12h in Social Life
I’m enjoying a tasty Expresso, while watching the morning sun warm the crystal clear waters of the Caldera in Santorini, Greece. The sleepy town of Fira is starting to come to life now; shopkeepers and café owners greeting each other, farmers driving horse-drawn carts hauling vegetables into town, dogs barking, motorbikes humming in the streets above the village…

22 Aug

Posted at 09:40h in Intellectual Life
J&M ParthenonJanuary 14, 2010. 3:30 PM. Kuching, Malaysia - Missy and I just boarded a local flight bound for the rainforests near Kota Kinabalu, Borneo. Our plane took off in the sheets of torrential rainfall that typify the monsoon season in this part of the world. It seems like a good, sturdy vessel, so we recline our seats a bit and relax. Now, gently floating above the clouds together, warm coffee in our hands, we turn our attention to one of our favorite subjects of all time; exploring the world in which we live.
Jon and Missyon boat We begin by reflecting on how excited we are to finally experience Borneo. It’s been on our "travel hit-list" for a very long time. We’ve spent a great deal of time in Indonesia; Java, Bali, Lombok, Sumba… But Borneo is different than the other islands. It’s one of the least explored places on earth.