It’s 5am and I can’t sleep. The sun is peeking through the curtains of our cottage for the weekend in Castine Maine. It’s cool inside but comfortable, and I love the smell of pine and salt water. I have one of those “pinch me” moments as I let Spencer (our 8 pound yorkie) out to the screened porch and enjoy the view of the ocean realizing again, this is why we chose travel therapy.

Having grown up and spent all our lives in CA, there were times I dreamed about a cross county road trip to Maine. Or maybe visiting Texas and hearing a southern accent, specifically the word y’all. As I grew older, and watched those Alaskan reality shows I wondered, was Alaska really like that?

Both Kari and I always loved seeing new places, hiking, and adventuring, however we never considered travel therapy. We were approached about it a few times during our 3 years of PT school, but never gave it a second thought. Trying to navigate school and boards kept us too busy to really look into what travel therapy was all about.

Fast forward almost exactly 4 years after graduation, and we have been traveling for over 2 1/2 years. More than half our PT career. I write this from a table in our cottage for the weekend, just 2 1/2 hours from the most eastern point of the United States.

Enjoying some sun with Spencer (Castine Cottages)

Since beginning travel therapy, we have lived through an Alaskan winter, trialed dog sledding, and walked through a glacial cave. We have photographed bald eagles, viewed the northern lights and stayed up to watch a sunset at 11:30 pm. After Alaska, we traveled South where we were able to enjoy the hottest, most humid summer of our lives in Louisiana. This included eating alligator, crawfish and hushpuppies, while learning not to let your dog get bit by a copper head snake.

We have taken two assignments in CA to visit family and re-explore the town we grew up in. Our wanderlust continued, and eventually would lead us to Massachusetts learning what it was like to live on Cape Cod. We rented a room from our new good friends Michael and Lynn, who come to find out knew some of the Kennedy family, and even rented their yacht to them when one of theirs was destroyed in a crash. We learned all about the Figawi race to Nantucket (which Michael and Lynn have won in the past), and made a trip to Martha’s Vineyard to bike along the island. Lastly, we visited Houston Texas and found out you can wear a T-shirt and shorts all year round as winter is almost non existent.

That brings me back to Maine and our two bedroom cabin where we have enjoyed another rough winter, two power outages (4 days consecutively on one of them), and learned the importance of a wood stove when it is -17 degrees.

So why did we choose travel therapy? In hopes to experience something more than we had seen. The thought of having 3 weeks of PTO a year to explore the US was not enough and we took a chance. So far, this life has had many ups and downs, but despite the tough times, we truly enjoy the experience. Why do we continue to travel? Simple. I wake everyday unsure of what new place I will see. There are new people, new adventures, and different ways of life. I don't want to vacation in Maine, I want to live it. Whats the best shirt to wear in Louisiana when it is 95 degrees and 90% humidity? Now I know…None! Can you drive to Alaska? Sure, I can even map the route by memory. I’ve even met someone who knew members of the Kennedy family.

We aren’t sure when this travel career will end, but with experiences like these, it’s hard to stop.

so what makes you travel?

Kari sunbathing and relaxing as our weekend comes to an end; Castine Cottages.

Why We Travel....

so what makes you travel?