Our Internet Stalker and Other Blog Friends

By Julia
Stowe, Vermont

  I will be the first to admit there are few things more self-indulgent than keeping a blog.  But we live in the age of the digital fishbowl, and Tom and I figured the most non-intrusive way of keeping people updated on our travels would be this blog.  I'm so happy we decided to put in the effort - In addition to having a written record of our feelings, experiences and reflections, we have recently realized there was another perk to the blog: inspiring others.

High Tea in Jaipur with Insta-Friends Emily and Josh

  I have a friend from college named Jason who started researching an extended trip around the time Tom and I left for Central America (a year ago last week!).  He used me and some other friends as travel resources and ended up traveling throughout Southeast Asia and New Zealand in the fall and early part of 2011.  We ended up getting together for drinks and an excellent drag show in Bangkok!

Not sure what I was going for in this picture, but it's the only one I have of Jason and me

  I have another friend from college, Dan, who had a great career in marketing and was living in New York.  A few months ago I got an e-mail from him telling me he was quitting his job and planned to travel in Southeast Asia for 2 months this summer.  I gave him a few tips and before I knew it I got an email from Thailand.  He's currently getting his SCUBA certification on the island of Koh Tao.  He too is blogging: http://seasabbatical.blogspot.com/

  Over the past few weeks of wedding-related travel, we've had many friends and friends of friends let us know they were following us on our travels.  They'd list their favorite pictures from the blog or retell one of our stories.  It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know our pictures and tales were appreciated.  In one particularly heart-warming instance, my friend Adam's mother Karen explained at his wedding that she was not only reading our blog, but reading it aloud to her elderly mother, with whom she speaks on the phone every night.  "It was like being able to read a story to her," she told us.

  We were able to meet Adam's grandmother at the wedding, and we felt like mini-celebrities as Karen whispered who we were into her mother's ear and her eyes lit up.  She beamed as she shook our hands.

    Our most delightful blog-related encounter was also our most unusual.  We received a few e-mails from strangers throughout the trip, most of whom were related to a friend or relative.  The very last day of our trip, however, we got an e-mail from a complete stranger from Washington D.C..  The author of the e-mail, Emily, explained that she had found our blog and had started following us.  She was quitting her Hill Staffer job and planning her own RTW trip.  She said she used our blog for information and inspiration.  She told us, "Thanks to your advice, I will take lots of pictures when my hair looks good and not skip Turkey, among many other things of course!"


  The universe soon brought Emily, who kept apologizing for "internet stalking" us,  to Vermont, and we decided to grab a beer together in Burlington.  Tom, Emily and I got along fabulously from the very moment we met on the steps of the Vermont Pub and Brewery.  "Where are you staying?" I asked.  Emily explained she was staying in a motel in South Burlington.  "Um, you should probably come up to Stowe tomorrow and stay with us."  After a little convincing from Tom about getting used to accepting the kindness of strangers while traveling, Emily agreed to join us in Stowe the next day.   The three (well...four including Sylvester) spent a spectacular summer day playing by the creek, enjoying dinner on the porch, and watching the darkness fall over the mountains in front of a campfire in the backyard.  Read Emily's alternate account of the meeting here: http://shenanighans.blogspot.com/2011/06/community-of-travelers.html

Me, Tom, Emily and Sylvester (This is not a very flattering blog post for me, but oh well)

   So in addition to all the friends we made while traveling, we made a few just by blogging!  I can't wait to follow Emily's adventures through our old stomping grounds, and feel grateful the Internet Gods brought such a cool girl into our lives.   We wish her an incredible trip abroad!


  Who knew blogging could create and strengthen ties to our family and friends?  Here we thought we would just be using the blog to tell our story, and instead the blog helped create the story itself.