Jul 7 - Really, yesterday was our last day of interest on the trip. The day count stands at 456, excluding the time we spend in Portland, OR to see Beq’s graduation. Today is just flying, starting out in a Lyft from our Airbnb at 4:45 am.
Coming back to the mainland US may have seemed more significant if we hadn’t come back for a week in May. But in any case, this feels different, as there is no longer a plan other than settling for the time being in Mesa, Arizona.
There is a definite sense of regret about ending the travel. It is difficult to come down from seeing new things all the time. As difficult as it is to be constantly organizing transport, sorting out city maps, looking for meals, and packing up to move to another hotel, the thought of looking for rentals in Mesa, attempting to enroll Odette at school, insurance, car needs, etc, seems so mundane that I just cannot get the least bit excited about it.
Some statistics from the trip:
Counties visited = 37
Days spent = 456
Borders crossed (by land/sea) = 22
Borders crossed (by air) = 21
Cost on the ground (excluding flights) = $ 74,846
Cost on the ground from above per day = $ 177
Total cost of trip (excluding running US costs such as storage facility) = $ 97,332
Total km traveled (rental car) = 8,252
Total km traveled (taxi or other car) = 7,032
Total km traveled (bus) = 14,536
Total km traveled (train) = 7,028
Total km traveled (ferry) = 1,648
Total km traveled (flights) = 92,606
Total km by foot (probably 10-20% underestimated) = 2,837
As for the overall budget, I had originally estimated $ 90,000, but this was for one year. Seeing that we went for over 15 months, we stayed within budget. My pre-trip prediction was higher daily cost, but less overall flight cost. More creative overland or over-sea routes rather than flying would have resulted in significant savings but would have taken more time.
As for what we do from here, the most important objectives are to get jobs and for Odette to attend a full school year for 5th grade. This will take us to May 2024.
I am curious to see how we can or cannot adapt to a static lifestyle again. If I were to make a prediction, it would be that we eventually organize another trip!
United States of America (July 2023 - End of Trip)