Rainer Jenss, his wife Carol, and their sons Stefan and Tyler, are just back from having spent a year traveling around the world, and we were able to follow along as they blogged about their journey for Intelligent Travel and National Geographic Kids. Now that they're back and adjusting to a static existence, we asked Rainer to reflect on his trip and share some of his favorite moments.
Wellfleet was abuzz with customary summertime activities just as it was a little over a year ago. We were last here at the very start of an around the world trip that would span exactly one year and cover 28 countries. Now we are back on Cape Cod as part of an annual family summertime ritual we've honored since the children were born.
Not much appears outwardly different. The bluffs of White Crest Beach have the usual stream of families and surfers tramping up and down its steep dunes. Swimmers bob in the Atlantic, which has warmed just enough to allow for some brief bursts of body surfing for those of us not in wetsuits. The local drive-in continues to feature the same intermission film clip; complete with dancing popcorn boxes and juggling soda cups, just as it did when it first opened in 1957.
Yet so much has changed since last July. The global economy and American leadership have radically altered and there seems to be a prevailing sentiment of unease about what the future holds. There's also no doubt my eyes see things quite differently than they did twelve months ago. It was enlightening to learn how people from all corners of the globe are influenced and affected by what happens in America. With the possible exception of Bhutan, there seems to be an almost universal fascination with our politics (yes, the election of Obama greatly improved the perception of Americas almost overnight), celebrities, and general lifestyle. As such, I've found it hard not to walk around comparing life in the U.S. to the rest of the world, for better or worse.
Wellfleet was abuzz with customary summertime activities just as it was a little over a year ago. We were last here at the very start of an around the world trip that would span exactly one year and cover 28 countries. Now we are back on Cape Cod as part of an annual family summertime ritual we've honored since the children were born. Not much appears outwardly different. The bluffs of White Crest Beach have the usual stream of families and surfers tramping up and down its steep dunes. Swimmers bob in the Atlantic, which has warmed just enough to allow for some brief bursts of body surfing for those of us not in wetsuits. The local drive-in continues to feature the same intermission film clip; complete with dancing popcorn boxes and juggling soda cups, just as it did when it first opened in 1957.
Yet so much has changed since last July. The global economy and American leadership have radically altered and there seems to be a prevailing sentiment of unease about what the future holds. There's also no doubt my eyes see things quite differently than they did twelve months ago. It was enlightening to learn how people from all corners of the globe are influenced and affected by what happens in America. With the possible exception of Bhutan, there seems to be an almost universal fascination with our politics (yes, the election of Obama greatly improved the perception of Americas almost overnight), celebrities, and general lifestyle. As such, I've found it hard not to walk around comparing life in the U.S. to the rest of the world, for better or worse.
It was also quite a shock to be hurled back into a more everyday state of being. For one, we are no longer living as
visitors in a foreign land. As much as we treasured and now miss this
existence, it's nice to have a reprieve from the usual trappings that
come with touring some of the world's more popular destinations.
Souvenir hawkers, unappealing restaurants and crowds were a constant
backdrop to our lives. And as much as I loved honing my skills as a
photographer, my shoulders welcomed a rest from lugging around all the
camera gear. Lying on the beach in Cape Cod, we are back to simply
being on a vacation, not an adventure of a lifetime.
This all started back in January of 2004 after returning from a family
trip to London for the holidays. Having witnessed how much the
boys enjoyed the experience of being overseas, a light bulb seemed to
go off in our heads simultaneously. Carol and I realized that our
dream of packing our bags to travel around the world that we had
shelved when the children were born was actually something we could
reconsider doing with the kids. Not only
would we fulfill a lifelong dream, we would provide the boys with a
foundation that would serve them well long into their adult lives. Four-and-a-half years later, we deconstructed
our lives, sloughing off a dozen monthly bills, corporate job responsibilities and
home ownership. We put all of our possessions in storage and
hit the road.
Since returning to the States, we've still been pretty much living out of suitcases and our traveling hasn't ended. There was a trip to North Carolina to visit Carol's mother, a few days at Lake Champlain to spend time with the family who joined us in Tanzania, and various other road trips visiting friends who were eager to hear about our adventures. Of course, everyone has asked us to show them some pictures, which we have, but the official photo album(s) and multimedia presentation won't be ready for another couple of weeks. Our re-entry, after all, involves a lot more than just sifting through the thousands of photos that need further editing. I'm not complaining in the least since reviewing the images allows us to relive some of the incredible memories of a magical year.
There were certainly too many highlights to try to recount now. Anyone who's followed my blog posts along the way will know what I mean. To answer a commonly asked question, however, here is a list of our top ten favorite places:
Nelson, New Zealand
Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Margaret River, Australia
Santorini, Greece
7D Ranch, Sunlight Basin, Wyoming
Cheetah Conservation Fund, Namibia
Machu Picchu, Peru
Arenal, Costa Rica
Kyoto, Japan
Ultimately, the most poignant moment of the trip might have came not as a result of being in the midst of any magical location or adventurous activity; it was delivered in the form of compliments from fellow travelers we met along the way. Sitting with our Bhutanese tour group on the final night of our expedition last October, we were each asked to reflect on our overall experience and share impressions of the country with everyone. I was completely taken aback and never so proud as when I listened to all the comments about not only how well Tyler and Stefan had behaved, but what an inspiration they were to so many members of the group. It's then that I realized how invaluable this experience really was and no matter what, it's possible to live a dream.
As fate would have it, the second half of the double feature we watched at the Wellfleet Drive-In this weekend was Julie & Julia, the real-life story of a young New Yorker named Julie Powell who hit it big after blogging about her passion for food. The movie follows the story of how Julie and her husband lived through a year of self-discovery as a result of a personal challenge she undertook to cook all the recipes in Julia Child's first book. Like Julie, our family learned a lot about each other and had some unforgettable experiences during our own one-year journey. The end result of my year-long blogs may not land me any movie deals or book contracts, but that was never the intent. Revealing the wonders of the world through travel to me, my family and anyone who was interested was the ultimate objective, and for that, I will be forever grateful.
To read back through the Jenss's Journey, check out the archives from their trip here.
Photos: Rainer Jenss
This all started back in January of 2004 after returning from a family
trip to London for the holidays. Having witnessed how much the
boys enjoyed the experience of being overseas, a light bulb seemed to
go off in our heads simultaneously. Carol and I realized that our
dream of packing our bags to travel around the world that we had
shelved when the children were born was actually something we could
reconsider doing with the kids. Not only
would we fulfill a lifelong dream, we would provide the boys with a
foundation that would serve them well long into their adult lives. Four-and-a-half years later, we deconstructed
our lives, sloughing off a dozen monthly bills, corporate job responsibilities and
home ownership. We put all of our possessions in storage and
hit the road.Since returning to the States, we've still been pretty much living out of suitcases and our traveling hasn't ended. There was a trip to North Carolina to visit Carol's mother, a few days at Lake Champlain to spend time with the family who joined us in Tanzania, and various other road trips visiting friends who were eager to hear about our adventures. Of course, everyone has asked us to show them some pictures, which we have, but the official photo album(s) and multimedia presentation won't be ready for another couple of weeks. Our re-entry, after all, involves a lot more than just sifting through the thousands of photos that need further editing. I'm not complaining in the least since reviewing the images allows us to relive some of the incredible memories of a magical year.
There were certainly too many highlights to try to recount now. Anyone who's followed my blog posts along the way will know what I mean. To answer a commonly asked question, however, here is a list of our top ten favorite places:
Nelson, New Zealand
Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Margaret River, Australia
Santorini, Greece
7D Ranch, Sunlight Basin, Wyoming
Cheetah Conservation Fund, Namibia
Machu Picchu, Peru
Arenal, Costa Rica
Kyoto, Japan
Ultimately, the most poignant moment of the trip might have came not as a result of being in the midst of any magical location or adventurous activity; it was delivered in the form of compliments from fellow travelers we met along the way. Sitting with our Bhutanese tour group on the final night of our expedition last October, we were each asked to reflect on our overall experience and share impressions of the country with everyone. I was completely taken aback and never so proud as when I listened to all the comments about not only how well Tyler and Stefan had behaved, but what an inspiration they were to so many members of the group. It's then that I realized how invaluable this experience really was and no matter what, it's possible to live a dream.
As fate would have it, the second half of the double feature we watched at the Wellfleet Drive-In this weekend was Julie & Julia, the real-life story of a young New Yorker named Julie Powell who hit it big after blogging about her passion for food. The movie follows the story of how Julie and her husband lived through a year of self-discovery as a result of a personal challenge she undertook to cook all the recipes in Julia Child's first book. Like Julie, our family learned a lot about each other and had some unforgettable experiences during our own one-year journey. The end result of my year-long blogs may not land me any movie deals or book contracts, but that was never the intent. Revealing the wonders of the world through travel to me, my family and anyone who was interested was the ultimate objective, and for that, I will be forever grateful.
To read back through the Jenss's Journey, check out the archives from their trip here.
Photos: Rainer Jenss
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Dear Rainer and family -- and the folks at NG's Intelligent Travel blog who published your blog -- thank you so much for sharing your adventures; you, and your sons through their blog, helped inspire our family to take a year away. We are blogging at away-together.com, and my 11-year-old daughter is blogging about her travel at collyworld.com. You set a high standard for writing and photography on your blogs, which we are trying to emulate, and most importantly, you helped us realize that we're doing the right thing by educating our kids and ourselves -- and strengthening our ties as a family, and broadening our perspectives as global citizens -- through a year of RTW travel.
I'm also glad to see Nelson as your favorite destination! We have a very loose itinerary, but we wanted to book a special place over the holidays, so we'll be at Harris Hill Farm on your advice over Christmas and New Year's, and also take a kayaking trip at Abel Tasman. I have a question for you regarding this: How remote is Harris Hill -- how easy is it to get into Nelson and enjoy the town? We are considering splitting half our time in Nelson at Harris Hill and the other half in the town proper rather than the whole time at Harris Hill, but we're not sure. Your advice is appreciated.
Take care and congratulations on your blogs and all you did during your travels. Sincerely,
Sarah
Hi Rainer,
I've just come across your blogs. This is inspiration to my wife and I. A few years ago, I threw in a hectic corporate job for time travelling the UK with my wife and young daughter. We saw some great things, had memorable adventures, grew closer as a family, and re-entered the slipstream of work refreshed and reinspired. We'd love to take the global plunge and follow your example at some point in the future. Thanks for the story of your travels.
Its nice to blog especially if you have a change to travel around the world through cruise vacations, back pack, or rail travel. You can share real experience and travel guide to your readers.