Global Goryls: Trip Overview

Five months passes quickly, almost unfairly so, when every day presents a new backdrop, a cultural challenge, or some sort of edible vegetable you’ve never heard of on your plate. Since touching down in Auckland to saying “adios” to Buenos Aires some 143 days and 4 continents later, we enjoyed an exciting mix of cultures and people along the way. At the risk of using such cliché, this trip was a dream come true for us, and it provided sights, sounds, smells -- oh my, the smells -- and stories that we’ll be laughing about for the rest of our lives. We’re certainly couldn’t have done it alone, and we didn’t. We thank everyone that supported this unconventional approach to our first year of marriage, including our families, friends and fellow travelers who supplied invaluable advice on everything from spreading out precious hotel points to making the most of the very limited space in our bags. Although the list of places we’d like to travel to somehow grew during the trip, we are excited about returning Home to the best country of all, the USA.

If you followed us at all during our travels, we’d love to hear from you (scott.goryl@gmail.com, kristagoryl@gmail.com). And please don’t hesitate to contact us if you ever want to give this kind of trip a whirl, or if you just want some suggestions on places we have been. We’d love to share! Thanks.

Some Global Goryl Facts and Figures:

• Air Miles flown: 43,103 miles (nearly twice around the equator; 18% of the way to the moon)
• Longest Flight: Los Angeles to Aukland, NZ (6,510 miles)
• # of airlines flown: 16
• # of flights: 25
  
• # of accommodations booked: 60
• Total # of countries visited: 16
• Most time spent: Argentina
• Foreign language most often spoken: Spanish (6 weeks)

Some Frequently Asked Questions:

Top Destinations (in no particular order):

South Island (New Zealand), Perth (Australia), Koh Samui (Thailand), Santorini (Greece), Patagonia (Argentina)

Out of places you visited, where could you live?

Perth, Australia. Low-key, clean and manageable city with awesome beaches, great people and the Margaret River region just a few hours away.

What foods did you miss most? And where did you enjoy the food most?

Burritos and reliable sushi. India and Thailand were hands-down the best food spots.

Where do you wish you went on this trip but weren’t able to?

Krista - South Africa, Norway/Sweden/Finland, and Costa Rica.

Scott - Ahhh, lots of places, but to name a few we were close to: Malaysia, Vietnam and Turkey. Also, we had to pull Peru (flooding) and Chile (earthquake) off the itinerary.

“Most Wanted” locations to visit next:

Alaska, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Tulum (Mexico), South Africa, and we desperately want to go back to Fiji.