I have a confession to make:  I have a love/hate relationship with resolutions and the new year.  Most people I know (including me) come up with the same resolutions every year – lose weight, save more money, exercise – but we fall off the wagon before turning the page on January.  Why does this happen?  I think it has to do with not having a plan.
This year Warren and I were inspired by Chris Guillebeau …

Happy New Year!  For us this is an especially important day because it begins our last 9 months before leaving on the Big Trip.  Last week my friend Karen pointed out the similarity to a pregnancy, which I’ve been thinking about ever since.  And in the immortal words of Prissy from Gone with the Wind: “I don’t know nothin’ ’bout birthin’ no babies!”
Fortunately for me, we are spending today away from phones, the Internet, and …

I was listening to This American Life this week, and one story was about a man who acted out his dreams at night, to an often hilarious or scary result. His doctor told him he was missing a key chemical in his brain that signaled his body to stay sleeping while he was dreaming.
Think about that for a minute.
Our bodies produce a chemical that keeps us physically controlled while we dream. Sure it is for …

Editor’s Note: This is the final post in a short series on vacations.  Click here to read from the beginning.
It happens all the time:  You plan the trip of your dreams, and somewhere along the way you fight with your travel partner and end up almost ruining the trip.  To top it off, the fight was over something stupid, like forgetting to pack an item, or even worse, a fight over something completely out of …

Editor’s Note: The theme this month is Money.
Now that you know how to make a budget, you can get down to the nitty gritty of where to spend and where to save.  And if you have a partner, the decisions can get complicated.

Your wife wants to keep her $150 hair appointments every month, even though you are over your head in credit card debt
Your husband plays golf every week to the tune of $100, not …

Editor’s Note: This is the third post in the 5 signs of a great life series. Click on the introductory post for links to all 5 signs at the end of the series.
If it’s true that you are like the five people you spend the most time with, what does that say about you?
Go ahead and make your list – not your 5 favorite people, but the 5 people you actually spend the most time …

People often express a desire for simplicity, and then they go crazy buying all the “stuff” needed to simplify: attractive boxes, magazines, books, and clear containers for all the household products that already come in containers.  It sounds crazy, doesn’t it?
Whether you are planning to purge everything to travel full-time like us or not, here are 12 ways you can easily simplify your life every month. 
January:  How many coats, gloves, mittens, and scarves do you …

Let’s face it, I’m a control freak.  And not in the “I know best” kind of way.  In the “you probably know best but I don’t trust you completely so why don’t you just let me do it” kind of way.
Whew.  It feels good to confess that (as if my loved ones did not know).  Is this the first step?
My biggest control issue is with driving.  Even though I rarely drive and it is a …

A few weeks ago my husband came home with a buzzed haircut.  Normally he wears his hair short and his beard cropped close, but this was entirely new.  His thought?  Having a buzz cut will be an easy, low-maintenance way to keep his thick hair manageable while we travel.
Um, remember we aren’t leaving for a year or so.
This is one of the reasons I love him.  He is always planning ahead, seeking out the best …