We're Preeti and Doug, two travel addicts introduced by a mutual friend, who knew that our love for travel would lead us on some amazing adventures. We were long distance dating for just a short time and decided on Machu Picchu as our first trip together. After spending 10 days in Peru having the time of our lives, we realized our mutual love for travel could lead to even more thrilling experiences...if we did them together. After a few years of living apart, and traveling together, we decided to move to Raleigh, NC to begin our next chapter. Since we were quitting our jobs and packing all of our belongings in boxes anyway, we thought we should take an open-ended trip.
We decided a long term trip would allow us to get to more remote places and have more in depth experiences. So we left the daily grind behind, and replaced it with a full-time nomadic life, as we traveled through Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia for a year in 2012. After returning to the US, six years of the 9 to 5 brought back the travel bug and we decided to become vagabonds again in the fall of 2019. We started on a US/Canada roadtrip through the Northeast for 4 months and when it got too cold, we flew down to South America. We waited out the lockdown for over 90 days in Cape Town and are currently traveling in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. We are always on the hunt for off the beaten track destinations and uncommon adventures. Our long term travels have taught us that traveling slow and not planning intense itineraties are the best ways to leave room for local recommendations and unexpected opportunities. They say travel is the only thing you buy, that makes you richer, so we hope our experiences will inspire you to travel more and travel farther.
Preeti Schatzman
My fondest memories of my childhood, were the annual road trips we used to take as a family. Immigrating from India in the early 80's, my parents wanted to ensure my brother and I lived the American dream by visiting a new frontier, every year, in our old Dodge Caravan. They replaced the back seats with a mattress and as our parents took turns at the wheel, we took turns as their trusty co-pilots. We took road trips to Niagara Falls, The Grand Canyon and Disney World, just to name a few. When I grew up, my dad and I went to Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and The Philippines. Suffice it to say, the international travel bug had bitten me hard, and over the next four years, I went to 9 different countries. In 2007, I quit my job to travel (for the first time) and meandered solo through Central Europe for 4 months.
I'm a self-confessed photographer, foodie, gardener, orchid mom, bartender, chef, birder, and DIYer. I love using my hands to create absolutely anything...why buy it, if you can make it!? I seek balance in my life and try to treat others the way that I want to be treated. My favorite sounds are ocean waves coming to shore and a cat curled up in my lap purring. My favorite views are usually high up on a mountain peak, or 30 to 60 feet below the Ocean. I love the cultural perspectives and experiences that travel brings. International travel is humbling, insightful, educational, adventurous and challenging...and coming home after a long trip, makes you appreciate home that much more.
Doug Schatzman
I was born in the Midwest of the United States. I rarely traveled growing up. I didn't get the travel bug until I started working as a software developer for a US airline. That allowed me to start taking standby flights in my free time. My first international trip was to Rio de Janeiro and I have been hooked ever since. I flew close to 900,000 miles for fun while working at the airline over 7 years. However, long weekend trips or the occasional longer vacation didn't allow the depth of experience I was looking for and that inspired the first long term trip.
When not on a long term trip, I can usually be found on the golf course, long bike rides, the climbing gym, or doing yoga. Nonathletic activities involve trying out the food and bar scene.