Happy Thanksgiving to our readers in the USA, and for those of you in Canada, happy almost Thanksgiving! We have a lot to be thankful for this year. Since last Thanksgiving we’ve been to Africa, Europe and Asia. As this year winds down, we too will be returning to something that resembles a stationary life. And you know what, despite having a wonderful time traveling, I’m thankful for the opportunity to go home.

Our holiday this year will be in India. A far cry from the Thanksgiving’s of my childhood when the power went out due to snow and my dad cooked the entire meal on the charcoal grill. Nevertheless, we each have a lot to be thankful for this year and as we sit down to what will certainly be the spiciest thanksgiving in a while, here’s a short list of things I’ll be thinking about.

1)The opportunity to live our dream and be an example. Most people thought we were crazy when we set off on this adventure. As the end of our trip gets closer and closer I’m more and more thankful each day that we’ve made this journey happen, not just for ourselves, but also to serve as an example that dreams can be achieved. So many readers have emailed us questions about doing an around-the-world trip and some have even embarked on their own. It feels good not only to have followed our own dream but also to have helped inspire others to do the same.

2)The good, the bad and the ugly. There have been some awful experiences on this trip. There have been some incredible moments and some that bring me to tears. Looking back on it I’m thankful for each of these experiences. They don’t only color the trip and make it more interesting (frankly most people are interested in hearing about the bad stuff anyway!) they have also taught me a lot about what’s possible.

3) Our readers. From parents to extended family, friends to other bloggers, fellow travelers somewhere else in the world to those we meet at a hostel, we are forever indebted to our readers for keeping our spirits high, keeping this blog going and giving us support even when they don’t realize it. It’s a big world out there, but not a lonely one.