In our post about the 7 micro projects we need to work on before leaving we talked about the things we need to get done before hitting the road in December. Let’s see how we’re doing now, shall we?

Before we go, though, I have to admit that calling them the 7 micro projects was an understatement. Like really, a huge one. There’s now a ton of new little projects to finish, most of them part of the main ones, but becoming their own, independent things. And they’re not even that micro anymore.

The idea that there’re only two months left before the take-off and leaving our friends, families and home behind, is getting more and more real. For someone like me, who tends to lean on the perfectionist side, managing everything even on a satisfactory (and preferably excellent) level, is a challenge but also a burden. However, now the demands have been reduced to “just get them done”. So here’s how we are doing:

1. Dental check ups, done and done! (Tip: hangover and dentist appointment do not go well together.)
2. Social media. I have signed up for a ton of social media platforms, and fallen in love with Twitter and Instagram. Although it seems a bit difficult to direct traffic to our blog, there is already a handful of people who actually follow our updates and comment on them. Our Twitter is blooming, and Instagram doing pretty well, as well. Got even a Periscope account (does anyone use it anymore?). I do spend a lot of time managing the accounts, and really like it. Plus I get to hang out with other travelers, while still at home 😉  I just wish that our followers will enjoy the actual new travel stories coming up soon. Not much of a travel blog without any fresh travel content. (See the Destinations menu above? That is where we will tell you about the places we go once we have left. Content will start flowing in in December. For now, it’s just us here in the Northern darkness and cold, counting the days.)
3. Looking for jobs and ways to live a location independent life. I do have a slight problem since my skills are very practical and based mainly on actually touching and talking to people, but we’ll see what happens. Some baits are in the water, already. LinkedIn, personal contacts, not being afraid of losing face, those are the main tools we’re and will be using. It just seems that your LinkedIn profile can never be too polished, there is always new ways to improve your status as a job seeker, internet is full of totally opposite tips and hacks how to do it, the requirements for any interesting post are just ridiculous and super unclear, too. (To be honest, I am very much afraid of losing face. However, I’m starting to think that after all the times I’ve made an idiot of myself in various situations and under all possible conditions, hey, I’ve got nothing to lose anymore. Not even my face 😀 )

4. Emptying our flat. Basement empty, nearly all extra dishes given away, and actually can see the attic storage floor now! We feel like ♥winners♥, although our apartment looks like a landfill at the moment. Our families, co-workers and friends have been a great help, but there is still so MUCH left. We have donated, sold, given away, recycled and packed so much, and still it seems we have no less stuff than a couple of months ago.

5. Planning the schedule. This is more or less the engineer’s one man show. I mean, I suggest and he implements. Most of times what he comes up with is far better than what I had in mind, or he manages to make my ideas ten-fold better. We have set the dates for the first month of our trip, booked some flights (see how to), learned how to use Western Union, and booked some hotels, too. In Goa, we will stay in a nice little hotel for at least the first week, and then maybe get to do that classic Goa walk, where you go around and ask hut owners for a place to stay for cheap. Or we just stay at the same place. It’s pretty cool to know that we will soon have the freedom to move around as much as we want to!

   

6. Getting our finances straight. We have pretty much saved the amount we decided to have before leaving, plus some. With a relaxed living style we can stretch our finances up to 5 months, including some heavy ass chillin’ in some nice hotels, and renting a co working space in various locations. However, if we decide to get really cheap, and opt for street noodles and cheap accommodation, we might be able to live somewhere in Taiwan or the neighborhood for nearly 8 months without any income. Not the ideal situation, especially since I can’t imagine not working or being productive for that long, but doable. On top of this, we have a bumper fund for when ever we feel like settling down somewhere.
7. Getting fit. I’ve gotten stronger, that’s for sure. The downside to this is, my favorite gym tee is starting to tighten around my shoulders, and I so don’t wanna part with it 😦

The bonus project: My Chinese reading and writing are definitely getting better, but I don’t think I’ll have any chance to improve my spoken Chinese before we actually get to Taiwan. I have been going through this book I bought in Beijing, and after a great tip from a friend, downloaded an awesome app called Pleco. Hands down the best free Chinese dictionary app I’ve ever used.