FAQ

How long are you going to be traveling?

We plan on traveling from the beginning of July 2010 until sometime in July 2011.  This all depends on if we get our current jobs back, and if Ilana has to be back for the start of the school year at the end of August.

Why are you doing something like this?

Bloom has long had the dream of travelling around the world with his wife.  Until a year ago, he was missing the wife part. We’ll say more in a blog post, but the main goals of the trip are to see a lot of the world while a) we are still young and don’t have commitments tying us down and b) it gets either destroyed or becomes taken over by Walmart.

Do you have experience traveling long term?

Both of us have lived overseas in Israel for a number of years, but as far as travel goes the longest Ilana has travelled for is probably two weeks. Bloom spent three months in South East Asia and China back in 2005.

Are you millionaires or something?  How did you pull this off?

We are definitely not millionaires!  Ilana is a high school teacher and Bloom works for a non-profit Jewish environmental organization.  Right, enough said there.  We have been saving money for this trip over the past three years, taking about 1/3 of each paycheck and putting it in a savings account that we never touch.  It helps that Bloom doesn’t drink alcohol or coffee!

What are you doing with all of your stuff?

We are subletting our rented apartment for the year, leaving most of our stuff at home. Some clothes and other items will be kept at Ilana’s relatives in Chicago and New York.

How will you keep kosher and observe Shabbat while on the road?

Keeping Jewish law on the road can certainly be challenging, but it is possible and can in fact be an asset – more on that in a blog post. As for food,  we eat in pure vegetarian restaurants, and will have a small pot and stove for emergencies, and of course, there is always fruit.