Now that the trip is only a week away, I would like to introduce you to my fellow traveler! Since you have met me, you should now understand that I am a compassionate and sensitive individual who is drawn to all things beautiful. But to fully appreciate this post, you must also realize that I enjoy getting a full 8 hours of sleep (7.5 hours is not sufficient), plans/lists/schedules are necessity in my life, and I would like to live to be 100.

Meet John. My 25 year old brother who is a “virgin-traveler,” meaning he’s never traveled internationally. He has been rereading the same page of the world (titled America) his entire life and I feel so privileged to be the little sister who takes him on his first big adventure.

John isn’t quite like me though. Okay, understatement of the year.  John and I are the definition of opposing personalities. He is the daredevil adventurer who prefers activities that have a 75% injury rate. Sleep is a luxury he doesn’t believe is affordable to those who truly want to live life. And I had to convince him to go on this trip because he thought Australia wouldn’t hold enough excitement for him.

Our personalities clash a lot. If you read between the lines, you will probably see some tension between us for the duration of this trip. But part of what makes a team dynamic is conflict (or so I’ve heard), so together, this should be the trip of a lifetime for us.

John will be the primary videographer for the trip, and will be sharing his own insights at his blog, sn4ves.com. If my writing is a bit too proper for your taste, visiting his site is the way to go!