Check out their photos on Instagram and connect with them through Facebook and Twitter.
Gabrielle Guerra and Gregory Davidson are from the Seacoast of New Hampshire, USA. They are in a relationship, and just like any other relationships, they both are trying to build their dreams together. However, for this couple, they took it another step further by travelling across the globe and exploring things and places and learning new tricks and trades together. All these they are presently doing while discovering the good, the bad and the ugly about each other.
They went to high school together. It was during this time of their lives that their paths crossed and eventually started to date. 'We actually won the best couple superlative in our high school yearbook senior year. We both have down-to-earth personalities which have always matched very well together. Travelling can bring out the worst in people but we are able to keep each other balanced since we have both known each other for so long,' the couple shared.
Both graduated from college in 2013 and spent a couple of years working in the 'real world.' According to Gabby, they both would reminisce about their initial backpacking trip and 'vowed that we would one day set out for a new adventure.' While working, both promised to live at home and save as much money as possible in order to make that dream come true. 'Fortunately, both of our families are extremely supportive and we were able to save a good amount of money. We started to realise that the opportunity to travel again was something that we had enabled by living at home and saving up,' the couple shared during their exclusive interview with TravelersToday.
That initial trip happened while Greg studied in Barcelona, Spain. It was during the end of Greg's semester in his junior year of college when Gabby flew to Germany to meet him for a two-week long backpacking trip through Europe that included Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. 'The travel bug had bitten us both after exploring these amazing new countries together. This trip had also given us a taste of the fun lifestyle of 'being on the road' and how easy it was to travel for cheap. Travelling is such an amazing way to learn about the world, while simultaneously learning about yourself and that was something we both enjoyed,' they recalled. 'The scary decision to leave everything we knew was a little daunting, but with the support of one another and our families, we were able to take the leap,' they added.
So? What could have convinced this couple to leave what they have and set foot on unknown lands and places? Their answer is this:
What finally made us decide to do what we are doing right now was perspective. We realised that we are both young, had saved the money and if we kept putting off this dream that it would never materialise. That's when we finally decided to buy a one-way ticket to Ireland and put in our two weeks' notice at our jobs. It was certainly a very tough situation as we both really enjoyed our jobs and the people that we worked with. However, we knew if we didn't take a risk and do something scary such as leaving our financially stable jobs to pursue our dream of travelling that we may never get the chance in the future.
Of course, it was not a smooth-sailing journey. Aside from leaving a stable job and the opportunity to grow career wise, both Greg and Gabby have to make the biggest sacrifice: '...leaving our friends and families. We are fortunate as we both have a tight knit group of friends in our home town that have remained close over the years. We also have amazing families that we are very close with as well.'
At the time of the interview, the couple has been travelling for a little over two months on their current trip. They started in mid-September and planned to travel around Europe for a few months before heading to South East Asia where they will be spending an additional few months. Even with their current trip, the couple is facing another interesting challenge: 'We have not purchased a plane ticket home yet and hope to stretch our resources to be on the road for as long as possible!'
The couple posts their photos on Instagram: Gabby Taking Pictures. 'The theme to Gabby Taking Pictures is really great because it gives us endless possibilities of different places, styles and perspectives that enables us to take photos in a unique way,' they said. The photos posted in their Instagram accounts are taken in different angles and styles - some are photos of the landmarks, some are selfies with the landmarks and more.
They know that no matter how you prepare, you are bound to run into problems on the road. However, they believe that travelling has taught them so many lessons. They said:
Travelling is rewarding in so many ways. First, you get to learn a lot about different cultures and you get to see how people live in different parts of the world. You meet so many great people while travelling whether it be fellow travellers in hostels or people living in the communities of the places your visiting. It makes you reflect on how we live our lives back home and we think it helps you grow as a person. In our opinion experiences in life are more valuable than material things.
Secondly, it taught us to take risks. This whole trip is something most people dream of doing but keep saying one day they will. That 'someday' may never come and life passes by in the blink of an eye. We were fortunate with so many different aspects that allowed us the opportunity to take a trip like this but if we never took action to make it a reality it would still be just a dream.
Lastly, we would say that it has taught us to appreciate our lives. Visiting different parts of the world make you realise how lucky you are and truly appreciate everything you have. We only have one life so you should spend it doing what makes you happy despite the pressures of society. It is difficult to break away from the norm but the memories we will make on our travels are ones that we will have for the rest of our lives.
So, here is a little help from the travelling couple:
Take your time while travelling. We were rushing through the beginning of our trip in more expensive Western European cities attempting to spend less money. We commonly read not to rush while travelling but we wanted to see as much as possible in a shorter amount of time to not overspend. You can certainly see the highlights of a city but spending more than a couple days really gives you a lasting connection with the place you are travelling.
Take advantage of the free walking tours that are available in many different larger cities. Travelling is the greatest way to learn about a place and participating in a walking tour not only enables you to visit a city's most popular monuments, but you also gain more knowledge and further understanding of what you are standing in front of. We found also that walking tours are a great way to piece together different histories, cultures and people as they all intertwine.
Lastly, enjoy every minute of it!
Social media sites:
Instagram - www.instagram.com/gabbytakingpictures
Facebook - www.facebook.com/gabbytakingpictures
Twitter - www.twitter.com/gabbytakingpics
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
