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We’re Fascinated ByThe World!

Welcome! We’re thrilled you’re here. With more than 9 years under our blogging belts, and over 600 posts, Gallivance serves up a lot to digest. But if you want a taste of who we are, and what Gallivance has to offer, start right here.

Just pick your favorite topic, and dive in! If you like what you see, then please Follow Gallivance and we’ll let you know what we’re up to.

WONDERING WHO WE ARE?
Our Story
Shamrocks and Rubies: So Who Gets Married on St. Patrick’s Day?
A Slate Wiper Minus the Hurricane
Left Brain Meets Right Brain: Behind the Scenes at Gallivance

LOOKING FOR OUR TRAVEL INSIGHTS?
Why Does Travel Make Us Smile? 5 Reasons
7 Lessons Learned in 7 Years of Blogging
7 Reasons to Rent an Apartment the Next Time You Travel
10 Things We Learned From Years of Travel

SEEKING WAYS TO SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE?
The Quest to Simplify Our Life
Simplifying Our Life: The 7 Changes That Made All the Difference
Simplify Your Life: It’s Your Money – Keep More of It!

NEEDING A DOSE OF TRAVEL HUMOR?
Bushwacked in Krakow
Donkey Tales from Santorini
Salamanca Cathedral and a New Kind of Easter Egg

SEARCHING FOR EXOTIC PLACES?
The Road Less Traveled: 10 Off-the Beaten Path Destinations for 2020
Bewitching Bangkok
Uxmal: A Window Into the Maya

CONTEMPLATING LOVE?
Hearts Abound: Chance Favors the Prepared Mind
My Love Affair With Jim Thompson
Lima’s Luscious Balconies: A Tale of Jealousy

CRAVING SOME NEW TASTE SENSATIONS?
Finding Common Ground
Eating Our Way Through Europe
Feasting in Luang Prabang

ADMIRING PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD?
Serbia: At the Crossroads of Europe’s Refugee Crisis
Indomitable: The Kids of Sarajevo
Celebrating Women Around the World

GAZING AT ARCHITECTURE?
Fantastic Frescoes of Rila Monastery: The Devil’s In the Details
The House That Chocolate Built
Iceland’s Quaint Corrugated Construction: From Mundane to Marvelous

SEEKING WAYS TO FEEL AT HOME … ANYWHERE ON THE GLOBE?
The Global Cottage
25 Tips to Make Your Short-Term Apartment a Reality
Savannah’s Tiny Cottages: Total Charm in 300 Square Feet

EXPLORING TRAVEL SCIENCE AND NATURE?
Petra Rocks!
Architecture Imitates Nature in the Land of Fire and Ice
Art Meets Science in Tallinn

 

121 thoughts

    1. Thanks Francine. I really enjoyed your post on simplicity and the Amish. I grew up near an Amish community and was fascinated by their lifestyle. Thanks for sharing the 10 tips.

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  2. Terri and James, thank you for recently stopping and liking a post on my blog. Your blog likes an incredible story and journey through life. I look forward to following along on your continued journey and gallivanting.

    Take care,

    Ivon

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    1. Hi Ivon, I’m so glad you stopped by. I thoroughly enjoy your blog and particularly liked your Blessings post. You’re so right about not taking things for granted. Looking forward to reading more. All the best, Terri

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  3. Terri and James: Thank you for reading my post, Drowning in “Stuff” today. I’m slowing starting to post to my blog when I can find time to write. Your blog is awesome! I will travel vicariously with you. Thanks!

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    1. Thanks for the comment Mavendeb, and for dropping by the blog. We, like you, have gone through the process of downsizing. It’s amazing how much effort it takes. I’ll be curious to see how the booth works. That’s one that we haven’t tried, but it sounds good.

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    1. Thanks for dropping by the blog and for the comment. Your food photos in your recent post looked delicious and made me hungry. As a cold weather sissy, I respect anybody that can make it through a MN winter. Good thing you found some great food to keep the fires burning.

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  6. Hi Terri and James. Thanks for stopping by my blog and liking my post on the sunsets from Petra. I have just followed your blog and look forward to reading more about your adventures, but also to be able to spend some time exploring your blog in more depths. I certainly feel very priviledged to live near Petra. If you ever find yourself back in this part of the world drop me a line and I can give you some local insight into this wonderful country.

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    1. Thanks Andrea for the nice comment and for visiting our blog. Our time in Petra and Wadi Musa will be a life memory. BTW, I loved your post about the scorpion encounter. I’m not spooked by most things, but scorpions totally creep me out. I lived in Texas for a while, and a friend there was making a middle-of-the-night trip to the loo, and stepped on one in his living room. Needless to say, he was barefoot, and NOT a happy camper. YIKES.

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    1. Thanks for the comment and for dropping by the blog Cindy. We’re incredibly lucky and agree wholeheartedly with your tag line: “Nine out of ten things that you worry about don’t happen.” Thanks

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    1. Hi Jade, Thanks so much! I love your post “The joy of getting stuck in Southern Ethiopia” – particularly the photos. You really captured the spirit of the people. Please drop by any time. All the best, Terri

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  12. Wow, I could stay up all night reading your blog Terri and James! It is AMAZING! I also truly love your format, especially the page “Where to Start”. Do you have a self hosted site? I’m guessing you must as I’ve neever seen this kind of layout on the regular free wordpress. It is really fantastic. I just wish I’d known about your blog sooner! I have so much I want to read yet not enough time with two relatively young kids stiill. But I’ll get there. Where do you live now?

    Reply

    1. Hi Nicole, Thanks for your very kind words. I feel the same way about your blog – I start reading and then just caught up in your web of wonderful – the next thing I know it’s an hour later. Our blog is not self hosted. It’s on WP using a theme called Sight. We chose it because it had the clean, minimalist look we wanted that focused on the photos and words. We wanted a slider, featured posts, and a menu bar with lots of options so we could expand our scope. All those features are standard. Like you, we did the customized option so we could get the fonts we wanted.

      I’m sure that your kids totally keep you on your toes! How do they like travel?

      As to where we live: Last summer when we completed our second RTW we knew that we wanted a tiny home base – somewhere we loved and could just turn the key and go traveling anytime. So we bought a little 1 bedroom (severely distressed) condo on St. Simons Island, GA and named it “Basecamp Gallivance.” Between traveling, we’ve been renovating it (and blogging about it under the top tab “Global Cottage”). It’s a comedy of errors. ~Terri

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      1. Thanks Terri! I haven’t heard of your theme before but it is fantastic! I just changed mine back in the fall and love it, yet once I saw yours and that awesome slidder and pages, I realized there are better ones out there! Yet it is so much work to change! 🙂

        GA must be beautiful! I’m so excited to have found your blog and can hardly wait to dig in a bit more. The kids do keep me busy. They are 6 and 8 and normally we only do traveling to visit the grandparents in AZ and VA. We haven’t brought them anywhere exotic as it is expensive and they are still young. I really hope we can someday in the future as that is what inspired me to be a life long wanderlust! My parents brought us everywhere!

        🙂 Nicole

  13. Hi Terri and James, thanks for reading and liking my post, I’m exploring your adventures and enjoying it very much!!I love the spirit, the humor and the humility you’re traveling with. The best of luck. Jessica.

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    1. I’m so glad you stopped by Jessica, and thank you for your very kind words. You are incredibly talented and I truly enjoyed your post “Just Travel” because you provided wonderful insight into your life. I’m looking forward to reading much more. All the best, Terri

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  14. Hi Terri and James,
    first, thank you for stopping by at our blog. Second, wow! What a history of traveling and marriage bond. It is our first travel together for this period of time, and we’re hopping that there will be more to come in future :). We will be doing some serious reading on your site. We have a lot to learn about traveling …

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    1. Hi Radka, thanks so much. It looks like you and Corey are really having a wonderful adventure. I love your apartment in Perugia – it reminds me of the one we had in Dubrovnik! When you talked about simplifying your lives I was smiling because it reminded me of when we did the same thing. I’m so glad you stopped by and I’m looking forward to your journey. All the best, Terri

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    1. Hi K.C. I really enjoyed your “Five Travel Excuses Examined” – a great post and spot on. BTW, my first time away from home was also to Brownie Camp where we learned to make “sit-upons” and some vile camper’s stew! It kindof prepared me for trying new foods in different countries. Looking forward to reading about your teaching experiences in China. All the best, Terri

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  23. Pingback: Baking Biscuits: The Loveless Cafe Way | noted in nashville

    1. Thanks so much Anita for your kind words and for the link to our blog. It was very thoughtful of you, and we really appreciate it. And for our readers out there who want to hear a wonderful, talented singer, and to read her erudite commentary on the Nashville scene, visit http://notedinnashville.com/ ~James & Terri

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  24. I am so inspired by your outlook on life, your travel experiences, and your beautiful love story! I am excited to continue reading where your travels take you (or take you back to!). Thank you for your recent “like” on my new blog! I hope to have the opportunities to see the world as you both have had. Cheers!

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Krissi! We’re thrilled to have you here. Your blog is a joy – you may have to rename it “Whole Lotta Brave!” because going off to teach in South Korea is awesome! Looking forward to more of your adventure. All the best, Terri

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    1. Congratulations on your award Leslie! What a fascinating gathering of people you’ve assembled. We are touched and honored to be included in such eminent company. Many thanks. Can’t wait to check out all these enticing blogs.

      Please follow this link to our Awards Page to see our personal response and Thank You.
      Wishing you all the best, Terri & James
      https://gallivance.net/about/

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  27. Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you enjoyed it. I have just been reading about your story also, your travels and enjoying it all and your photos. You have had wonderful experiences it sounds like. God bless you both.

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      1. Thanks! But your lives are pretty fascinating too! All the best to you, too! And safe travels!

  29. Hi there! This might be answered somewhere else, but I was wondering; what do you do for internet access abroad?

    Do you have a global 3G/4G type plan, do you use an ISP in the country you’re in, or do you just find some wi-fi hotspots?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Andrew, we use wifi and it works pretty well. The connection and speed varies from place to place, but we can usually make it work. If possible, when we travel we try to rent apartments, and we will not rent an apartment or stay in a hotel without wifi. In addition, on our last RTW, we were surprised to find that wifi is readily available just about everywhere. Sometimes, it can be expensive (Australia), but in these cases we find a coffee shop. Let me know if you have other questions. ~James

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    1. Thanks Jeff. Terri and I are both ex-corporate types who had jobs where you got organized or perished. We don’t like to admit it, but some of these organization skills have paid off in the world of blogging as well. ~James

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  32. Your Start Here page is a brilliant idea! I only found you back in September 2013, I think, so this selection of themes/links makes it even more fun to visit older posts. Thank you!

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    1. Thanks for the kind words Lia. Another blogger suggested the Start Here page and it has worked really well for us. As bloggers (and readers of blogs), we realize that there’s so much content out there it’s a must to make things easy for our readers. Getting posts organized takes a bit of time, but once the framework is in place, it makes the blog more user-friendly for readers, and easier for the poor, overworked blog writers as well. ~James

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    1. Hi Bronwyn! The new version contains primarily posts that were published (or revised) in 2013. The original version was published January 1, 2013 covering 2011-2012 and is archived at the link below. A couple of years ago a fellow blogger suggested that we add a “Search” function (wonderful – it gets used every day!) and a “Start Here Page.” It’s one of our most popular hits. Some of the best advice we’ve ever gotten. It seems to encourage people to find what interests them – and skip what doesn’t! ~Terri

      https://gallivance.net/2013/01/01/new-start-here/

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  35. Thanks for dropping in and liking our post on the beaches of Langkawi. You have a great blog and a new follower. I look forward to reading more.

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much Anita! We’re like one of those 24-hour diners – something for everyone! 🙂 Or one of those old Chinese restaurant menus – one from Columns A, B and C! (I once designed a training program based on a Chinese menu). And isn’t amazing all my references have to do with eating out! 🙂 ~Terri

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  37. I agree with Notedinnashville, James and Terri. You guys do a wonderful job of organizing your blog. What’s the old lament… so many great posts and so little time. 🙂 I am pleased I’ve been following you long enough to catch so many of your posts on a weekly basis. –Curt

    Reply

    1. Thanks Curt. It’s been such a joy to have been around each other’s blogs for so long. You are part of our daily conversation. “So what are Curt and Peggy up to these days?” is commonly heard around our house. Thanks for hanging in there with us – the pleasure is all ours! 🙂 ~Terri

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  39. Terri and James – I am a little late in thanking you for stopping by my blog and liking my post on “Quiet….introverts”. I just discovered your blog and am now a follower!

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  40. Thank you very much for having a look at my blog, the scope of your writing and travel (from a cursory glance) is enviable and incredible, I look forward to indulging in some of your posts on travel and culture, very impressive! thanks again – Rob

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  42. Fun to find your blog. We lived in Spain for 12 years and would drop our kids in the back of the van and travel every summer. Now we’re settled in California, but make trips to see kids in Shanghai often and what ever travel we can squeeze in. Can’t wait to read through your adventures!

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    1. Rhonda, it’s so nice to meet you! Living in Spain for 12 years must have been quite an experience. What part did you live in? We lived in London for many years and Spain has always been one of our favorite destinations. Looking forward to reading more and trying some of your tempting recipes – that Lemonade Cake looks to-die-for! 🙂 ~Terri

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      1. Hi Teri– We lived in/around Seville initially and then moved up to a suburb of Madrid the last 3 years. But we loved Seville the most– it seems more “Spanish” and the people are so warm and friendly– still have dear friends there. Love the food, the cobbled streets, the sitting in bars over tapas all evening wit friends, even the crazy hot summers… Where did you visit in Spain?

      2. Rhonda, when we worked in London James and I both had clients in Spain, so we’ve “seen” most areas of the country – but we didn’t have a lot of free time. So now we’ve been going back regularly to enjoy Spain on our own time. It’s glorious! ~Terri

    1. Hi Marlene! I’m so glad you stopped by. I see from your blog that you’re a big fan of National Parks – us too! And I see that you’ve been to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. How was it? All the best, Terri

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  44. What a great blog, and how inspiring the two of you are to digital nomad-types like me who’re at the start of trying to make their way around the world! Thanks for stopping by, and for sharing your adventures 🙂

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    1. Thank you very much Ellen. Your blog is a joy and I really like the way you write. You’ve obviously got a wonderful start on making your way around the world – Thailand is one of our all-time favorite countries. Are you based in Chiang Mai now or moving around? All the best, Terri

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      1. Thanks! I’m mostly in Koh Phangan at the moment, as there’s a yoga school I’ve been attending, but with regular trips in and around the region – Malaysia and China this week for work!

  45. Thank you so much for dropping in on my humble corner of the wordpress world- I really appreciate the follow and hope you find some things of interest. So glad to have found your adventures – wow, you have documented a lot!

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    1. Hi Anne, I knew the minute I saw the gorgeous macarons on your masthead I had to read further. What an incredible talent you have! I’m looking forward to trying your recipes. So Guernsey and Phoenix – that’s very coo! 🙂 So glad you stopped by. All the best, Terri

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  46. Hi Terri and James, jkst happened upon your blog and so glad I did! What an inspiring pair of people you are, and I look forward to hearing more about your adventures in the world. Great work, and best wishes

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    1. Hi John. I was captivated by your San Juan Market post. Gorgeous! It takes a painter’s eye to capture the beauty of everyday objects. So glad that you stopped by. All the best, Terri

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  48. Happy Sunday and thanks for visiting my blog! So glad you did – as I got to discover yours in turn. Wonderful blog, stories and images!! Look forward to following the adventures

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    1. Hi Lillian, I’m really enjoying your posts on Japan – a country I hope to visit soon. It sounds like Kyoto is an amazing place. I’m so glad you stopped by. All the best, Terri

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  50. Must have taken quite a bit of work, but I agree- it’s a useful addition. I really need to give think time to mine but that clock won’t stop ticking! 🙂 Happy travels!

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    1. Happy New Year, Jo! I can’t believe it, but I started this back in 2013 and now I update it every January. Like your Jo’s Monday Walk, it takes time, but it’s a labor of love. 🙂 Wishing you all the best in 2016. ~Terri

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    1. Thanks for the comment Bea, and for dropping by the blog. I’ll be interested in ready some of your posts about Rome. We’ve been there a few times and spent a couple of weeks there not too long ago, and it will be interesting to read opinions of a full-time resident. ~James

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    1. Hi Caroline, I’m so glad you stopped by! Thanks for your kind words. I really enjoyed the posts you did on Sri Lanka – such a wonderful place that’s going through (another ) tough time. I’m looking forward to reading more. Where are you off to next? All the best, Terri

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      1. Hi Terri, I’m glad you liked my Sri Lanka posts. I have lots more to come but too many fun hikes and other activities are getting in the way (such a problem!). We’re off to Normandy/Brittany (cycle touring) in September…I’ll be even further behind. Cheers, Caroline

      2. Well that sounds like fun, Caroline! I can relate to hikes getting in the way – we just got back from a month of camping. Have a great trip. ~Terri

  54. I like the new look of your blog and i would more history on some of the places in your travels. I need more to read now ,not only are we in stay at home mode but,i fell and broke my ankle and cant put any weight on that foot for 6 weeks. i have a knee scooter to get around the house but cant do much on one foot. Good luck and stay safe.

    Reply

    1. Joyce, it was good to talk and I’m so sorry about your broken ankle. I’m sure it will take a while to adjust to the mobility problems and get that scooter to go where it’s supposed to. But I know you, and I know that pretty soon you’ll be making the best of it and be doing all you can around the house. In the meantime, take care of yourself and all the best for a fast recovery. Love, JH

      Reply

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