Steve lived in Seattle. Lindsay lived in New York City.
Both decided to take time off to travel the world before having to "settle down" and do the things that grown ups do.
June 2010: Lindsay quits her job, launches a freelance writing career, and flies to Bangkok for a three-month excursion around Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
August 2010: Steve heads "down under" on a one-year Work & Holiday Visa; he lingers in Sydney before traveling up Australia's east coast.
September 2010: Instead of boarding her flight home, Lindsay decides to spend another three months blogging through Malaysia and Indonesia.
October 2010: Steve settles down with some cultural employment, as a jackaroo (Australian for "cowboy") on a cattle ranch in the boonies of Queensland.
November 2010: Lindsay learns of Australia’s Work & Holiday Visa for Americans and leaves Bali for Sydney in search of some first-world comfort while working and writing.
January 2011: Steve bids farewell to his cowboy family in Queensland and heads down to Melbourne, where he embarks on road trips through Tasmania, and then across Australia's southern coast.
February 2011: After three months in Sydney, Lindsay's itch to keep moving causes her to book a flight out the next day into New Zealand. She explores there for two months before returning to Australia and driving across Tasmania, not far behind Steve.
March 2011: Steve's road trip adventures dump him off in the middle of nowhere, otherwise known as Perth, Western Australia. Fun fact: Perth is oft regarded as the most isolated city in the world! He looks for another run of interesting employment and finds himself in the "tourist" ghost town of York – several hours outside of Perth, deep in the Australian Outback – working at a historic inn.
April 2011: Lindsay ends up in Melbourne with no solid plan. Tiger Air offers a special on flights to Perth; seeking remote isolation, she flies out the next day. Hoping for an experience of local, cultural immersion while focusing on writing, she accepts a stranger’s offer for room and board at a historic inn in York.
April 18, 2011: The bus drops Lindsay off in the dusty desert town of York. A barbaric man from the inn picks her up and drives her to her new home, where she locks eyes with Steve. Over the months in York, the two explore the surrounding desert land and become solid friends.
June 2011: Steve nears the end of his three-month stint in York and plans to travel through the Outback. Lindsay cuts her time in York short, and the two set off in a campervan on a six-week journey that spans 10,000 miles back and forth across the entire continent. Steve drives while Lindsay writes.
Early-August 2011: Steve's Australian visa expires and he leaves for Thailand; Lindsay stubbornly stays behind, intending to travel the east coast alone. After a tear-filled goodbye, they make vague and uncertain plans to meet up in Thailand next month.
Mid-August 2011: Shortly after Steve leaves, Lindsay has an epiphany of love and makes it her mission to depart Australia and find Steve in Thailand. Abandoning her Australian travel plans, she begins the long journey out of a remote village, riding numerous buses and trains, with nights spent sleeping on airport floors. She eventually arrives in Bangkok and reunites with Steve.
September 2011: After one month exploring Thailand together, they decide to travel further – closing their eyes, they spin the globe and land on India. Off they fly to Calcutta for another month of adventure throughout the subcontinent.
October 2011: Lindsay flies home after 16 months abroad to attend a family reunion in Florida, although this time, she is certain that she and Steve will meet again soon. In the meantime, Steve continues through southern India, Dubai and Serbia.
November 2011: En route to Seattle, Steve stops in NYC to spend one month with Lindsay and meet the entire clan.
December 2011: Lindsay flies to Seattle to celebrate the new year with Steve's friends and family. They ultimately spend the better half of the next five months roaming the Pacific Northwest together.
June 2012: Steve's company offers him a transfer out in New York; Lindsay and Steve drive cross-country and settle down in NYC. They pack away their suitcases for awhile...
May 2013: After a blissful year in NYC, Steve decides to pop the question while running the New Jersey Marathon. Of course, she says "yes!"
