If you’re reading this, chances are you know us already. If not, welcome to our lovely little corner of cyberspace.
Lisa Archer and Marc Ethier are a couple of young, dynamic professionals, clever and smartly attired, who irresponsibly abandoned friends, family and career to embark on a year-long round-the-world journey beginning August 28, 2006. We hope you enjoy reading about the delights, dangers and questionable delicacies we encounter along the way.
This trip has been in the incubation stage for a long time, at least two years: See the “Trip plan” and “Trip prep” pages on this blog. Originally The Trip (it deserves capital letters) was meant simply as a getaway from the tribulations of life in Washington, D.C., specifically the Beltway, an evil, evil road if ever there was one. But in the last few months before departure we added to the itinerary a documentary project that will — along with a few other enterprises — add focus and a framework to our journeys.
The project, arranged in cooperation with a prominent nonprofit organization, will provide us opportunities to meet progressives and activists around the world who are making positive change, while introducing them, and their work, to the blogosphere. But more on that later.
The trip started with three weeks in Fiji (a present to ourselves), followed by nine weeks in New Zealand (mountains, hobbits), and two months each in Australia (deadly spiders), Southeast Asia and India, then four months bouncing around Europe, lamenting the cost of living. And no, we’ve never done anything like this before: we spent a month in Ireland in 1998, and before that Lisa spent three months traveling around Chile and Ecuador with her sister Laura: this comprises the bulk of our international travel. So expect, as we do, some laughs at our expense as we adjust to Life On The Road.
In return for your loyal readership, we promise not to omit even our most embarrassing misadventures. It’s all in the interest of (self) discovery.
2HeadedTurtle.com 
September 30, 2006 at 8:34 pm
Tigers can clinch divison tonite ( 9/30 ). Already assured of wild card. It’s 1984 and no sons. Be careful. Love dad
October 4, 2006 at 3:20 am
Tigers are making me very sad.
November 28, 2006 at 4:28 am
Hi Lisa-
Your trip sounds absolutely fabulous. Best of luck with the ongoing adventures…
I recently met a very nice colleague of yours from FOE, Erich Pica, at the annual steering committee meeting of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. We spoke briefly about your eventual return to the United States and it reminded me that I should let you know that WVE postponed the hiring of a full time program director last summer due to other priorities around staff restructuring. However, we just launched a targeted national search.
I am sure that your travels are much more intriguing than any thoughts you might have about a return to work, but just thought I would let you know. The job description is on our web site at http://www.womenandenvironment.org.
Safe travels!
Cheers,
Dori
December 16, 2006 at 1:06 pm
Hey guys
Julie and I will be in NZ on the 27th – when do you leave? e-mail me, williamgrayson@hotmail.com – I can’t wait!
BG
January 12, 2007 at 8:29 am
Hey guys, this message board software this website runs on, is it something i can buy for my own website or is it propriatary?
February 6, 2007 at 5:52 pm
Let’s just omit about the part where Pat vomits outside of the internet cafe…
uhm, undo?
February 18, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Hey Lisa Archer!! I was sitting in the sun in downtown Denver this morning and thought of you. I googled Lisa and two-headed turtle (can you believe I remembered that?) and here you are! Wonderful to read about your travels and see your pictures!
Life is quite grand for me. Starting a phd program has been a terrific break from the real world – I may stay a while. Please drop me a note when you have some time, as you are sitting in some splendid little cafe somewhere.
– Suz
susiejoy@myfastmail.com
March 9, 2007 at 11:36 pm
Uncle Paul says…take plenty of immodium! But take it with a bottle of coca-cola. Really, coke isthe miracle cure — must be in the bottle though(and check the cap!)
Will see you both in Berlin to Gdansk in June.
Love,
Uncle Paul
Miss you both…
May 26, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Dear Lisa,
I’m in Portland, Oregon for the week and had some down time so have been toodling around your website. Unbelievable! the photos, the stories, the adventures… I am pea-green with envy. I’m so glad you took a break from “life” as you had come to know it to remind yourselves about how full life can be, when work isn’t the central focus. Your trip sounds simply grand!! Hoping you’ll be stopping by San Francisco on your way back home – so i can hear more stories — i’ve got a spare room if you and Marc need a place to crash for awhile.
lots of love, Janet
June 6, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Hey there Janet!
Glad to hear you’re having some relax time in Portland and thanks for stopping by our corner of cyberspace. Thanks for the lovely offer–we’d love to see you and we’ve got a zillion photos and stories to share (we’ll give you the abbreviated version!).:) Hope all is well and give my best to all the folks in SF and the coalition!
xo,
Lisa
June 23, 2008 at 7:32 am
great site, hope you have great experiences and enjoyment from your travels
come join us here as well and share your experiences
http://expatsworld.sytes.net/
September 18, 2009 at 6:57 am
I hope you still check back on this site every now and then. I was your roommate at University of Wyoming. Sounds like you have been having a lot of fun. Hope to hear from you soon.