CURRENT MISSION

mom and daughter exploring the world by bicycle, starting with US, Mexico, Central and South America

ABOUT ME

Born and raised in California, I (Rosemary) took my two youngest children (then 6 and 9) to live in the Czech Republic for 6 years. We returned to the USA in late 1999, and have lived in Southeast FL since then except for our time away traveling. Chelsea (daughter) and I worked in the real estate investment arena for 8 years, but we took off in summer 2006 to ride across the USA. Son/brother Alex came with us, driving - it was a supported ride.

We got hooked on the lifestyle, so we (just Rosemary and Chelsea this time, unsupported) took off again in June 2007, intending to ride the east and west coasts of the US, then go on to Mexico, Central and South America, coming back by way of the islands (including Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cuba, Bahamas). It'll be about 10 years altogether, counting what we've already done (this is always subject to being longer, of course).

We did a lot of hitch-biking in the US portion,and have had seriously wonderful experiences. Check out our website at www.travelingroses.com.

After an amazing year spent exploring south Louisiana, we came back to south Florida to regroup, selling everything we own to head out for ten more years. We're headed out again (March 2012) to do the perimeter of the US, followed by the south-of-the-border regions. Maybe we will run into many of you along the way!

PHILOSOPHY

Go for it. Listen to your own heart. Find a way to make it work. There's always a way.

Warum ich bei Couchsurfing bin

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We are spreading the word about couchsurfing by means of our blogs, newsletters, and articles we are writing. We have also had media attention on our trip, and we try to get the word in there, too.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

We've had quite a number of couchsurfing experiences, all of them wonderful. We have been invited to stay anywhere from a day to 8 months, and we've stayed with families, single women, single men, gay couples, and married couples. We've stayed on couches in the front room, in private rooms with our own bathroom, and on the floor. We've been in trailers, beach houses, efficiency studio apartments, beautiful private homes, rental houses, and we even spent 2 nights in an RV on the road. We've cooked for others, had others cook for us, had others take us out eat, and everything else in between. :) We've spent time with cats with failing kidneys, active German Shepherds, old Golden Retrievers, fat cats, strange cats, and happy cats. Three times we've been given keys to the car and told to explore and have fun.

We've been offered places to stay by people in restaurants, people who've stopped us on the road, bike club members, people who see us in front of grocery stores, and people at our campsites.

We've always come away far richer for the experience.

How could we not love it? :)

Interessen

We love kayaking, snorkeling, bicycling and birding. We love photography, and Chelsea is a published poet. We are writing blogs, books and articles about our experiences. We love music, and Rosemary is planning on getting a travel guitar and learning guitar on our trip.

• cats
• writing
• books
• photography
• cooking
• running
• clubbing
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• cycling
• kayaking
• snorkeling
• gymnastics
• communications
• beaches

Musik, Filme und Bücher

We both have Kindles and read voraciously, anything that's great writing, with a special love for mysteries. We love a wide range of movies and music as well. If it's great quality, we'll watch/listen.

Eine tolle Erfahrung, die ich gemacht habe

Walked on 6 ft of broken glass, swallowed fire, swam with sharks in the Caribbean, broke a board with my hand, backpacked in the High Sierras, visited 13 countries so far, some of them more than once, lived in a thousand year old castle in Moravia in the Czech Republic, watched the post-communist countries come alive in front of our eyes, flown in ultralight aircraft, seen alligator skinning and gutting, done a loop and roll in an aerobatics plane.

Länder, die ich besucht habe

Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe

Czech Republic, United States

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