A new comment on the blog read late at night.
Seriously jet-lagged,
just arrived back in Vancouver from Sweden:
would we be available to take part in a HuffPost Live segment
about Travelling When You Get Older
the next day at 12.30EST
meaning 9.30am for us?
That would be yes and I hope we’re not too late in replying.
Falling into a deep sleep, waking a little after 6am, and finding a reply:
it’s not too late.
By 8am a test run on Google Hangout successful after sorting a few anomalies.
So here it is:
The HuffPost Live interview
I heard years ago that one needs to look straight at the camera at all times when on video. I remembered about that the hard way. I look shifty-eyed, and at times mildly uninterested. Don looks dopey. We put it down to jet lag. That’s our excuse anyway. No matter. We were excited, and thrilled to be asked, and it was fun.
Photo of the day: Walking the country lanes in Sweden
All words and images by Alison Louise Armstrong unless otherwise noted
© Alison Louise Armstrong and Adventures in Wonderland – a pilgrimage of the heart, 2010-2015.
Adventures in Wonderland 
that was great, loved it! so nice to hear your voices 🙂 and serendipity – I May go to Luang Prabang early next year…
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Thanks so much Annie. It was fun to do. I hope you get to Luang Prabang – it’s a lovely place. We only planned a week there but ended up staying 12 days beacuse we enjoyed it so much.
Alison
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I’m waiting to hear from a guy who wants to run a writing retreat there…
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I enjoyed that interview so much. You’re both marvelous!
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Thank you so much Michelle. Big smile.
Alison
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Great interview. And you did not look dopey or shifty 🙂
How lovely to see you both live, and hear your voices. I’m glad they showed some of your photos.
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Thanks Angeline, I’m glad you liked it. It’s good to hear another perspective. We can be so self-critical lol.
Alison
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Wow, there you are live! What a treat! Loved it..
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Thanks Pam. Yes, us live! It was so much fun! We’ve never done a video interview before.
Alison
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I’m still trying to pin down your accents, both seem to be a bit of a mixture. Alison – Aussie/Canadian/Brit and Don – Canadian/Brit? Not sure I got the mix right, but it’s fun trying to figure it out. I think it would be a hoot to not only have a Skype meeting of your blog followers, but maybe even a get together in Canada some time. I love this group!
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Me too 🙂
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How about a blog follower get-together in the future for your book launch?! Sign me up!
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Great idea – except followers are all over the world. And first we have to write the book 🙂
Alison
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Simply details, my dear! Sounds like an international “book tour” will be necessary… As to writing the book, everyone needs those future goals, verdad?
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Loved watching this…thank you!
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Enjoyable to watch, though I confess to skipping past the other interviews to get just yours. You don’t look shifty or dopey at all, you look Skypey. The downside of webcams that don’t film us from the center of the screen; we all experience that.
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Thanks Kate. Good to know we don’t look shifty or dopey (are we the latest version of the 7 dwarfs?) Yeah, I know about the skype thing – it’s so hard not to look at the faces of the people I’m talking to when I *know* the camera is actually in the middle of the screen, and if I want them to see me looking at them I have to look into the camera. lol. I’m gonna practice!
Alison
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Thanks Lisa. Glad you enjoyed it. We were so surprised, and thrilled!
Alison
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This is so awesome! I’m so glad you guys were able to do this. I thought it was a great interview… cool, calm and collective. 🙂
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Thanks Rebecca. We’re glad we could do it to. It was such a great surprise. It’s nice to hear that we did come across okay, and not like jet-lagged zombies.
Alison
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Way to go, Alison and Don!! This is great!!
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But you need to get HuffPo to post a link to this blog on its site, same as they did for the other interviewees!
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Thanks Fiona. It was fun, and so unexpected. We were pretty thrilled.
I asked about a link – all the others have twitter and the site is set up to only link to twitter accounts. Our website is linked in the resource section below the interview. Our interview with Nomadic Matt is also linked there.
Alison
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It was great to hear your voices and you both look/sound just fine. I could feel how passionate you both are about your journey. I got my hubby to watch too. You guys rock!
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Thank you so much Caroline. It’s good to hear that we looked and sounded fine. I think I’d better watch it again 🙂
We *are* passionate about our journey, so I’m glad that came across.
Alison
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Delightful! Thanks so much for sharing it so we could hear your voices and see your movements – how wonderful!
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Thanks Kelly. I guess we hadn’t really thought about it – that with online friends we don’t know each others’ voices or movements. We were thrilled to be asked, so I’m delighted to share!
Alison
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You looked gorgeous! I am sure you couldn’t look otherwise. It was nice to hear your voice. Looking forward to hearing about Sweden.
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Thanks so much Heather. We were at our early morning jet-lagged best. At least we’d had about 7 hours sleep beforehand otherwise I don’t think we’d have been able to string a coherent sentence together.
I’ll eventually write about Sweden, but before that the rest of New Zealand, an amazing adventure in Australia’s Top End, and another post about Hawaii – so it’ll be months away.
Alison
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I agree that you looked great! I enjoyed hearing your speaking voices after hearing your written voices for so long!
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Thank you so much. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I think we should all get together and have a skype chat so we can hear each other’s voices 🙂
Don and I hadn’t thought about that aspect of it. I guess it kinda makes us more real, not just words on the screen.
Alison
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So COOL. I was just reminded by another blogger of a word we used to use in the 70’s: TRIP. You guys are on a trip, and you guys are a Trip. I never got tired of that word, trip. I’m sick of “awesome.” But you guys are also awesome. Going with the vernacular flow of words here. You guys were great on the show. I can write so it appears like I know what I’m talking about, but talking in person, especially on camera…whoa, scares the poop out of me. I admire people who can do it as well as you guys (with jet lag, to boot)! Skyping scares me too.
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Thanks BF! I’ve been reading what your other followers call you – BF – I like it. I was raised in the theatre so public speaking is pretty easy for me, plus we’re pretty passionate about what we’re doing so it’s easy to talk about it. Awesome eh? I’ll take it. Trip too!
Alison
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Alison forgot to mention that I was a university lecturer for six years in a former life, so no fears of public speaking, especially when talking about something I’m passionate about.
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I have no problem speaking in front of my university classes. That is somehow a different kind of animal than getting in front of a group of peers, or superiors, or people I don’t even know. I freeze. My mind shuts down. Can’t think of things to say.
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Hi Alison and Don
You both came across really well and, as Kate said, you just looked Skypey (maybe that’s one of the new age seven dwarfs too). After reading your posts, it was great hearing your accents. Of course, I am biased towards the Australian one.
I am putting things in train to leave the comforts of Canberra and head back to Northern India for three months soon. It was reassuring to hear you two making travel seem normal and doable.
Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks Joanne. Does my accent still sound Aussie? I guess I’ve lost touch a bit. I thought I was sounding a bit British lol. I’ll have to have another listen. Of course we never get to hear ourselves the way others hear us. I’m be sure not to do the skypey thing next time!
Have a great time in India. Will you be teaching there again? It’s such an amazing country. I’d love to go back but there’s so much else to see and do in the world that we haven’t yet been to.
Alison
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Yes, for sure you still sound Aussie. In fact I thought your Australian accent got stronger as the interview progressed. I noticed that you were sounding a bit Canadian rather than British.
I may be teaching again. It depends on who needs me and what for. I am going to do a Tibetan language course at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala – one hour a day for three months. I’ve been learning classical Tibetan for a while, but this will be a great opportunity to improve.
It’s going to be wonderful to be back there and will definitely be blogging again from India.
Best wishes
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Great! Very inspiring and motivating for everyone. Congratulations…
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Thanks so much tiramit.
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How fabulous!! Well done!!
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Thanks Carissa. It was so unexpected, and fun!
Alison
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Fantastic, Alison! It’s great to see you on the video.
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Thanks so much Jun, so glad you enjoyed it.
Alison
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So wonderful to see you on camera! You were great! Congrats on being featured!
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Thanks so much Kelly. It was really fun. We’ve only ever done written interviews before.
Alison
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What a treat to get to see you “live”. And, as others noted, you just looked like everyone seems to look on Skype. Good job!
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Thanks Leigh. I’ve since rewatched it and see it is not as bad as I initially thought. I find it difficult to look at the camera when the person I’m talking to is in a little box in the corner, like most people with Skype, but for next time I’ll know for sure what to do. Anyway we sure enjoyed doing it.
Alison
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Thanks for sharing your adventures! 🙂
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You’re most welcome 🙂
Alison ❤
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Good job, you two! Kay
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Thanks Kay 🙂
Alison
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Very cool. I thought you did great! I wouldn’t know you were jet lagged unless you told us 🙂
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Thanks so much Jeff. It was fun even if we were a bit brain-dead.
Alison
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I loved the video!
You don’t look shifty-eyed at all. Great information. I think that there are other people who would love to become Nomads also, but fear the unknown. Even though homeless, there must be a lot of expenses–plane tickets, places to stay, eating out. Seems that many people would not be able to afford to go very far.
The two people talking about the various toilets in China, and one being a trench in the ground…Haha…..that is quite an experience, I know. There were toilets like that in Japan. When I walked in, I didn’t know what to think or do. A flight attendant told me that she visited China years ago and she was wearing a pantsuit. 🙂
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Thanks Mary, and good to hear I don’t look shifty-eyed!
Yes, there’s lots of expenses as you say – flights, travel insurance, accommodation. We do try to make our own meals as much as possible, even in hotel rooms. We just need a fridge and many of them have that.
I think every traveller must have toilet stories lol. Our best I think was at the Chile/Bolivia boarder – just go behind the old bus. Oh the horror of going into a trench toilet in a pantsuit!
Alison
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Adorable, you 2 – just as I imagined you to be – only even more lovely! xo! You rolled back the ceiling on my ideas of what is possible and still to come on this journey!
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Thanks Marga. Big smile. So much is possible – you just have to say yes 🙂
Alison xox
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Congrats on the interview! I didn’t notice anything shifty or dopey. But then, I was so delighted to “see” you on camera that I may not have been paying attention! 😉
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Thanks so much Felicity. I rewatched it and realised it’s not so bad. It was fun! Thanks for watching.
Alison
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Ahw this was so interesting and cute! The words have a voice now. (I had a totally different voice in mind.. smiling here in Holland) Making some tea and now… to toast on more adventures.
Much love!
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Thank you so much Mr Tookles. I’m glad you enjoyed our voices. Smiling here in Vancouver. Enjoy your tea and . . . .toasting 🙂
Alison
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I love it ❤ you´re so wonderful together,
think to meet you somewhere on the world
would be great…..oh yes, I´m a great fan :-*
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Thank you so much! How lovely. I hope we do meet one day, somewhere in the world.
Alison ❤
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Alison and Don, you really did shine in that interview. I like it that you were real. For me it was a natural extension of your blog posts – humurous, adventurous and informative. Thank you for sharing. Sue
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Thanks Sue. It’s been so lovely to hear everyone’s feedback. I think we always tend to judge ourselves the harshest don’t we. Anyway it was great fun to do, and yes, far too jet-lagged for anything but real 🙂
Alison
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Great interview Alison and Don. Inspirational to watch, and you sounded just perfect. No shiftiness at all – got a chuckle out of that. You are too hard on yourself, as we all are. Cheers!
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Thanks so much Shirley. I have had another look at it, and it’s like Kate commented – we look Skypey – looking at the little video in the bottom of the person we’re talking to, instead of looking into the camera in the middle of the screen. I had a Skype conversation with a friend recently and we both tried to look always into the camera and it felt very weird, though of course it did look like we were actually looking directly out from the screen. Anyway next video interview I’ll be sure to do that.
I’m pleased to say I’m not as hard on myself as I used to be 🙂
Alison ❤
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I finally watched all of it and it was amazing!! WTG you two.
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Thanks so much Darlene. I’m glad you enjoyed it. We were so thrilled to be asked, and it was a lot of fun.
Alison
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Finally got to watch this (from home!). Great interview and you were quite animated and enthused–nice to hear your voices and see you together (you match so well!) And weren’t Ina and Bill irresistible!
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Thanks so much Jane. Yeah, we do match well. Lucky. And we loved Ina and Bill too.
Alison
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Exquisite photo at the end of this post, and I’m loving your blog. My husband and I are also older — 61 and 67 — and have been traveling for a year. We plan to keep doing this until we can’t anymore. We found many of the same things you’ve found — I was still working before we left, and I’m a lot healthier and happier now than I was while still working full time.
Thanks for your wonderful blog posts. I’ll continue to read my way through them.
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Thanks so much Aliza. It’s a good life. From my quick look at your blog it seems as if you are traveling very slowly which I think is a good thing. I wish we’d been able to, but were hampered by BC medical requirements to be in province 5 months of each year to maintain our coverage, and by visa requirements of course. We seemed to go like mad for a few weeks or few months, and then stop for almost as long. We found some favourite places to rest. La Manzanilla in Mexico being one.
We are no longer nomadic. I needed a hip replacement so we needed to get a home again. Nearly 6 years nomadic turned out to be enough.
It sounds as if you’ve found your place, and pace.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog.
Happy travels.
Alison
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