Who We Are
We are Geoff and Lauren Slater, and we quit our jobs, sold the house, dropped off the kids and dog at the orphanage, and disappeared without a trace... Well, actually, not really, we did quit our jobs and we did sell the house, and left to travel around the world in 1997.Ý But our daughter Carol is out on her own, and some friends took care of our dog Casey, and as you can see from this web site, we didn't exactly disappeared off of the face of the earth.
For much of the first six months, we also traveled with two of our friends, Mary Kean and Diane Ricard. They also quit their jobs, but didn't have houses to sell.
Geoff Slater
Geoff in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in 1995
Why I'm Going
Some say the world is a small place, others say it is a big place. I think it can be either for some people, the world as only as large as their neighborhood, and for others it is too big to understand. I like to think the world is still a very big place, and I'd like to think that I can understand it. This trip is a chance to see quite a bit of it and hopefully to understand it better.
At a much simpler level, this trip is also a chance to go on a long vacation. There have always been a lot of places I've wanted to go, but I never had enough time to go. For an American, I got a lot of vacation (four weeks), but that still wasn't enough. It came down to either accepting that I would never get to many of those places, or going. So I'm going.
What I Want to Do When I Get Back
I'm not sure. The plan is to move to Vermont. Then the choices seem to be to pick up where I left off, to do something different, or not to come back. Obviously there are details to be worked out...
Lauren Slater
Lauren on Burnt Rock in Vermont's Mad River Valley, in 1996
Why I'm Going
We live in a culture with a very narrow view of the of the world -- the only time we ever hear about other countries is if there is a war, an election, or a natural disaster. I've traveled enough to know that there is far more to these places than what we hear on the news. There are people living everyday lives in a manner that is in some ways similar to ours, but in many ways quite different. I want to broaden my own view of the world, and to get to know more about other people and cultures than would be possible in the time allowed by a normal vacation schedule.
What I Want to Do When I Get Back
Move to Vermont and figure out what to do next.
Diane Ricard
Diane in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1997
Why I'm Going
Because it's time to stop saying "maybe someday"... Someday has arrived! It's so appealing to be a free spirit for a whole year. I still can't believe it's actually going to happen! Not taking the trip was not an option. There are so many places to see and cultures to learn about. This trip still only makes a significant dent in my list.
What I Want to Do When I Get Back
I don't know. Work overseas? Start a business? Go back to Boston? Stay in transportation? Reopen the Oakland ice skating rink? Get a house and a dog? Write a book?
Mary Keen
Mary in New Zealand, in 1997
Why I'm Going
Because it has always been a dream of mine. The chance to take time off and to have three like-minded friends to travel with will probably only happen once in my lifetime!
What I Want to Do When I Get Back
Appreciate all of the things that I was away from for the previous six months!!!