Frequently Asked Question’s

Q: Where is Jennilou From?

A:  The United States, but we assume you mean….What is her ethnicity?  In that case – Filipino & Chinese.  Jeff is Irish, French, and English, but no one ever asks….

Q: How do you guys pay for this?

A: With money.  It sounds like a snide response, but we don’t believe in putting our trips on some form of credit.  We have made it a priority to save for travel.  Our last 5 trips have averaged $3,000 pp (including air fare) and have lasted 20-30 days.  We spent $2500 on our wedding AND honey moon back packing for two weeks through Central America from Panama to El Salvador.  Sharing a dorm room on your honey moon may not be for everyone, but what we have spent on traveling for 5 years, a lot of people spend on clothes per year.  The key is planning and sticking to your budget, which also means understanding that you will want to splurge when the right opportunity comes along (For instance $75 for abseiling).

Q: Why is your site called Grace on Pace?

A: We originally envisioned a site chronicling our journey to visit every country in the world.  We set a goal of seeing 5 countries a year for 30 years, but as we got older and more aware, ticking countries off a list really wasn’t our true passion.  Now its just the name of the site…haha.

Q: Have you ever been in danger?

A: Not really.  There were times self driving, when we have been worried about running out of gas.  We also managed to get two flat tires in a stretch of 250 ft in Lesotho. We were very worried for a while because we were stranded and one vehicle passed about every 1.5 hours.  In the end, it ended up being a fantastic experience.  Around dusk, the chief of a nearby village passed by and ordered a teenager to watch over our car, while he took us into town for the night.  The next morning we ate at his house and then a man arrived with our tires fixed and drove us back to our rental car.  We have also had various levels of food poisoning, but have learned to pack cyproflaxin. Despite little things from cleaning ladies, we haven’t been robbed, mugged or pick pocketed yet.

Q: What is the best place you have visited?

A: University.  Haha…we know you were looking for a city, beach, country, etc, but the truth is, college is a lot like traveling, without having to leave.  You get to meet new people from all over the world and learn about exciting things everyday.

Q: What do you do with all your stuff?

A: We don’t buy much.  What we do buy, we tend to give away as gifts.  Jeff does collect sand.  Every country he goes to, he samples the local brew and lugs a bottle full of sand home.