About WonderWander

Our home was Boston, Massachusetts for the last 8+ years and we spent our time schooling, working, crafting and living. Additionally, the last two and a half years were largely focused on saving our money and slimming down our belongings. Though inherently both nesty, local community focused types who were very much enjoying our professional and artistic endeavors at the time, we still knew that we wanted to shake things up and travel long term. The concept had crept into our minds eye and couldn’t be quieted. With a very loose idea of where we might go, we spent many nights and weekends researching any and all ways to make this happen.

After several long conversations with friends who had undertaken similar adventures, some vigorous honing of our own travel philosophies, and – quite importantly – saving enough money for our theoretical projected budget, we felt ready. We took the leap, quitting our jobs in this less than desirable economy and committed to fully exploring the unknown as best we could.

In April 2011, what was left of what we owned went into storage, we waved goodbye to our dear friends and our cozy apartment, and finalized our logistics. On May 2nd we left with a one-way ticket to Iceland. Hello, WonderWander.

This adventure is an experience we wouldn’t have been able to gain any other way than to just pick up and do it. It’s not a vacation or a gap year and it isn’t a career break. To us, it’s a learning experience. It is our way of connecting with and learning from different people and cultures so that when we return to a place where our backpacks can get their break we’ll be better able to apply some new perspectives and in return, offer up more to our community (both local and global) than we could’ve before.

So, who are we?

Eli: graphic designer, musician, and general creative type; proud uncle to three nephews & one niece; bicycle enthusiast; dark chocolate lover; small towner who loves the city, tech geek who can’t live without the trees.

Casey: maker of meals, crafter of objects, lover of vegetables, dedicated community arts mover & shaker, intuitive hair cutter, intermittent writer, dirt digger.