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World’s longest honeymoon as one couple have 675 day adventure

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  • Trip included 41 safaris, 39 scuba dives and 110 hikes
  • Couple pooled savings and budgeted £25 per person per day for their travels
  • Favourite place was Myanmar (formerly Burma)
  • Average length of a honeymoon is eight days

By
Angelica Malin
and Toni Jones


Published:

11:38 EST, 2 June 2014


|
Updated:

11:02 EST, 4 June 2014

While most newlyweds dream of falling into a hammock and doing precisely nothing immediately after their ‘Big Day’ one young American couple decided that a regular honeymoon just wasn’t romantic enough for them.

Instead Mike and Anne Howard decided to pool their savings, quit their jobs and embark upon an epic adventure that turned into the world’s longest honeymoon.

Covering six continents, 33 countries and 302 places in 675 days the holiday of a lifetime included
57,397 overland miles, 226,152 photographs, 110 hikes, 105 buses, 46 jars of peanut butter, 41 safaris and 39 scuba dives.

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Anne and Mike Howard spent 675 days on honeymoon taking in 302 places, including Machu Picchu in Peru

Anne and Mike Howard spent 675 days on honeymoon taking in 302 places, including Machu Picchu in Peru

The epic adventure took in 41 different safaris including the Masai Mara in Kenya

The epic adventure took in 41 different safaris including the Masai Mara in Kenya

Snap happy: The couple took over 220,000 pictures on their travels

Snap happy: The couple took over 220,000 pictures on their travels

Mike said: ‘We met a couple of friends who were talking about doing a
round-the-world trip, and we spoke to another person who had just
completed one. So we thought, we could take this nest egg and buy a
house or a car, or we can do something that most people wait to do until
they’re retired.

‘Why not do this in our late twenties and early
thirties, and we’ll have these amazing memories rest of our lives? ‘

And in true modern traveller style, the media-savvy New Yorkers blogged their every movement to their 15,000 online fans (check them out on Facebook.com/HoneyTrek).

Using Anne’s background as a magazine editor and Mike’s as a media strategist and photographer the couple launched the HoneyTrek.com blog to share the experience with friends and family.    

Irish charm: Dancing on The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland

Irish charm: Dancing on The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland

Milestone: Celebrating 500 days while travelling to Chile from Bolivia

Milestone: Celebrating 500 days while travelling to Chile from Bolivia

Matching outfits: Going green in Mui Ne, Vietnam

Matching outfits: Going green in Mui Ne, Vietnam

Starting in South America, they moved through Africa, Asia and Europe, sharing snaps and updates with their followers on social media as they went.

Their travel philosophy was to go to places too far to visit while they have jobs and too rugged to tackle when they are old.

Their favourite place was Myanmar (formerly Burma) for the friendly people and fascinating blend of styles and cultures.

Mike also fell in love with Entre Cielos in Mendoza, Argentina. He said: ‘Only one or two people before us
had stayed in the property. They built a loft above an actual vineyard,
and brought in a German treehouse architect. To get to the room, you go
through the vines, off this ladder, and into this vineyard loft. There
was a big Jacuzzi tub out on the porch. It was really great drinking
wine there, having a vineyard loft experience.’

The couple say there are too many
memories to list them all, but also highlighted having a cheetah jump on
top of their open-roof safari vehicle in the Maasai Mara in Kenya,
wreck diving the WWII ships in Coron, Philippines and watching the
Northern Lights from the Arctic Circle in Norway as highlights of their
immense trip.

And, maybe surprisingly for some married couples out there, they both say that the trip has made their relationship stronger. In an interview during the trip with CNTraveler.com Anne said: ‘People were like, “You must really like your husband. I don’t think I could spend that much time with mine.” It made me, think, “Yeah, I do really love him. I think it’s going to be okay, right?”

‘You start to bond on a level that is not possible on a regular schedule. Your brain starts to fuse and you can sense each other’s needs or humor or reactions. We play off of each other really well.’

Mike added: ‘We’ve just become even better husband and wife than when we started. It’s so amazing to have someone to share those experiences with, and the next day laugh about the scary thing that happened and become stronger for it.’

Wrapped up: At the Tuckerman Ravine, New Hampshire

Wrapped up: At the Tuckerman Ravine, New Hampshire

Here we go!: The couple take off on the Gorge Swing over Victoria Falls in Zambia, which has a 160ft free-fall

Here we go!: The couple take off on the Gorge Swing over Victoria Falls in Zambia, which has a 160ft free-fall

A private view: At Badcaul in Scotland

A private view: At Badcaul in Scotland

HOLIDAY HOW-TO: TIPS ON PLANNING/FUNDING THE TRIP OF YOUR DREAMS

The couple set up a blog called HoneyTrek to share their adventures

The couple set up a blog called HoneyTrek to share their adventures

Mike and Anne are now turning their passion for travel into a business, offering bespoke advice to travellers wanting to follow in their footsteps through Trip Coach a
one-on-one guide to world travel.

They say: ‘We did our 675-day trip around the world for just under $40 per person per day, including flights, food, lodging, activities…the works. This is an average of the pricier countries like Japan, Australia and Norway ($75 per day) with the less expensive places like Bolivia and Southeast Asia ($20 per day). Traveling around the world turned out to be less expensive than the mortgage on our apartment.

‘We were really scrappy on the road when not in nice resorts, which was
maybe two times per month. We did all overland travel, and very few
flights—and when we did fly, it was on miles.

‘We also took shared vans and
local transport. Our top travel tips include:

– have separate credit and debit card accounts in case one disappears

– pack the right technology; it’s the hardest thing to get on the road

– buy your flights as you go… an around-the-world plane ticket will cost more and severely limit your flexibility

‘We would also say always travel overland via local transportation whenever possible as we think that is one of the most valuable experiences we’ve had on our entire trip. You miss so many things when you fly; on land, you see the scenery and the stops and the food stalls and the guys motorbiking through the rice fields and how locals live along the way.’

Check out Trip Coach, a one-on-one guide to world travel combining their knowledge and passion and offering bespoke advice to anyone looking to explore the world.

AND FOR THOSE OF US WHO DON’T HAVE TWO YEARS TO ESCAPE…

Angelica Malin, editor of online travel and lifestyle magazine About Time says: ‘This couple did what we all dream of; escaping the 9-5 and travelling the world, each day more adventure-filled than the next.

‘Holidays and honeymoons are often too rushed as trying to pack everything in at once. Here’s five ways to make the most of your trip:

1. Planning – make sure you use websites, guide books and friends to find out what’s best and what can be missed in the city
2. Get out early – carpe diem! You’ll get the most out of your trip by getting out of bed.
3. Look for homestays and flat shares – if you want a taste of local culture, homestays are a great way to experience the local culture first hand
4. Get flight ready – keep flight day stress to minimum by checking in online, and try to take minimal luggage.
5. Look at seasonal timings – some countries may be cheaper to travel to at different times of the year, check out which destinations have more favourable flight prices in the less fashionable seasons.’


Comments (48)

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null,

1 day ago

Next year will be 7 days all inclusive in Benidorm! Good for them – very envious!!!

Jakeb22,

Aberdeen,

1 day ago

Yawn

Get tough on crime,

Overcrowded UK,

1 day ago

I love what you have done, and long may you keep all of those wonderful memories alive. I hope very much that you can save up the pennies again to take more wonderful trips. A couple of years back we, after saving for a decade, took our teenaged lads on a 5 week trip to Aus and NZ and partook in experiences that we have never tried, many of them couldn’t be tried in the UK. We are all into science and nature and gained more from the rainforest, reef, volcanic activities etc than just pretty views. We have memories to last a lifetime, but also a lust for more travel… it is hard to come back down to Earth, so once more we find ourselves saving hard…. I wish you all the very best, and may you make more of your dreams come true xxx

Michael Stone,

Exeter, United Kingdom,

1 day ago

£33,750 according to there estimates and a year 10 months. who can take that much time off as well as spend £33,000 doing so !

2 of 3 repliesSee all replies

Michael Stone,

Exeter, United Kingdom,

18 hours ago

tiredof- 50 times 675 is 33,750 and 675 days is 675-365 = 310 so 365-310 is 55 days which is around 10 months. think before you reply

tiredof,

uk,

16 hours ago

What?? 675 days, equates to an approximate 2 years, not exact but 365 days is one year! An average of $40 per day, therefore 675 *$40 = $ 27,000. Not just maths not your strong point, clearly any kind of logic too.

JohnakaJJ,

Farnborough,

1 day ago

Back in ‘Suburbia’, I give their relationship 3 years tops?

tiredof,

uk,

1 day ago

Why? Very bitter sounding

LBBA,

Perth, Australia,

2 days ago

Sheesh get a job!

HoneyTrek,

Tannersville, United States,

2 days ago

It might be hard to believe but we had jobs, saved every penny we could for nearly a decade…then made the incredibly hard decision to leave our family, friends, stable jobs and all the creature comfort of home. And yes, it was worth it!

bearister,

oakland, United States,

2 days ago

…but the “romantic” part of the honeymoon ended on Day 3.

HoneyTrek,

Tannersville, United States,

2 days ago

Lol @Bearister…I am one of two people in the world who can refute that statement….FALSE 🙂

Motoman,

Arizona,

2 days ago

Good for them. Like a friend of mine says, “I”m going to be dead for a long time.” Best to do things when you can.

HoneyTrek,

Tannersville, United States,

1 day ago

@Motoman, your friends quote gave us a chuckle. It’s a bit morbid, but so very true. And even if you aren’t dead, when it is time to retire and everyone thinks they are going to travel….well, often times your priorities have changed by then, and quite frankly your body isn’t what it used to be. Carpe Diem!!

viceroy,

Philadelphia, United States,

2 days ago

I too am challenging the $40 per day claim. Rent for an apartment is $40 per day. Clearly they must have stayed long periods of time in poor areas and only breezed through places like Japan to say they have been there, but even $75 a day in Japan is hard to believe.

HoneyTrek,

Tannersville, United States,

1 day ago

@Viceroy, thanks for your comment, we totally understand how those figures seem low….so just to get on the same page, that $40/day is per person. So between Anne and I that was $80 per day average for the entire trip….and in Japan $150/day….which is totally doable. In Japan we did some WWOOF-ing (cost us $0 for 7 days, including all our food, lodging activities)….and when in Tokyo we found a great hostel called Asakusa Smile which was $57 USD/night for a private room for two people, leaving us $100USD for transit, food and activities. And while we did spend a fair amount of time in SE Asia (very affordable) we spent over 5 weeks in Brazil (expensive), 4 weeks in Japan, 4 weeks in NZ + Aus, 10 weeks in the UK + Ire…..so we didn’t just “touch go” in the expensive countries….we just got creative!!!

viceroy,

Philadelphia, United States,

2 days ago

Must not have been important jobs that they quit.

HoneyTrek,

Tannersville, United States,

1 day ago

To the contrary, we both loved our jobs and were a fairly steady “career path”. That was one of the hardest things to rationalize when deciding to hit the road. But so glad we did it, and we have never looked back!

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