Our story….we all have one. The only difference is ours is written here and yours is waiting to be shared!  We hope to hear your story one day.

It wasn’t always like this.  In fact, Harold and I were very busy in our professions.  Harold in finance and myself in high tech for more than 17+ years.  Then one day, several years ago, we closed the front door of our home, took one year off and never looked back.

It all started with David Elliot Cohen and his book “One Year Off”.  It still remains at my bedside to this day to remind me of the many adventures and new faces that await us.  I say “us” and this time I am including my children who I hope we can take with us next time. A fabulous read by the way!

Call it an epiphany, stupidity or brilliance…after meeting David face to face at the Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA, we knew we needed to do this. It was the big one on the bucket list…. you know the one I am talking about.  This one we really wanted to cross off.  Could we really do it?

Now it wasn’t as easy as that.  In fact we have complied a list of things not to do prior to leaving for an extended period of time…such as making sure your safety deposit box notifications are sent to a relative so the contents are not removed.  (A much longer story is here.  Perhaps if we get the chance to spend the afternoon together, more can be shared about this.)  In fact, we are in the process of writing a book on how best to prepare for a year or two of continuous travel and wanderlust.  Take it from me. There were a lot of lessons learned. But along the way we always met such remarkable people and it’s the people that I remember the most.

Our travels took us to places unimaginable prior to our departure.  And along the way there was this repetition evident in all that we discovered….the honest to goodness kindness of the people we had the privilege of meeting and getting to know.  During numerous occasions we opted to leave the comforts of our hotel and stay with a family. This only enriched our experience further.

It was during those moments we knew we wanted to extend the hospitality we had received to those we met in our lives. So with that, Wine Country Walking Tours came to be.  We returned after more than a year of traveling the world and settled in Sonoma County where we have been raising our two children.

Now that you have heard our story, I hope to hear yours.  Perhaps with some fine wine, delicious food …and lots of laughter.

 See You Walking,

Kirsten and Harold