Skyler McDonald certainly had done her homework.
She devised preliminary budgets and itineraries; she had read the trials and tribulations of those who had come before her. She knew the answers to every possible question.
After all, when you’re telling your parents you and your husband are quitting your jobs and abandoning your stateside lives to travel around the world for an entire year, you need to come prepared.
On Jan. 10, Plant City natives Skyler and her husband, Jordan, boarded a plane bound for Bangkok, Thailand.
Theirs were one-way tickets.
Currently, the couple is in Cambodia, with Vietnam planned for March. The McDonalds are chronicling their journey via their blog, 180degreeswest.com.
And what lies ahead … Well, that’s for them to decide.
TRAVEL COMPANIONS
Jordan and Skyler met at Plant City High School and both attended the University of Florida, where their relationship blossomed. In May 2008, they had a small wedding in Plant City.
Skyler graduated from law school and landed a job with a large firm in Atlanta, where she and Jordan found a home for a few years. Jordan — who majored in industrial engineering — worked as a consultant.
According to Skyler’s mom, Peggy Smith, her daughter always has been adventurous.
“She’s always liked to travel,” she remembers. “This (the world trip) was all her idea — and that came as no surprise to me.”
In high school, Skyler says her ambition was limited to getting into a good college and snagging a cute boyfriend.
“Check and check,” she says.
While in high school, Skyler studied abroad in New Zealand — an experience she says changed her life.
“It was an incredible experience,” she says. “Something I’d recommend to anyone interested in travel.”
While at Florida, Skyler convinced Jordan to backpack through Europe for a month during his last winter break. It was just six months before the couple married.
“On that trip, we met loads of Aussies and Brits taking a ‘gap year’ between high school and university or university and professional life to travel the world,” Jordan says. “I had no idea people did such a thing, but I thought it sounded great.”
All that led to one Friday night out at one of the couple’s favorite spots in Atlanta.
THE PLAN
It was at The Porter, a beer pub that has an interior resembling a wooden ship, where Skyler shared the idea. It was something that she had been considering for a few months before letting her other half know.
“My biggest worry was Jordan dismissing the idea as too risky or crazy,” she says. “Thankfully, I married someone with the same love for travel as me, and he was ecstatic about the idea.”
The convincing argument? Cuisine.
“He’s a food addict,” says Jordan’s dad, Wally McDonald. “They both grew up in the country, but he always loved to try different foods.”
Skyler wrote in her blog that she was prepared to drop delicate hints, making Jordan think it was his idea. But, what actually happened was anything but subtle.
“I blurted out, ‘Sooo, I’ve been thinking that we should quit our jobs and travel the world for a year,’” she wrote in her blog.
It took only a few more conversations before Skyler had Jordan convinced.
“It was very organic, and before I knew it, the idea of abandoning the trip was just as crazy as the idea to begin with,” Skyler says.
MEET THE PARENTS
As one can imagine, the McDonalds’ toughest task was the conversations with Mom and Dad.
But, by the time Jordan and Skyler broke the news, it was no longer an idea. The trip already was planned.
“It was a done deal at that point,” Peggy says. “It’s certainly surprising for two kids from a small town to shut down their lives and travel the world.”
They had the expected concerns. For Wally and his wife, Diane McDonald, it was affordability.
“That’s the million-dollar question,” Wally says. “They don’t seem to be too concerned about it, and I guess that’s a good thing. They’re both responsible and have good heads on their shoulders.”
According to Peggy, there is no more perfect a time than now for a trip of such magnitude. The couple has no kids, no house (they rented) and were able to figure out life’s other “tie downs.” Skyler sold her car, Jordan gifted his to his parents (to eliminate car insurance costs), they paid off all debts and placed their valuables in long-term storage.
The only commitment they left behind is their beloved dog, Heidi, whom Skyler’s parents are watching during the journey.
EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER
After a 22-hour flight, Jordan and Skyler spent about 22 days in Thailand to begin their trip.
“The street food scene in Bangkok is incredible,” Jordan says. “On every corner of the city, with a population greater than New York City, there are men and women cooking up these incredible dishes at insanely cheap prices.”
The couple spent the most money on food and drinks in Thailand, spending $507.81, significantly more than lodging, which cost only $360.37. The couple breaks down spending and budget updates on the blog as a reference for others who may want to follow in their footsteps.
For Skyler, her favorite moments so far have been a two-day Mekong River boat trip, the majestic Angkor Wat, in Cambodia, and the street food in Bankok.
“I simply didn’t know what to expect,” Skyler says.
“Traveling for a year is outside my own experience or the experience of anyone I know.
“Every day is a challenge — figuring out the unfamiliar,” she says. “We’re constantly in a new place, where we don’t know the language, or how to get from place to place, or how to order a meal. That’s both exciting and exhausting.”
Jordan and Skyler spent February in Laos and Cambodia, with Vietnam on the itinerary for March, followed by the Tai Islands, Malaysia and Singapore. Other destinations include, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and possibly South America.
As with anything, plans always can change. The full year for the trip is more of a goal than a set-in-stone schedule. Skyler says one of the hardest parts so far has been not to splurge, because this is no typical vacation, where such spending habits are common.
“We have to impose limits on ourselves, our budget and our lifestyle,” she says. “To do otherwise would leave us broke, fat and miserable.”
Through it all, they say they highly suggest this to anyone that has ever given it consideration.
“Whether your crazy idea is to travel the world, to write a book, to restore an old car, whatever, think carefully and strategically about how to make it happen,” Jordan says. “Think about what’s stopping you and question whether that’s important.”
Contact Matt Mauney at mmauney@plantcityobserver.com.
KEEP IN TOUCH
The Plant City Observer will be revisiting with the McDonalds throughout their journey. You also can follow Jordan and Skyler on their blog, 180degreeswest.com.
THE ITINERARY
January: Thailand
February: Laos and Cambodia
March: Vietnam
April: Thai Islands, Malaysia and Singapore
May: India
June: Middle East (Jordan, Israel and possibly Egypt)
July: Turkey and Greece
August to September: Eastern Europe
Late September: Oktoberfest in Munich
Oct. 1 to 13: Repositioning cruise from Copenhagen to Miami
Late October: Possibly South America (Peru, Argentina and Chile)