Then

Now

Words by Teresa Hagen, Photos by Herman Hagen

In 1980, I was living in Nacogdoches, Texas, and had never traveled outside the U.S. Meanwhile, Herman was living in Lelystad, Netherlands, and had never traveled to the U.S. Now, certainly people would say it was fate that brought us together, however I’m here to tell you that it had nothing to do with the universe but a common problem that bedevils all our lives in 2018: computer error.

Yes, that’s right, we met by computer mistake. I was fresh out of college and decided that I should see something of the world before I settled in a career-oriented job, so I ordered tons of brochures about tours in Europe and the U.S., finally settling on one that involved a bus camping trip across the U.S. Since I could only afford half the trip, I chose the northern arc, which went across the country from New York City to San Francisco. Herman chose the round trip, which circled the U.S., starting In NYC, south as far as Texas, west to San Francisco, then northeast back to NYC. Alas, things didn’t go quite as planned, and he ended up on my bus taking the northern arc first.

That was almost 38 years ago, and the one thing that has remained a common interest during our 36+ years of marriage is a love for travel. Now, we are entering a new phase of our lives called retirement, or as I like to call it, the great adventure. So, we’ve sold our home, our cars; stored 135+ boxes of personal belongings and are officially nomads.

One of our biggest frustrations throughout our mutual careers has always been the lack of time to learn about and enjoy the destinations we’ve visited. That changes as of March 5, 2018. We’re off for a 90-day visit each to New Zealand and Australia, and will not grace the U.S. shores again until the end of August.

Initially, I was hesitant to start this blog, as I thought nothing we would be doing could be that interesting to anyone but ourselves. While that may be true, I did remember that, as a writer and storyteller, I have always been cursed with, um, unique events that tend to take place wherever I go (“The Hurricane Cruise”, “The Great Field Mouse Escapade”, “The Cambodian Elevator Heist,” to name a few) so I have no doubt I’ll have several tales to tell.

In an effort to entertain you before we embark upon our new travels, my first posts will give you a look back at some of our past adventures. Stay tuned!