Imagine throwing your worldly possessions in storage, giving up your plum job and setting off on an
Around the World in 365 Days backpacking adventure with your spouse. Jealous? Or is it your worst nightmare?
7Newsman Garvin Thomas and his wife, WBZ-TV's Karen Crocker, are going to give it a shot. But
they're forgoing the hot air balloon.
``It was now or never,'' Garvin told the Track. ``We've been talking about doing it for a while. And so many people have
told us that they talked about it but before they knew it, there were kids and a house and they never got around to it.''
So on Dec. 2, the thirtysomething newsies will hit the road for the first leg of their trip - a cross-country trip to California
to drop off their car with Karen's parents.
After that, it's on to Hawaii, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and China. And after that, Russia, Europe, South Africa, Brazil,
Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and finally, back to California.
Phew. All with a fistful of tickets, a list of hostels and a backpack!
Garvin and Karen, who've been married a little more than a year, haven't been on any extended trips together. Unless, of
course, you count those six days it took them to drive to Massachusetts from Montana, where Karen was working a few years
ago. Hmmm.
``We expect to learn more about ourselves or each other in the next year,'' Thomas told the Track.
Ya think?
The daring duo, who hope to return to TV reporting when they return, have snagged a free Web site to report dispatches
from their journey (http://theenchilada.tripod.com). And, of course, there will be digital photos, but no film at 11!
File under: Not-So-General Assignment.
