In 2010, Mary and Corin Katzke sold everything and left Anchorage with two backpacks, two knapsacks and a suitcase full of books. They had one-way tickets to Ireland and a wish list in hand, but no further itinerary. They continued heading East for the entire school year, covering three continents: Europe, Africa and Asia. In the course of their travels, they visited 28 countries and used nearly every form of transportation invented. They stayed with Servas families in Malaysia and Scotland, traveled around Africa on an exotic cruise ship and rode bicycles across rice fields in Vietnam. Corin, now an 8th grader at Romig Middle School, grew five inches, lost nine teeth and put on 15 pounds.
The question he is most asked is, "what was your favorite place?" He is happy to tell them it was Dubai- and China. While Mary admits the idea of going around the world had always been in the back of her mind, it took a family tragedy to give her the courage to actually do it. "Kids grow up so quickly and there is no getting that time back," said Mary Katzke. "Family travel allows both education, and the chance to savor this precious time." Katzke says the two things people said to them most during their travels were 1) they wished they had done that when their kids were young, and, 2) how did you pull this off? She tells them that they can do it, it's not an impossible dream.
