“The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” ― Christopher McCandless
Who are we?
Hello! We’re Akanksha & Chris: The Foodie and Backpacker couple, who firmly believe in “couples who travel together stay together”.
We met online in 2014 and since then, we’ve shared amazing adventures together. In 2018, we got married in three different countries, embarking on the greatest adventure yet to come.
When it comes to travel, there’s no “best” or “right” way to do it. You could fly thousands of miles across the world to have an adventure, or simply walk down the street and discover something amazing. We never gave up our “normal” life to have adventures around the globe. And guess what? You don’t have to, either. You don’t have to quit your job or leave your loved ones behind indefinitely in order to be a traveler. And hopefully this blog and our stories will convince you of that. We’ll still be traveling the globe and sharing the exact way that we do it on this blog.
We’re on a mission to see as much of the world as possible, also inspire and show YOU how you can fit more travel and adventure into the lifestyle you already have.
Why Subscribe?
If you’re looking for the ultimate escape, a chance to get to know yourself better, or you just want to plan an immersive trip that isn’t the same thing that everyone else is doing. You want the life-changing experience, the kind that only adventurers have. I know that’s not easy, and it can be pretty scary to go somewhere you’ve never been before, especially if you’re going it alone. Well we totally get you, and you’re not alone.
Maybe you’re looking for ways to maximize your paid time off, or maybe you’re looking to change your life completely, leaving behind the cubicle and embracing an adventure on the other side of the world. Maybe it’s something you’ve wanted your whole life, and nobody around you understands, but your desire for the adventure of a lifetime keeps the dream alive.
Afraid to travel solo?…Don’t want to follow tour groups? Unsure what and how to do in other countries; unsure of time and budget for places; one stop shop for what to eat, where to stay, where to go, what to do, how to get there, what to avoid, how much to spend? We’re here to make it easier and more accessible for you!
How we travel?
Foodies in FaB – We LOVE Eating. And we will try just about anything. We’re as comfortable devouring street food while sitting on roadside stools as we are with candle light dinners at fancy restaurants sitting across each other. While we enjoy the spiciest of dishes (meats, veggies or curries), breadiest of breads, and all the desserts of the world (YES PLEASE), we also crave a good green smoothie and fresh salad every once in a while. Eating out is fun (dates nonstop) but we also enjoy home cooked meals – one of the things we miss most while traveling. Speaking of which, AB absolutely loves cooking. Chris is the sous chef to head chef AB, and AB is the navigator to his “let’s get lost” attitude. We love that we work as a team whether we’re traveling, cooking or working on this blog.
Backpackers in FaB – When other travelers follow tour guides, we follow hand drawn maps. When others take tour buses, we found our way through local transportation. When others take boat attractions, we take cargo ferries. When others would hire a car and driver, we hung out of the door of a moving train. And when others would take a bus, we hitchhiked.
We came to realize over time that talking to locals, ditching guides and group tours, and always taking local transportation immersed us in the local culture and showed us the real parts of the countries we were visiting – things that most tourists almost never get to see or understand.
While we like planning out our travels and seeing some of the big attractions, our favorite travel experiences are usually the unplanned detours and the secret spots we stumble on that aren’t on the typical “tourist path”. We aim to immerse ourselves, interact with locals, and learn about a nation’s history as much as possible. Our vacations are exploring a city, jam packed with activities and adventures rather than just relaxing.
We write this blog for the vacation loving adventure seekers that would never let a single hour of time off go unused. We write for those people who truly believe in Susan Sontag’s timeless travel quote “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list”. We want to show you the places we have been and help you navigate a new destination bringing you to the best sights while avoiding the pitfalls we likely fell into.
Why the Blog?
The idea of blogging our Footprints and Appetizing Affairs first crept into our mind when we took a glance at our past adventures and calendar for the upcoming year and realized how much traveling we were about to embark (2020). Akanksha always created an itinerary for wherever we traveled and we gathered so many memories from our trips that we decided to start using this blog as a personal journal, enabling us to look back and relive the moments. Thus, IamFaB.us was born in Aug 2019. Since then, it has evolved from a simple journal, to share with friends and family, to a dedicated site for readers around the world. It is no longer solely designed to share just our adventures but to help travelers, who still work ‘normal’ jobs and still want to be explorers.
Through this blog, we aim to offer you destination specific travel advice, stories of adventure and exploration, travel reviews and inspiration to get out and travel the world. We let our personal failures and accomplishments be lessons, travel tips, and recommendations for others!
Who is Akanksha (AB)?
I’m not a full-time traveler or “digital nomad.” In fact, ever since I started traveling or writing this blog, I’ve been working full-time. As much as I love traveling and having adventures, I also enjoy coming home to sleep in my own bed, drive my own car, and I guess cuddle with my husband too. I really identify with William Hazlitt quote “I would like to spend the whole of my life traveling, if I could anywhere borrow another life to spend at home.”
So, who’s AB? I’m just a normal girl originally from India who currently calls New Jersey my “home”. I didn’t inherit any $$, never thought of myself as particularly brave (except for moving to US in 2007), but had epiphany in Sep 2011 and went on a big adventure abroad with my siblings. Since then, I have been to more than 43 countries on 5 continents and hundreds of cities, solo, with friends or as a couple, and am always on the lookout for my next big adventure. I am obsessed with travel, meeting new people, seeing extraordinary new places and experiencing new cultures. And I want the same for you!
I love food. Trying new and unusual things is one of my favorite parts of travel. I have a weird thing for maps. I am pretty good with directions, but sometimes I do get lost. And that’s part of the adventure, right?! I love puns. If you can tell me something punny, we will be instant friends!
Goal
Why travel? Because life is short, and vacation is even shorter and we believe the more people travel the more they grow and the world will be a better place because of it. Plus, you’ll make some great memories along the way.
Let’s just say that the more places we travel, the more places we want to see. There’s something utterly addicting about travel. It’s like nicotine, but more expensive. Though it’s probably a little better for our lungs.
Each place we’ve visited has given us reasons to fall in love. For some it’s the landscape, in others it’s the food or culture, and in others still it’s the people. Sometimes we are enraptured by it all. Those are the places that are hardest to leave.
But most of all, we love how travel shows us just how much good is in this world. There is kindness everywhere if you seek it. And the more we travel, the more hope we have for the future of this planet.
For more updates, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. If you’d like to get in touch, drop us a line at iamfabus@gmail.com.
