Rock & Barb Travel
Adventure Awaits at Every Age
About Us
We are Rock and Barb.
For much of the past three years, we’ve been traveling the world.
People often ask us, “Why?”
Because the fabric of humanity is vast, colorful, and endlessly fascinating and we want to experience it firsthand.
No matter where we go, we’re reminded that people are more alike than different. We all love our families. We laugh. We grieve. We hope. Those shared human experiences connect us across borders and languages.
But it’s the cultural differences, the traditions, food, music, daily rhythms, and ways of seeing the world that deepen our understanding and expand our hearts. Each place adds texture and color to our view of life.
Travel allows us to step beyond our own small thread in humanity’s tapestry and appreciate the intricate weave of the whole.
We invite you to explore with us—one story, one city, one connection at a time.
Our Travel Blog
Why We Travel
After three years of circling the globe from the Great Pyramids to Everest, from Rome to Bangkok, we’ve learned that travel isn’t about landmarks. It’s about people. It’s about stepping beyond our small corner of the world to experience the rich, varied fabric of humanity firsthand. The journeys are long, the languages challenging, the food sometimes too spicy, but the rewards are deeper than we ever imagined.
In this post we explain why we keep going.
We Travel Slowly
We don’t rush from city to city. We stay a month or more, rent an apartment, shop local markets, make our morning coffee at home, and learn what daily life really feels like. Slow travel lets us see beyond the tourist sights and experience the culture, traditions, and people who make each place unique. This post shares why opening our front door somewhere new never gets old and why retirement makes this life possible.
We Meet Many, Leave Most. But Some Become Friends
As long-term travelers, we’ve learned that friendship is both the greatest gift and the quiet cost of this life. In Cuenca, Ecuador, acquaintances are becoming something deeper and once again our hearts are being stretched between the people we love back home and the friends we’re growing to love here. This post is our thank you to every life that has touched ours. We love you. And yes… we will return.
Corn on Pizza and “Not Spicy” Lies: Eating Our Way Around the World
From coconut milk sweet tea in Malaysia to corn-topped pizza in Türkiye, one-chili “not spicy” in Thailand to hornado in the Andes—this is a story about how food humbles, surprises, and connects us. Because discovery isn’t just why we travel. It’s what’s on the plate.
Istanbul Isn’t Seen, It’s Slowly Understood
We skipped the tourist zones, lived in a neighborhood, followed the scent of spice markets, watched cats rule the sidewalks, and stood inside spaces that felt bigger than travel.
Some places overwhelm you. Istanbul invites you to pay attention.
We stayed a month. It changed how we see the world.
From Vacationing to Belonging
What started as a simple “two-month trip” to Cuenca turned into something far deeper...a complete shift in how we see travel, how we see home, and how we see life itself. In this heartfelt post, we share how stepping beyond the idea of a vacation led us into true slow travel: navigating a new culture; building daily routines in a foreign land; and discovering the joy (and challenge) of living abroad. From unexpected departures to meaningful returns, this journey through Ecuador reveals how one peaceful Andean city captured our hearts and why we now call it our forever winter home.