After Traveling Through 25 Countries In 3 Years, This Irish Couple Are Weathering The Pandemic Storm In Thailand

After 3 years travelling through over 25 countries, Dublin couple Katie Hogan and Luke Gibney – better known collectively as The Ungraceful Guide – have had their adventure paused by the global pandemic. The last few months has been the longest they’ve stayed in the one place, and today Katie spoke to Mairead live from Kolanta in Thailand!

After selling all their belongings and booking a one-way flight to Mexico, Katie and Luke had planned to travel for a bit and settle somewhere to teach English. However, the life totally sucked them in and now they've traveled a total of 25 countries and have no plans to stop!

 

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Celebrating our three year travelversary with a throwback to life before backpacks.⁣ ⁣ Looking dapper AF, it's hard to believe we were once this couple who yearned for security, stability, a high paying salary, a CEO position, that 4-bedroom house in the city, two cars and endless holidays.⁣ ⁣ And now all we want is a fresh towel, a good pillow, a mozzie-free night and the odd hot shower. ⁣ ⁣ Life has changed in so many ways, we couldn't begin to explain. Yet one thing's for sure... the smiles we wear today are far more genuine and our days far more fulfilling. Sure, we have more hair, more roots, more holes and more creases but to be honest, we hardly recognise ourselves here.⁣ ⁣ Not because in the way we look but the change in how we see life. Far more appreciative, our eyes wide open, hearts bursting, present, comfortable and content.⁣ ⁣ We imagine if this Katie and Luke were to see us now, they'd hardly recognise us either. But instead pass us on the street and chuck us some change to buy a coffee or book ourselves into a hostel for the night....

A post shared by The Ungraceful Guide (@ungracefulguide) on Feb 4, 2020 at 12:10am PST

They're currently weathering the global pandemic storm in Thailand, but were off-grid in India Covid-19 went global and didn't know what was going on until they got a frosty reception in Manapur State where it was known as a Western virus! They managed to get a flight to Thailand before India went in to lockdown, and are currently renting a house.

Katie and Luke also recently got the great news that they're expecting a baby! They hope to come home to Ireland to have the baby, but that's won't be the end of their travels - they'll be back on the road, baby in tow!

You can hear the chat in full by pressing the play button on screen.