Couple quit jobs to cycle the world for 18 months and eloped in New Zealand

Businessinsider reports that the author and her husband quit their jobs in the UK to cycle around the world for 18 months, and that they eloped in New Zealand.

They saved thousands and followed a 24,000-mile route Stewart planned across 32 countries, carrying a tent and staying in hostels and Airbnb rooms. Stewart organised bright yellow steel-frame touring bikes; the couple waved goodbye from his mother's house and set off with everything they needed packed into six panniers. Their route included Georgia to Azerbaijan, Australia’s Nullarbor Plain and Bulli Pass in New South Wales, and then a flight to Queenstown, where they researched New Zealand marriage requirements and found a celebrant named Sean who offered two witnesses.

They bought rings and attire, Stewart surprised her with a proposal, and they cycled about 500 miles from Queenstown to Christchurch to marry. A landslide at Haast Pass briefly delayed the ceremony, but after changing the date they wed at The Sign of the Bellbird in the Port Hills with only their witnesses present. After the wedding, they spent an eight-month honeymoon cycling home via South America.

Key Topics

Culture, Zoe Ashbridge, Stewart, New Zealand, Queenstown, Christchurch