Matt and Mags start dating (after meeting on Bumble). The first dates were Irish bars, brunch & bowling, NH hikes, and ice castles.

Back in March 2018, Matt told Maggie about his upcoming trip to Asia to hike Everest Base Camp in Nepal. Matt casually suggested Maggie should join him for the second half of the adventure-- a month-long backpacking adventure through Thailand and Vietnam. She said yes before they even became "official" bf/gf. That came a month later on her birthday. Matt was trying to be strategic about merging birthday and anniversary dates to avoid forgetting either ;) This photo is the night before Matt leaves for Nepal where she is helping him pack for 2 months in a backpack.

After trekking Nepal, Maggie joins Matt in Chiang Mai, Thailand for more backpacking. They bonded over their love for adrenaline activities, love of animals, and exploring new cultures.

Matt and Maggie road trip Vietnam for a month from Ho Chi Min to Hanoi. A timeline of their love story quickly became a timeline of their travels as adventure was central to their relationship.

Back in the US, While starting up the Meaningful Travelers Podcast and interviewing other travelers, they learn about Jeju Island, South Korea and the idea of moving to a new country takes hold...

In Summer of 2019, after locking in jobs at the same school, they moved to Jeju Island, South Korea together, where they would spend the next 4 years living, working with Korean students, learning about Korean culture, and of course, traveling the world. Jeju, with its beautiful beaches and mountains, became their new home.

When COVID struck in 2020, and with summer off from work, they flew back to America and rented a campervan to live in. There's living together... and then there's living in a tiny van together, with minimal showering, minimal service, and waking up to snow storms and heat waves in the same week. They drove around the great American West living off-grid, hiking many national parks, caves, and canyons. Long drives gave them time to reflect on what their future might look like together as a family.

While Jeju became their home, it also became their home base for their travels to China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and Bali. They knew they wanted to move back to America eventually, but wanted to see as much of Asia as possible before settling down.

Summer of 2022, their last summer abroad. With the travel restrictions removed, they set off for a summer of backpacking / RV road-tripping through Europe. At this point, there were talks of rings, but Maggie didn't know Matt had already been looking. They flew to Italy and Turkey, and then an RV road trip through Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, before meeting the Hanagan family in Ireland. Ring shopping was in full swing at this point, but wasn't until the final stop in Amsterdam that they found the perfect sapphire ring hidden in a tiny antique shop along the canals in Amsterdam...

Matt proposed in Maggie's favorite city, Amsterdam- disguising the photo shoot as a normal couples photoshoot, which was something Maggie had been requesting for years. Promising that even though they had the ring picked out, Maggie would have to wait for a while, since there was no rush. But...Matt changed his mind and popped the question with a secret signal from the photographer during the shoot.

Christmas 2022, they flew to Australia to spend 3 weeks bonding with their future in-laws, Rachel and Ken. And, keeping on-brand, they toured Tasmania in an RV together to accelerate the family bonding experience! ;) It was a special four weeks amongst future siblings.

Having officially moved back from Korea this June, Maggie and Matt are settled down in Boston (with their new furry son, Udo!), and want to welcome you to join them in a fun celebration of life and love on Saturday, May 25, 2024.