Butler said he was surprised the couple opted to stay in their bus rather than in a bed most of the nights. He likened the Schultes' journey to an extended camping trip. It may not be for him, but Butler said there were aspects of their travel he envied.

"I think it's something almost everybody would love to do but are too afraid of doing even a tenth of what they do," he said.

The Schultes pay for their world travel with their savings. They know that money will eventually run out, but they're going to keep traveling as long as they can.

"At some point we need to work again and settle down," Pat said.

"We have no idea what settling down means. It's a little different for us than it was five years ago."

Julianna Parker 366-3541 jparker@normantranscript.com