Carol Stream couple to let karma carry them around the world

Ashley and Jason Stubbeman plan to rack up some karma points with a trip around the world that will focus on volunteering.

The couple left their jobs at the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association in Carol Stream and departed Thursday on the two-year tour, which they've dubbed "karma travel." The first leg of their trip will take them to Costa Rica to build hatcheries for sea turtles.

"The minute we first met in college, we talked about traveling and getting out there," said Ashley Stubbeman.

Both Ashley and her husband discovered that they had the travel bug when they first met. Their trips were initially limited to their immediate environment and usually involved biking, climbing and hiking.

They both always planned on traveling on a larger scale after marriage, but the trip really evolved after they realized they also wanted to help people.

"That's how karma travel came to be," Ashley said. "We developed our own travel philosophy."

The Stubbemans will be keeping a log of their world tour at karma-travels.com. They've already worked out a rough itinerary, spending some of the first few months in Panama, Peru and other locations in South America.

"One thing I'm really looking forward to in Peru is we're working with children with disabilities," Ashley said. "That's what we've done for the last two years, so we're lucky to bring our skills down to Peru."

In August, they'll head to South Korea, where they both have a contract to teach English for a year.

After that, plans include visits and volunteer work in about a dozen countries, including India, Nepal, Chile, Egypt, Greece and Tanzania. The couple plan on returning by July 2011 for graduate school.

"This trip is going to help us focus on what we want to go into," Ashley said.

She said they've been preparing for the trip for years now by constantly working out and keeping in shape. They've also tried to cut down on costs so they can save up for their travels.

"We just moved into a house in the past four months that we call 'The Shack,'" Ashley said. "It doesn't really have a working shower in it."

While traveling, Ashley said she and her husband will be mostly staying in their tent and living out of one bag.

They'll also be updating their Web site periodically with pictures and reflections on their journey.

"There should be some great pictures," Ashley said.