Wow, hard to believe I've been away from the USA for a year now.
Thanks to everyone who recognized the 365th day was November 30!
Since so many new readers have joined along throughout the months, I thought I'd highlight a favorite experience from each country so far.
The latest news is Brussels for Christmas, followed by a visit to Holland thereafter.
New Year's Eve is still to be determined!
- French Polynesia – Driving A VW Down A Tahitian Mountain
- New Zealand – Heli-Hiking Franz Joseph Glacier
- Australia – Sailing The Whitsunday Islands (3 parts)
- Indonesia – Day 1 In Bali – Sensory Overload
- Singapore – School Daze, Crab A La Bourdain, And Durian
- Hong Kong/Macau – Escalators, Victoria Peak, Dance Mania, And A Light Show
- China – Spa Life, Giant Pandas, And Movie Night
- Nepal – Annapurna Sanctuary Trek (12 parts)
- India – A Teaching By His Holiness The Dalai Lama or Indrahar Pass Trek (4 parts)
- Thailand – Thailand's Full Moon Party – July 2008
- Cambodia – Cambodian Hospitality
- Laos – Slow Down, You Move Too Fast
- South Africa – Dare #16 – Completed – Cage Diving With Great White Sharks
Planning a trip? Go Backpacking uses and recommends:
- G Adventures for small group tours
- Skyscanner for researching flights
- Hostelworld for booking hostels
- Airbnb for renting rooms and homes
- Rail Europe for train passes
- World Nomads for travel insurance
Congratulations for hitting that one-year mark! :) Hope you make just as many amazing memories with the rest of your travels!
Congratulations again Dave and thanks for sharing so much with us readers.
Reflecting back on your pre-trip plan, what did have you learned while on the road? what advice do you have for someone like myself who is 3 months away from departure?
And how much longer do you think you’ll be on the road? Are you going to South America?
Hey, buddy.
Your link to the Laos article seems to be broken. Remove the “la” at the end of the URL.
Thanks – I’ve fixed it!!
Wow a year of traveling, that is pretty awesome!!!!! You have been to some amazing places and its great to see that South Africa was there, hope you continue to have an adventure!!!
Yay, Christmas in Belgium! There’s a fun drinking show called Three Sheets that did a great show from Belgium. check it out if you get the chance.
I’ve learned it’s easier to arrange tours and guides once you’ve arrived in a certain country or region than I imagined, and cheaper than doing so through a western company. The best example is trekking in Nepal, though I’m also finding the same applies for overland tours (of varying lengths) in south and east Africa. If you don’t have time to spare, such as on a 2-week vacation, then it would certainly pay to book ahead of arrival though.
My best advice would be to regularly remind yourself that you can’t see every sight, do every activity, or visit every country in the world (or even your smaller itinerary!). Right now, I’m dealing with the end of my trip. At first, I resisted. Now, I’m realizing I still have 1-2 months of great experiences ahead, and I don’t want to ruin them by stressing about re-entry back home. Savor the feeling at the start of your trip that the world is your oyster! :)
My plans for South America will be sharply curtailed. I’m trying to decide on one country to visit, and considering overland travel through Central America to southern California, though it’d be a quick jaunt through the region, with little lingering. :)
Thanks for the insights. I know I’ve going to have to deal with the see everything, do everything realization eventually. I’m still in denial at the moment.
If you do head to Central America at the end, perhaps we’ll meet up. We’ll be starting in Mexico City in mid March and heading south from there.
I did not realise before that sharks are unable to stop swimming in order to sleep. No wonder they are so irritable!