Six months ago I was heartbroken to be leaving Southeast Asia.
The prospect of spending my summer in Europe was more appealing than staying for the rainy season in Asia but I still had plenty of concerns.
Could I really afford to spend six months in Europe? Would my itinerary of 16 countries prove to be far too ambitious?
Fortunately, I found that I could afford six months in Europe. I spent the majority of my time in Eastern Europe and found the area to be especially affordable – in some places it was even as cheap as Southeast Asia!
And yes, my itinerary was definitely far too ambitious for both work and travel. I have spent several months feeling burnt out, extremely stressed, lacking in motivation and unable to write as much as I would have liked.
But I’m glad I went. Despite moving around like a madman, I had an incredible time exploring Europe and Morocco and I definitely have no regrets.
Which now leads me to the question of how can I possibly improve on the previous 6 months?!
Here’s what I have planned!
Bali
I am SO excited to be heading back to my beloved Southeast Asia! It’s the one area of the world that truly feels like home for me, and I’ll be kicking off my return on the 9th October with a week in Bali!
I’ll be spending part of the week in gorgeous Ubud and the rest of the time with friends in Nusa Dua. As well as lots of relaxing, I’m hoping I’ll be able to squeeze in another surf lesson while I’m there.
Cambodia
I loved my time in Cambodia earlier this year, but I left feeling frustrated at how little time I had spent in the country – just four days, all of which were spent in Siem Reap.
This time, I’ll be flying into Phnom Penh and then spending three weeks exploring the beaches of Southern Cambodia – Sihanoukville, Kampot, Kep and hopefully a few of the islands too.
Vietnam
Remember my epic scooter road trip around Nothern Thailand earlier this year?
Well, Stuart, Dave and I are planning on doing a similar style trip again this year, but this time in Vietnam!
I didn’t manage to get to Vietnam when I was in Southeast Asia earlier this year so I’m extremely excited to be visiting this time around – especially as I’ll be visiting places far off the tourist trail! The plan is to start in Saigon and either spend two weeks scootering around the Mekong Delta or take an inland route to Hoi An.
Thailand
It’ll be back to my former home in mid-November – I’ll be heading to Chiang Mai for the Yi Peng floating lantern festival!
After two weeks of visiting my favourite restaurants in Chiang Mai, I plan on heading down to the islands for another couple of weeks.
Will I finally work up the courage to try diving?
Probably not.
It’s looking likely I’ll spend the two weeks relaxing on my favourite Thai island Koh Yao Noi.
Australia
We’re now up to mid-December, when it’ll be time to head to a brand new continent as I’ll finally be flying to Australia! If you remember my original travel plans, you’ll know that I should have reached Australia a year ago and that I was planning on living there for two years on a Working Holiday Visa.
Fortunately, I’m not yet at the stage where I need to force myself into a soul-destroying job to fund my travels, so I’ll only be staying for a month this time.
Dave and I will be flying into the Gold Coast to hang out with a friend for a few days before making our way down the coast towards Melbourne, where we’ll be spending Christmas and New Years. After that, I’ll have another couple of weeks that I’m not sure what to do with – at this stage it looks like these might be spent exploring Tasmania.
New Zealand
After Australia I’ll be heading to New Zealand for a huge road trip with Dave and Dustin! I’m planning on spending two months there, with a month in the North Island and a month in the South Island.
We’ll start by flying into Auckland and working our way up to the very tip of the North Island before travelling south towards Wellington. During this time, we’ll be visiting 90 Mile Beach, Bay of Islands, Rotorua, Taupo, Tongariro National Park, Waitomo and dozens of other places!
After some North Island fun it’ll be time to head over to the South Island.
Starting from the top of the island we’ll start by enjoying the sun in Marlborough Sounds and the Nelson/Golden Bay area before heading down the coast to Kaikoura and Christchurch. We’ll then be driving inland to Hanmer Springs before exploring Mount Cook, Wanaka and Queenstown, followed by central Otago and Milford Sound. We also plan to get to the very bottom of New Zealand as well, spending a couple of days in Stewart Island (I really hope I’ll be able to see the Southern Lights while I’m here!).
SO excited!
Southeast Asia
After spending three months in Australia and New Zealand I’m sure my bank account will be recoiling in horror, so it’ll be time to head back to good old Southeast Asia.
With around two months to spend in the area, I’m hoping to spend a month of this in Burma – the country that is currently right at the top of my travel wishlist. I’d love to spend the second month in Borneo but I have a feeling I’ll be needing to get a lot of work done by this point, so it’s probably more likely that I will stop moving and spend all day everyday chained to my laptop.
And that just about sums up my next six months of travel! What do you think of my travel plans? Do you have any suggestions or tips for anywhere I’m going? Will you be in any of the same places at the same time? Drop me a message and let me know!
[Images via: thejollynomad/Flickr, padmanaba01/Flickr, fredalix/Flickr, chanc/Flickr, stuckincustoms/Flickr, msojka/Flickr]
Posted by .
In July 2011 I left England for what was supposed to be a one year trip around the world. Within a few months of leaving I knew that a year would never be enough. I now work online and travel permanently, seeking misadventures in unique, beautiful and fascinating places. Read more.
I'm here to show you how not to travel. Since I've been on the road I've been "poked" during a massage in Bangkok, punched a scammer in Shanghai, been attacked by monkeys in Bali, sat next to a dead woman on a boat in Laos and so much more. I call these The Incidents and you can see a full list of them here.
Amazing! I just finished doing a very similar trip through SE Asia – with a slight detour to London for the Olympics – before heading to NZ. Bali is brilliant, as is Thailand and Vietnam – but Cambodia is my favourite place in SE Asia. Beware, though, I went to Sihanoukville for a couple of days and ended up staying for nearly a month!
Simon recently posted..City sightseeing by ferry: 5 brilliant budget boat trips
Haha, fortunately I won’t be able to change my plans around too much to stay in places along the way. Very excited to get to Vietnam for the first time!
YAY ! Bali is at the top of the list :D
Let me know if you’d like to meet up.
DebbZ recently posted..Poland: Photo Essay of Krakow
I’d love to meet up Debby, I’ll be there in just over a week!
Hey, might be in Australia myself over Christmas. If it happens, I’ll let you know!
Yvette recently posted..Photo: Haarlem, the Netherlands
Yay, that would be awesome! :)
Awesome travel plans, very exciting! I am at the top of the North Island, in NZ – literally ON 90 Mile Beach – do let us know when you guys are in the area, we could show you around if you’re keen on a random adventure of some sort (and have time) It’s such a beautiful part of this incredibly stunning country!
Kate – Canuckiwikate recently posted..Photo Friday! Week 35: Looking down the Steepest Street
Awesome! I’ll definitely be dropping you a message when we get up there :) Random adventures are always fun!
Hey we’re going to be in a bunch of these places as well, Vietnam, Cambodia, SEA.
Check out map on the home page and hover over the country to see what dates, exactly, let us know!
Dave recently posted..First Days In Kyoto
I don’t think we’ll be in any of the same places at the same time, unfortunately.
Hey Lauren, I’m very excited about your next 6 months, especially as my girlfriend and i are currently in South America until 20th Dec then we will fly to New Zealand and continue round to india via all the countries you have listed! looking forward to hearing your thoughts on these places
Sounds like an amazing trip, David!
Good luck in the southern villages of Cambodia! Kampot and Kep are a *lot* more rural than Lonely Planet and Wikitravel might have you believe. Also if you’re wondering at the time, Rabbit Island probably isn’t worth the day trip.
Considering the rural places I visited in Thailand (no English spoken, no tourists, people that have never seen white people before) I think I’ll be ok!
Ohhh, I am thinking about Myanmar in February too!
Course, at this point I will be around Melbourne for Xmas and NYE, fully involved in the Boxing Day Test festivities – a fun time to be here!
Tash recently posted..The Other Film Festival
So, see you in Melbourne then? :)
Those plans look great. We’re heading to Thailand in November and plan on getting up to Chiang Mai for the Yi Peng festival too. Do you have any info on the actual dates for this festival? I’ve read a lot of conflicting info.
The dates haven’t been announced yet, it should be around the 23rd though.
Back to southeast Asia with a side of Australia and New Zealand. Sounds like fun! :)
Jeremy Branham recently posted..What the Irish people and craic taught me about life
Really looking forward to it!
About south Cambodia…Kep..boring. Sihanoukville…a looot of tourists. You absolutely have to go to Koh Rong and / or Rabbit island. Both are amazing and quiet. Koh rong (monkey island) is the best place I have ever been to.
Have fun.
Thanks for the advice!
Hi. Quite the ambitious travel plans for the next 6 months. I recently spent a couple months teavelling and exploring Thailand – mostlt the non-tourist areas -helped that my son married a Tai girl whose family wad from a remote area in Thailand . Wonderful experience. Had the opportunity on the way back to spend time in Kong kong , England and touring Canada. I would like some feedback on how you started this type of wirkd travel and how you finance your ventures. I agree parts of Asia are very economical once you are there but other locations on your itinerary are much more expensive to travel in. Would like to hear from you and other travelers tips on how to finance extended travel. Have a great day and safe travels. Linda – Canada zastova2010@hotmail.com
Linda Dove recently posted..CBRM Mayoral Debate
Hi Linda – this blog funds my travels via advertising. And I also do a bit of freelance travel writing.
I’m so excited for you!! Can’t wait to hear all the updates x
Scarlett recently posted..Tales From the Changing Room…
I’m excited too! Can’t wait to tell you all about it! :)
wowowowowow… young lady….. YOU ARE DIVING! You promised! I have been in touch with Miley Cyrus’people about the whole thing.
Ally recently posted..STAND BY
Hahahahaha, damn you for reading this! ;)
I’d suggest go explore the eastern islands of indonesia! they’re fantastic and absolutely breathtaking – lombok, flores, sulawesi, maluku, papua!
kyh recently posted..Five foot ways
I’d love to! Not this trip but maybe one in the future :)
This all sounds amazing! I’d definitely recommend diving and Borneo – both incredible! Good luck with it all and look forward to reading all about it :)
Thanks, Katie :) Really hoping I can get to Borneo… :)
Now, I’m really interested to see what you make of Bali – I’ve heard it really is a love it or hate it kind of destination. Your plans do sound fabulous though – especially the Cambodian beach portion of your trip!
If you’re in Sydney, stop off at the British Lolly Shop. It’s HEAVEN for Brits who are missing a slice of home. Seriously, I almost died with happiness when I went there after 6 months in Korea.
Tom @ Waegook Tom recently posted..The Seoul Subway Challenge: Line 7
I spent two weeks in Bali in March. I really liked it (apart from Kuta!). It’ll be good to return and see a different area of the island :)
British Lolly Shop, AMAZING.
All of your plans sounds amazing. B
But, I have to say it – YAY NEW ZEALAND!
Amanda recently posted..Visiting Gallipoli as an American
I knew you’d be excited!! :D
haha, I was thinking the same thing Amanda! :D
Nomadic Translator @latinAbroad recently posted..Arepas El Cacao review: Venezuelan food in Kissimmee (photos)
Exciting plans! Good luck!
The last photo is amazing!
memographer recently posted..London: Jubilee Photo Walkway
Thank you :)
Your list is so perfect for Christmas. My plan for the end of the month is visit Manila, Philippines. I am gonna visit the China town there which is featured by CNN. I hope I’ve made a good choice.
Thank you! I didn’t see too much of Manila when I was there, but I hope to go back someday :)
I’ll still be in Chiang Mai through December – what are you favorite restaurants? I want to try them out!
Hi Emily!
My favourites are Beetroot Stories, Peppermint, Miguel’s. All AMAZING.
Oooh, and Blue Diamond for breakfast!
Have you tried Smoothie BLues on Nimmanhaemin? Delish! I”m gonna try out all yours this week :) Very excited!
Emily McManus recently posted..Five Months
Today marks exactly five months since I left the…
Smoothie Blues! That sounds like something I would love! On my list for when I return :D
Loy Krathong is what we are living in Chiang Mai for! Can’t wait to see it. I’m still trying to decide where to watch it though. There are so many options but i want that surrounded by awesomeness factor.
jmayel & sacha recently posted..Taken During our recent trip to Mae Hong Son for J’s…
You need to watch it at Mae Jo. ;)
Hope you visit the Philippines again :D
Micamyx|Senyorita recently posted..Reggae Nights at Balay Tubay Bistro asta Galeri – El Nido, Palawan
I wish I was! :)
I have Burma and Philippines as top choices in mind. A lot of good tourist spots like white sand beaches and well-structured churches. I want to visit the Binondo Church in Manila!
You’ve commented on the same post twice?
Ooh, exciting plans! (Also, I’ll be in Chiang Mai for Yi Peng – maybe will see you there!)
Callie recently posted..GEGANTS
Nice itinerary. Am just planning my first Solo Backpacking trip for OutsideTheGuidebook.com. Heh! Starting off with Bangkok in mid-November (in India visiting family these days and really want to be here for Diwali.. after seven years.. Yipes!). Then onto Chiang Mai->Luang Prabang->Vang Vieng->Vientianne->Hanoi and onwards to HCMC using train/motorcycle (wooo hhooo adventure deluxe!) -> Cambodia -> Back into Thailand for NYE (Full Moon Party a la grande :-DD) and then maybe Malaysia and S’pore before heading to NZ for a two year working holiday. Phew! I do tend to ramble on don’t I.. my comment is nearly as long as your article minus the photos :-)
All the best for your travels Lauren! And hopefully bump into you somewhere along the way.
OutsideTheGuidebook recently posted..Pastéis de Belém: Portugal’s delicious Pastry secret
all I can say is DAMN! ;D safe travels honey xx
- Maria Alexandra
Spanish Translator @latinAbroad recently posted..Best Sicily beaches: Spectacular scenery, turquoise waters (photos)
GO to Tasmania. I love love love the place. I think that might just be because of Tasmanians though they are wonderful people.
George recently posted..For Sale: Everything
Sounds great Lauren, we were really close to going to Stewart Island, but it just fell through. Safe travels and I have a feeling our paths will cross again in 2013!
Scott recently posted..Might As Well Jump
Looks like an unbelievable schedule, Lauren! Have a blast!
Susan @ Travel Junkette recently posted..Kayaking Into The Wild: 4 Days in the Alaskan Rainforest
Well well well, looks like we’ll be in Thailand at the same time! Interesting …….. Love reading of your plans, sounds fantastic!
Caro from Passport and a Toothbrush recently posted..Tea and mud houses: life on a Turkish farm
We are going to eat A LOT of dessert in Chiang Mai…
Dustin Main – Skinny Backpacker recently posted..Project Do It In a Dress: The Berg Lake Trail Part 1 – Canada
Have you made it to the beaches of Cambodia yet? I have heard mixed reviews of the beach towns, looking for a trusted opinion.
Keep up the great blog.
Adam @ GettingStamped recently posted..Sun Rise Hike to Mount Batur
Hi Adam,
Yep, I’m currently writing this from Sihanoukville in Cambodia! I have loved the beaches in Cambodia, I prefer them to Thailand. They’re much cheaper and have a lot fewer tourists! Otres Beach in Sihanoukville is quiet and peaceful with the calmest, warmest ocean I’ve ever swam in – much fewer tourists and touts than Serendipity Beach (which is horrible – don’t go there!).
The beaches on Koh Rong were incredible (I’ve put photos on my fanpage if you want to check them out). Very much the definition of paradise. We had a 1km stretch of white sand beach to ourself for an entire day. So beautiful!
The beaches of Kep were nothing special, but the crab in pepper sauce was probably the best meal of my entire life.