Trip Reflection - Halfway Look Back
Introduction
Somehow, we’re already halfway through our big trip around the world. Crazy to think that we left our jobs over six months ago, shoved our lives into a massive backpack, and left our world as we knew it behind. We have been (and continue to be) incredibly fortunate to be on this incredible journey – to see places many never dream to, to meet people entirely different to ourselves, and to experience the unthinkable. Now, as we enjoy a ‘summer break’ of sorts in the Swiss Alps, we take a moment to reflect on the first half of our trip and think about what lies ahead for the next.
Our Top 10 Lessons So Far
Despite learning something new every day, about ourselves and the world around us, we feel we can condense some of our most consistent and relevant learnings below:
Take Time to Relax – It’s okay to skip an activity when you’re feeling burned out, especially given full schedules. You may feel guilty that you’re not using every second to explore, but it’s important to take a breather when you need it. The time we’ve spent relaxing always helped us feel better the next day, ready to explore again and take in more unforgettable experiences.
Treat Yo’ Self – Another way to give yourself a break or a simple moment to relax is by treating yourself with a little something extra from time to time. This can be in the form of a cheeky room upgrade, a date night, or even just an extra coffee here and there. These treats don’t need to be expensive or extravagant, little comforts can make a big difference in the outlook on your day or in helping you recharge when needed.
Communication is Key – If you’re traveling with a partner or a friend, make sure to talk! Communication is vital when you’re working with different travel styles or when you have different priorities. Especially early in your trip it’s essential to make your preferences or desires heard, early communication will help everyone stay on the same page through your trip. If you’re not feeling today’s activity, just tell them!
Know Where You’re Going – If you’re the type to plan out every detail, go for it! If you prefer a more flexible approach to travel, keep things open! Either way, don’t underestimate how useful it can be to have some background knowledge! We like to do a bit of research before heading to a new destination to make sure we don’t miss out on key sights, foods to try, and local customs to consider.
The Best Experiences Aren’t Always the Most Expensive – We’ve definitely spent some substantial money on experiences, like our photographic Angkor Wat tour in Cambodia or the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve in Oman, that have been entirely worth the extra price tag or have exceeded our expectations. That said, some of our favorite experiences, like diving with Mr. Wit in Thailand and renting mopeds in Vietnam, were actually the cheapest. So, never assume that the most expensive tour, guide, or fee is the best option. Booking with a smaller company or opting for a local to show you around can lead to an incredible and authentic experience!
Packing Lists are Overrated – Before going on this trip, we (and by we, I mean Sarah) spent a substantial amount of time researching what to pack, making lists, and meticulously purchasing the needed items. While some of these lists have provided helpful reminders of items that are key for certain activities or destinations – think mosquito safari shirts for Africa or wind-proof buff for Patagonia – we’ve definitely curated our personal packing list over the last few months. What we’ve found is that we reach for a select few items over and over again, have discovered the need for things we did not pack, and have found we completely ignore some items in our packs. Keep an eye out for a full look at how our packing evolved!
Stay as Flexible as Possible – Plans will change and there will be disruptions to your original vision, so it’s best to keep plans adaptable. In January, Sarah tore her meniscus, which led to unexpected physio costs, doctors visits, and a changed need for more comfort. For example, we were able to swap hostel bunks out for private rooms with more space and privacy, without incurring additional and/or cancellation costs.
Financial Planning Before Your Trip is Key – In the same vein of being flexible, it’s important to plan for your trip financially with the possibility of changes in mind. This includes any medical costs from injuries or illnesses, political challenges that impact travels, and canceled flights or lost baggage. Consider adding a ~10% buffer to your travel budget that can be used as an emergency fund. Additionally, securing good travel insurance that includes health care and travel nuances was an important factor for us as well.
Don’t Forget to Challenge Yourself – This may sound counterintuitive, you’d think that simply by being on a trip like this that we’re already challenging ourselves. Yet when you’re in a new place every day, you may find yourself seeking comfort where you can. While it’s totally normal to want routine or to choose the easy option in your day-to-day, don’t forget the reason you’re here - to experience new things! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so keep pushing yourself, even if that requires a little treat to get over a low-energy lull.
Live In The Moment – This sounds cheesy, but is definitely a key learning for us! There have been moments on our trip where we’ve thought: When will we be looking out at New Zealand’s Southern Alps again? When will we go back to Sa Pa’s rice paddies? Even though we’re moving through places at lightning speed, we always try to soak up the moment when we can, even if it takes an extra second, minute, or hour. The sights you see will never be the same as they are at this moment, so put away your phone, your camera, and take it all in.
Our Favorites Of The First Six Months
HOTELS
Sarah’s Top 10
Al Bustan Palace Ritz-Carlton, Muscat, Oman
Palm Bungalows, Hamilton Island, Australia
The Shilla, Seoul, South Korea
Elite of the Seas, Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Silverland Ben Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Pullman City Centre, Melbourne, Australia
Baitong Hotel & Resort, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
The Riverside Hotel, Vang Vieng, Lao
Peridot Classic Boutique Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam
The York By Swiss-Belhotel, Sydney, Australia
Jackson’s Top 10
Al Bustan Palace Ritz-Carlton, Muscat, Oman
The Shilla, Seoul, South Korea
Palm Bungalows, Hamilton Island, Australia
Amber Lombok, Lombok, Indonesia
Elite of the Seas, Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Silverland Ben Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Pullman City Centre, Melbourne, Australia
Baitong Hotel & Resort, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Peridot Classic Boutique Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam
The Riverside Hotel, Vang Vieng, Cambodia
CAMPSITES
Top 5 Combined Favorites
White Horse Hill Campground, Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand
Gillespies Beach Campground, Westland National Park, New Zealand
52 km Peg Camping, Eyre Peninsula, Australia
Hot Water Beach Top 10 Campsite, Whitianga, New Zealand
Betty’s Beach Campground, Albany, Australia
MEALS
Sarah's Top 10
Park Street Pasta & Wine, Melbourne, Australia
Happy Mango, Vang Vieng, Laos
Flo’s Creperie, Noosa, Australia
Gonpachi, Tokyo, Japan
Thanks, Oat, Seoul, South Korea
Kobe Entrecote, Kobe, Japan
Uchan, Seoul, South Korea
Spoons, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Tempura Dining ITOI, Tokyo, Japan
Lost City Pizza Society, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Jackson’s Top 10
Sushi Gonpachi, Tokyo, Japan
Park Street Pasta & Wine, Melbourne, Australia
Tempura Dining ITOI, Tokyo, Japan
Kobe Entrecote, Kobe, Japan
Spoons, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Elite of the Seas, Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Thanks, Oat, Seoul, South Korea
Lost City Pizza Society, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Uchan, Seoul, South Korea
Sukino Tempura, Kyoto, Japan
Mishaps, Changes, and Regrets
If we’re looking at our trip as a whole, we wouldn’t change a thing. We believe that everything happens for a reason and that every major or minor decision we made along the way made our trip as great as it has been so far. So, for our trip and our trip alone, we don’t have any regrets! That said, when we narrow down on some of our faux pas or reflections, we might recommend an alternative route or method to other travelers. See below for a few thoughts and changes we would recommend:
More Time In Southeast Asia – Spending 9 weeks in Southeast Asia sounded like a lot of time before we got there, but in hindsight we felt like we needed another 9 to fully experience the region. While we did have solid time in places like Borneo, we definitely felt the rush of moving between places over the last few months. Additionally, we had to make decisions on which regions to visit and which ones to skip (here’s looking at you, Philippines) given the limited time frame. Southeast Asia is simply too vast and too diverse to try and compress it into so little time!
Skip South Korea Unless You Have More Time – We’ve made no secret of our disappointment with our time in South Korea, but we believe part of this is that we just didn’t have enough time there. With only seven days we were only able to make a quick visit to Busan and spend a few days exploring Seoul. This limited our exposure to different parts of the country and separate area’s unique cultures, but experiencing those things is one of the reasons we loved Australia and Japan so much. Opposite to our experience, we had friends who spent 2 or 3 weeks in South Korea and absolutely loved it! Based on our separate experiences we think South Korea is worth a visit only if you have more time to explore.
Consider All Of Your Options Before Booking – Some of the activities felt like they needed to be booked quickly to secure a spot, but we’ve realized that rushing into things can blind us to other options, both more interesting or at a different price point. For example, we went ahead and booked our African overlanding trip well in advance, thinking we needed to lock things in and beat the crowds. Now, as we’ve waited for the second installment to be due, we’ve lightly explored other options and realized we may have jumped the gun when first locking ourselves in.
Looking Ahead
Right! So half of our trip is now in the rear-view mirror, where do we go from here? We’re starting off with a fairly structured next 10 weeks through the Middle East and Africa, but after that we’re trying to leave our options open. We’ve taken some of the lessons we talked about above and are putting them into practice during our next six months. We’ve intentionally left our time in South America flexible and open-ended, so our only known point so far is an eight day hike in Patagonia starting on November 3rd. We are expecting to plan our trip as we go. We have an overall idea of where we’d like to be and when we’d like to be there, but we’re not sticking to it like it’s our sacred text this time. If we fall in love with a place, or realize we’re done with a certain country, we’ll change our plans and move on when we’re ready.
Another reason we want to keep our plans as flexible and on-the-fly as possible, is that it challenges us both to get more out of our comfort zones and be more spontaneous. We found that by having all of our travel mapped out in Southeast Asia, we had many days where we felt like we didn’t need to push ourselves to explore or sign up for an unusual activity. Hopefully by limiting our planning, we force ourselves to live each day in the moment, only focusing on our immediate surroundings and not looking ahead to our plans next week or next month.
We’ve also kept most of our reward banks stocked up until the second half of our trip, hoping to take more “Treat Yo’ Self” days towards the end of our travels. The reason for this is that we expect to be more burnt out the deeper into our trip we go, especially after three and a half weeks of overlanding in southern Africa, or our eight day hike in Torres Del Paine National Park. “Treat Yo’ Self” days always go a long way towards feeling more recharged and rejuvenated, and we’ve noticed a greater desire for them as time has gone on.
Ultimately we want to get as much out of the next six months as we can, we know each day will be one step closer to the culmination of our once in a lifetime world trip. We know there will be some mistakes along the way and more lessons learned by the time we wrap up in early 2025, but that’s all a part of the journey! Hopefully we’ve learned enough lessons from our first six months to continue our incredible trip through the Middle East, Africa, and South America! Be on the lookout for more Trip Reports, How To’s, Travel Hacks, and Trip Reflections as we work towards our return to the United States. Don’t worry – we still have 176 days, three continents, and endless adventures to go!