14 Countries in 3 Months
In the summer of 2018 I left my job after 21 years at the same non-profit and set off on an adventure like no other. I spent the summer planning my trip and planned to visit 14 countries in less than 3 months. It was an amazing trip. If you are considering doing this, I say do it! I am so grateful I did it when I did, especially now that I am looking at 12-18 months or more of not being able to travel.
There are so many stories and pictures for me to share, so make sure to check back for new stories. I could write 100 posts for each country! It is so hard to pick what to share first.
When I share with people that I did this trip most people say “wow, where did you go, did you travel alone, and how did you plan it”, so I will start there. Probably not the most interesting of posts but you have to start somewhere.
The 14 countries & cities in order: London, England; Paris, France; Berlin, Germany; Copenhagen, Denmark; Malmö, Sweden; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Reykjavík, Iceland; Sydney, Hamilton Island & Alice Springs, Australia; Bangkok, Thailand; Luang Prabang & Vientiane, Laos; Phnom Penh & Siem Reap, Cambodia; Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam; Kuala Lumpur & Penang, Malaysia; and Hong Kong, China.
Here is how I traveled. I started first by traveling with my Dad in London and Paris, we parted ways in Paris and I flew to Berlin, Germany to meet my friend BJ. BJ and I traveled to Copenhagen, Malmö, and Amsterdam. We flew back to the US separately and I did a short 2 days stop-over in Reykjavík on my own. I came back to the US for 3 days - unpacked, did my laundry, and repacked for my long journey to Australia and Asia. I flew direct to Hong Kong and then boarded another long flight to Sydney. I spent two weeks on my own in Australia and planned the entire trip on my own. While in Australia I started in Sydney then flew to Alice Springs to take an 18 hour tour to Uluru. From there I flew to the Great Barrier Reef in the Whitsunday Islands and stayed on Hamilton Island. I returned to Sydney for a few days and then flew to Bangkok. In Bangkok I met up with an Overseas Adventure Travel tour group and spent 5 weeks with 16 people traveling to 5 countries in Asia. And I ended my trip on my own for a few days in Hong Kong.
Check back for more about this trip and for posts about how to plan trips, tips for packing, how to capture the best memories from a trip, and the pros/cons of traveling solo or with others. Everyone should travel solo, with friends/family, and in a tour group with strangers - you learn something about yourself in each situation.
