I can’t believe it’s already been a year since I quit my job and set off to travel the world by myself.

It’s also fitting that this is my 100th blog post!

SO much has happened since then. So much has changed. For better and for worse.

That’s the thing about travel. As anyone who has ever done any sort of extensive travel, it never goes as planned. Ever. But like ‘Cinderella’ here you just throw back a martini and go with it.

Travel is infamous for its twists, turns, and tricks. It throws you curveballs left and right. And that’s half the fun!

My initial plans were to travel through Asia for 7-8 months, then travel to Australia for a year on a Working Holiday Visa, then New Zealand for a year, also on a Working Holiday Visa.

So what did my first year of travel actually look like?

September/October

I started my trip in Washington visiting family, where I explored Mt. St. Helens, saw killer whales in the wild, experienced Pike Place Market for the first time, and tasted the most delicious ice cream I’ve ever had (thanks Signe!).

Then it was off to China. Talk about a rough first country for traveling solo! A bit of trial by fire. I hiked the Great Wall of China with new friends and accidentally ordered an obscene amount of dumplings, saw baby pandas and the brightest blue/green lakes, and nearly got shoved off the side of a mountain by a crazed troll bridge lady.

October/November

Halfway through October I made my way to Nepal. After a harrowing flight to get there, it was 4 days of preparation and a subsequent 3 full weeks of trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp. Those were the longest, toughest, and most satisfying 3 weeks of my life.

Initally my plan was to travel to India after Nepal (after all it is right there), but after talking with several travelers in Nepal, and being absolutely drained from the trek, I made the decision to head to Thailand for a bit of relaxation and recovery.

Best. Decision. Ever.

November/December

I spent the last week of November and the first few weeks of December in Thailand, 2 of those being on the island of Koh Lanta. Koh Lanta is on the Andaman Coast and is hands down one of my favorite places in the world.

The Philiipines was never originally part of my travel plans. But I was looking for a place to spend Christmas, and the Philippines is notorious for their holiday celebrations, so I booked a ticket and off I went!

While I enjoyed trekking through the Banaue/Batad rice terraces, and lounging on a beach on Boracay Island, I unfortunately didn’t end up being a huge fan of the Philippines.

Then I got some difficult news a few days after Christmas that my grandmother unexpectedly passed away. I made the tough decision to come home, and just like that I was on my way back to the U.S. Thankfully I had travel insurance and they ended up paying for my ticket back to the States.

January/February

I was home in Massachusetts for the month of January and the first half of February. Just in time one of the worst winters New England has seen in a very long time. Lucky me!

Then I was off to sunny California to see my friends in San Diego and the LA area. It was so nice to see them again (and to escape the snow and cold).

The end of February found me in London, England! Was Europe ever on my initial itinerary? Absolutely not. You know how the saying goes…the best laid plans…

March

The month of March was a whirlwind of travel.

I was in Scotland for two weeks, exploring the highlands and seeing my mom who was there for work.

Then back to London for a few days.

Then off to visit Oxford, family near Birmingham, nerd out with Doctor Who in Cardiff, Wales, and experience the oddity of Stonehenge.

Then it was back to London before taking a bus to Paris to visit a friend.

Then northern France (Lille), Brussels, and finally Amsterdam.

Phew! I still can’t believe I fit all of that into one month.

April

Amsterdam was a great place to spend the Easter weekend with my cousin. I rode through the canals, visited the infamous tulip gardens, and met up with a friend I met in China.

From the Netherlands it was on to Ireland! I spent 2 weeks there, including an epic 11 day road trip around almost the entire coast of the country. It was incredible and beautiful, and I definitely want to make it back there again soon.

It was back to London for a week to meet up with my sister, before we jetted off to Iceland for a week. It was a full week of geyers, glaciers, SCUBA diving, and epic hot dogs.

May-September

I returned home to the States for the summer where I got a job to top up my travel funds. It also served a dual purpose to reset the Schengen Visa (aka how long I can spend in certain European countries), so I have plenty of time to spend there when I return this fall!

Check out this awesome video of my first year in review! It’s my first travel video, and a pretty good one if I do say so myself.

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxLLeAdK87c”]

Future Plans - September-December

Alright so here’s what I have got so far when it comes to my upcoming travels.

I’ll be in California again for a week visiting friends. I’ll also be attending the red carpet of the Emmy Awards! Random, but I can’t wait to share that with you.

Then it’s back to London and the UK for probably a month. I’m planning on taking the travel a bit slower this time around, so I’ll be staying put in the UK for a bit, working on my blog, and experiencing the country a bit more deeply.

Also I’ll be seeing Benedict Cumberbatch in Hamlet while I’m in London, so I’m BEYOND excited about that!

Then around mid October I’ll jet off to the Balkans. I’ll start in Greece and make my way north through Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia. I’m most excited for Montenegro, but they’re all going to be amazing.

Then I just have to make it to Prague by December 19, when my family will be joining me there for Christmas! From there we’ll journey to Berlin to celebrate New Years as well as my dad’s 60th birthday.

So there you have it! My first year of travel in review, along with my future plans. Though at this point I don’t put much stock in ‘travel plans’. I know they’re going to probably change. It just happens.

People keep asking me what my travel plans are, and I just shrug. Then they give me a strange/incredulous look so I give them the ‘travel ideas’ that I have, and that seems to placate them, but in reality I have no clue.

If I wasn’t already a go with the flow kind of person, I sure as hell am now! It’ll all work itself out. No worries.

So cheers, and here’s to the beginning of another grand travel adventure!

Have you ever experienced the ever shifting nature that is a ‘travel plan’?

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