Travelling: The Take Off

I had intended to blog as a way of keeping in touch while we were away, but as soon as we started our trip I realised that I had no intention of spending any time on my phone (or on social media) at all, woops 

Now that we are back home and settled, I am posting what I reflect on. 

I hope some of this is helpful to others looking to do a similar trip! 

Where?

Our route:

0. London >

1. Edinburgh, Scotland >

2. London >

3. Dubai >

4. India >

5. Sri Lanka >

6. North Thailand >

7. Laos >

8. Vietnam >

9. Cambodia >

10. South Thailand >

11. Singapore >

12. East Coast Australia >

13. New Zealand >

14. Fiji >

15. Hong Kong > 

16. Day Tour in Seoul, South Korea >

***. London!

How did we plan our route?

Start off by having our sabbatical applications accepted 

"WAHEY 6 months! Let's go see the whole world!"

List out our top 10 destinations 

(I love a list)

Research how long to spend in those places given our personality types and interests

It's not a one size fits all. Also, it's an estimate: plans can always be changed. 

Realise that 6 months will actually be just enough time to see most of what we want in Asia and Oceania 

Me: "A month in India?" Minesh: "A month in NZ!"

Decide not to visit Japan, China, Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia on this trip as they benefit from being exciting future holiday destinations on their own, and we have to prioritise

Map out the most logical geographic route to take (I love a visual aid)

Contact three companies to compare the best multi-city ticket option for the main international stops on this route

We booked with STA travel and insured with them too

Book hostels for the first night in some of our big international destinations to give us some required peace of mind

Thank you Booking.com / Tripadvisor

Research visa requirements and for those visas that we can't get at the border, send off applications online

Ordered travel money cards each too (revolut and WeSwap)

Nothing else. All internal flights (albeit risking slightly higher prices) and accommodation can be sorted out as and when we are on the move 😊

How:

With nothing but our backpacks to be checked-in (weighing about 11kg each once packed), our fleece-line-removable-waterproof-hooded TheNorthFace jackets (best thing ever), and little rucksacks for hand luggage (for day to day use).

More on what I packed / what I should have packed in hindsight can be found here.

Why:

Neither of us ever did the whole Gap Yah thing. 

We had been working for 6 years since graduating uni and were engaged to be married, so a couple of years ago we decided that we would rather go exploring then have a traditional honeymoon. 

We wanted to see more of the world, explore places we hadn't seen before, learn about different cultures and historical influences, do some treks (Min), watch Min fall in love with India (Me), try new foods / quality authentic food, and generally enjoy as many new experiences as we could along the way. 

Were we also looking to possibly fall in love with and move to another country, get away from work, find a deeper sense of religion, spirituality or a sense of self, and/or start with 6 months but intend to extend that to an unlimited amount of time? 

No. We were not.

I know, it's hard to believe there was no hidden mission. This was genuinely our honeymoon; a trip of my dreams.

I personally love London; my family and friends who live close to us there give me purpose. In Min's words: "Can I imagine living anywhere else except where we do now at this point in our life? No".

Who:

Just the two of us ☺

I loved having this time together before immersing into a fun - but busy - joint family life upon our return. 

Before we left, a friend commented that 6 months on the road together was brave and could test anyone... But I could not disagree more. Min is genuinely the best company, and we also know each other's habits very well already (haha) which I think is really important. 

Who wouldn't love months of great chats, daily dates, no to-do lists and new adventures?

Along the way, we were lucky enough to be treated (completely spoilt!) by some incredible friends and family (namely in Dubai, Mumbai & Pune, Singapore, Sydney and Auckland) which had the fringe benefit of allowing us to enjoy an immediate taste of local / expat lifestyles and get some home comforts at various intervals during our trip too!

More on each stop to come soon, 

Priya x