During COVID, I put together a mental bucket list of all the places that I wanted to visit. A lot were from the YouTube videos that I was watching, but some were places that I had dreamed about since childhood. At the end of 2023, I had just turned 50, fresh off my trip to Southeast Asia, when a good friend of mine was diagnosed with a terminal disease. This really hit close to home and I realized that we are all living on borrowed time and have no idea what tomorrow will bring. This is where my bucket list trip started becoming less of a dream and more of a reality as I started planning my solo trip around the world.
For two months, I spent all of my spare time researching and planning my trip. Was I going to fly west or east first? What country in each of the continents would I visit? What countries are safe for female solo travellers? What flights can I afford? I was lucky that my husband was supportive of my trip. I was planning a trip around the world, visiting six continents in two weeks...by myself. I am not usually comfortable in new situations or around strangers, so my friends and family thought that I was nuts when they heard the extend of the trip I was planning. Hubby's faith in me is what made me decide to finally book.
The day came when I had researched all I could research and planned all I could plan (everything was in a spreadsheet, broken down by booking website, airline, points card, cost etc.) and it was time to book my first flight. My flight from Vancouver, Canada to Santiago, Chile which I booked through Expedia was a third of the regular price - I have no idea why it was so cheap but I was quite happy to save the money. Over the next couple of days, I booked all of my flights, most of my hotels and a day safari in Kenya. My flights took me halfway around the world to Sydney, Australia where I would meet up with my birth mum; then on to Vietnam, Dubai, Kenya, Istanbul and finally to Bucharest, Romania where I would switch out planes for trains and travel across Europe on my way to London where I would meet up with a high school friend. After a day in London, I would fly home after a short layover in Reyjkavik, Iceland on a business class flight that I was able to buy with some of my credit card miles.
Over the next six months, I was either excited about my trip or absolutely terrified. I watched tons of videos on minimalist packing for personal item only and found a bunch of great travel accessories that made it possible to travel with a backpack only. That being said, I was also able to get my Dad's travel vest to help with additional storage. I packed and repacked my bag in the days before I left, but, before I knew it, it was time to head to the airport. There was no turning back...I was committed.
This trip pushed me outside my comfort zone...forcing me to face my fears of the unknown. I was able to go with the flow when things didn't go as planned; ask for help when I needed directions; and eat food that I normally wouldn't eat. I am so glad that I decided to take this trip and was able to share my adventure on my YouTube channel. I hope that it inspires other women to realize that something like this is attainable.
Seek Discomfort! Explore the Great Unknown.
How I survived layovers, immigration, security, and other airport incidents and what I learned from my experiences.
From Google Maps to Google Translate; WhatsApp to Flightradar24. A breakdown of the apps that I used on my ATW journey.
Would I do this whirlwind trip again? Absolutely! I learned so much...not only about the world, but about myself.