Well, I guess you could say I’ve been in hiding because I don’t want to admit (to myself) that our trip around the world is over. How could it possibly be already? It feels it just began but at the same time our first stop in June 2015, Scotland, feels like eons ago. It's no secret that I wasn't ready to come home. I easily could have kept traveling. Experiencing beautiful places, learning the world's history as you sit in the midst of its ruins and natural beauty is far superior to watching it on TV from the Northeast U.S.A. or reading about it in a book. That said, I'm really enjoying being back. I've had a handful of meltdown moments but I think that I'm enjoying being home more than I expected. "Home" for now is N.H. I haven't lived here since 2006 and Jake since 1998. I am incredibly happy to be around family and friends. It makes the fact that our trip around the world has ended an afterthought, not the focus of the day-to-day. One recent Saturday, Jake and I did a local 5K, went to a family party and then had a BBQ with friends. We couldn't have done all of that while we were on the road, nor while we were living in Brooklyn. Life is good!
These pics are from our first stop in June 2015, beautiful Scotland
Sorry that this blog is way overdue. Below are our final trip stats followed by some thoughts on our trip.
Trip Around the World Stats*:
Days on the road: 434
Countries visited: Jake - 25, Jesslyn - 24
Number of different cities we’ve spent the night in: 128
Longest consecutive stay in one city: 15 nights in Florence, Italy
Longest stay in one accommodation: 10 nights in Nha Trang, Vietnam and 10 nights in Ko Chang, Thailand
Shortest stay in one accommodation: ~3 hours in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
- We were supposed to have one night in Guayaquil on our way to Galapagos. Our flights got delayed and we arrived at about 2AM only to leave for the airport again at 5AM.
Flights: 44
Trains: 31
Buses: 33
Ferries / Boats: 34
Unique Accommodations: 150
Cribbage games we've played: 189, Jake won 110 of them
- Books I've read: 45
- Favorites include:
- Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
- Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
- What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
- Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner
- Favorites include:
If we were going to leave for this trip again tomorrow, how would I change the itinerary?
I'd skip Laos and mainland Australia. We enjoyed both of places but they weren't as special as others. In Laos, we went to Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng. Perhaps if we had gone further off of the backpacker trail, Laos would have had more of an impact on me. Unfortunately, we weren't those type of travelers yet. Going to a country not many people we know have heard of, never mind have visited, was exotic enough for us when we planned it. We should have gone further off of the beaten path in Laos. We did a one day trek which was very disappointing despite having had good reviews. It was a short walk into a mostly deserted village with no one who was interested in speaking with us. Perhaps if we had done a multi-day hike into a village where we had the opportunity to learn and experience the culture and customs of the local people, then Laos would have found a special place in my heart. Although, during the Vietnam war, the U.S.A. dropped thousands of bombs on Laos and many of them are still out there waiting to explode, so maybe it was a good idea that we didn't explore too much.
Tasmania was incredibly beautiful and more like New Zealand than mainland Australia. I feel like I'm going to make some people mad by saying that mainland Australia is skippable. Don't get me wrong, there are unique animals, beautiful coastlines and mountains, awesome cities with great cuisine, but I think that it's not that different than what you can find in the United States. My advice is that if want to take the time and spend the money on a far away trip, go to New Zealand, Thailand and/or Vietnam.
As close as we got to Patagonia… El Yeso, a reservoir in the Andes
Where do I wish we went?
We should have gone to Malaysia and Indonesia. We feared that these places were too dangerous for two American travelers. Turns out we missed experiencing some of the best SCUBA diving and beaches on the planet. We met several travelers that had been and had no issues with safety. After being robbed in Rome, New Zealand and Argentina, we know that bad things can happen at anytime to anyone. Obviously avoid areas with major conflict, but we know it was a mistake not going to Malaysia and Indonesia. That's ok though, it gives us a future trip to look forward to!
If we had skipped mainland Australia we could have made it to Patagonia on this journey. We made the decision to keep Patagonia for a future trip because we'd prefer to visit in the summer and when we landed in South America in mid-May, winter was coming.
We made the decision to skip Hoi Ann in Vietnam because it sounded really touristy and we weren't sure what the real draw to the town was. It was one of the hardest itinerary decisions we made and we made it partly because we wanted more down time in Vietnam and less moving around time. It was a mistake because everyone we met who had traveled in Vietnam had been there and raved about it being one of the best parts of Vietnam if not the-best. Jake and I have come to appreciate that places are touristy for a reason and sometimes that means they are still worth going to. I'm happy to say that in 14 months of travel, this is the only itinerary-miss we had. The others (Laos and mainland Australia) were much bigger decisions that I think can only be judged by me now because we went and experienced them.
Now that we've been-there/done-that, where do I want to go back to and spend more time?
Poland: We went to Kraków and Warsaw but I want to explore more of this part of Eastern Europe.
Czech Republic: We really enjoyed our six nights (?) in Prague and would love to see more of this interesting country.
Greece: Experiencing the island of Milos in the Aegean Sea was wonderful. It is incredibly beautiful and the food is great! We will visit more Greek islands someday.
Scotland: We saw a lot of raised eyebrows when we said that we'd be spending the first 13 days of our trip in Scotland. I think I'd rank this the second most beautiful country we visited falling behind New Zealand. It's much closer so maybe we can make it back there to explore more of the country including the Outer Hebrides.
Italy: We spent seven weeks in this country but still didn't get to see it all! It would be great to go back and spend time in the Alps region, the port city of Genoa, the Northern wine regions of Barbera and Alba, and the far south. Checking out Sicily would be interesting as well.
Croatia: We explored the islands of Mjet and Cres as well as the cities of Rovinj, Split and Dubrovnik. I'd like to see more of the islands and mainland too.
Patagonia: What we saw of Chile was breathtaking. We look forward to going back someday to visit the Patagonia region of both Chile and Argentina.
Thailand: So many islands, so little time! SCUBA, beaches, Thai food - what's not to love? I'd also like to make it up to Chiang Rai to do some hiking.
Vietnam: As I already mentioned, I'd like to see Hoi Ann and I'd love to visit Sapa again during the sunny season when the terraces are filled with people harvesting rice. I'd also like to visit more of the countryside.
Galápagos Islands: Galapagos will always and forever have a place in my heart. Jake and I would like to go back someday and experience more of the area on a SCUBA live aboard.
Waterlogged Sapa, I’d love to go back in the sunny season
What other destinations are on my radar?
Estonia & Finland: Two countries with intriguing history on the Baltic Sea. I'd like to explore and learn about the people and history.
Iceland: Viking history, the blue lagoon and hiking on incredible landscape? Yes please!
Nepal: I think that the culture and landscape of this country would be like nothing else we've experienced.
Maldives and/or the Seychelles: We stayed in an overwater hut on our honeymoon in Fiji and I'd love to do that again somewhere new. These seem like the places to do that!
Tanzania: Who wouldn't want to go and see lions and tigers and bears in their natural habitat? Jake has become quite the photographer and I'd love to challenge him with capturing the beauty of the African Safari.
United States of America: Jake and I would love to drive around the U.S. in a campervan like we did in New Zealand. This time we'll definitely lock the doors at night. I'd love to see Yellowstone, Glacier, Yosemite, Grand Teton, and Zion National Parks - just to mention a few!
Canada: I've been to Montreal and Banff National Park but I'd love to visit Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Toronto, and Vancouver.
I have more reflections on the trip that I'd like to share but for now it's back to catching up in person with friends and family!
~ Jesslyn
* The transportation stats above represent how we got from point A to point B. For instance, to get from Nha Trang, Vietnam to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, we took one night train to Ho Chi Minh City and then a bus into Cambodia. We didn’t include time spent on subways, intra-city buses/trains because we’ve taken far too many trips on those to count. We counted train travel that was more like taking the Amtrak back in the U.S. In addition, we rented a car in Scotland, Norway, twice in Italy, Australia, and Chile. We also rented motorbikes in order to explore the islands of Milos, Cres, Mljet and Ko Chang. Since Jake met up with Lynn and Rob in Budapest while I explored more of Italy with my Dad, I’ve been to one fewer country.