The Himalayas are Real and They are Gorgeous.
Hello friends!
Long time, no travel-inspo-with-your-morning-coffee. I don’t know about you, but I’ve missed these!
I’m officially back to the grind after taking a two month hiatus, which looking back, I’ve decided to call a “sabbatical” since I wasn’t working much. Besides all the knowledge I gained from the countries I went to (see below), an important takeaway from my time away was that taking time away like this truly is the best way to reconnect with yourself and your goals.
From what I’ve gathered, “taking a sabbatical” is relatively new to the professional world. Teachers have been taking them for years, but since covid and the era of remote work, more and more professionals are taking off for these “extended vacations”. In fact, all of the clients I’ve supported during their Around-the-World trips have been successful adults on their own sabbaticals (whether or not they called it that themselves).
The research is pouring out about how beneficial they are and now, since working with people over the last two years and unintentionally taking my own, I wholeheartedly agree! Even though my trip was relatively short (most of the clients I work with go on sabbaticals for 4 – 12+ months), the energy, focus, and direction I’ve gained has been monumental.
Since it didn’t really occur to me that the work my company has been doing has been so much more than just travel planning, I feel like I’ve been doing a huge disservice to all those people I haven’t been helping the last couple years. That’s why I’ve decided to shift my focus to be a sabbatical designer.
Now, that doesn’t mean I’ll stop offering travel planning services! It’s just a little rebrand so that I can truly benefit those that are looking for support during their long-term trips abroad. Plus, I’ll be asking all kinds of new, thought provoking questions to be sure the sabbaticals are more well-rounded.
Additionally—and possibly even more importantly— I am on a mission to bring more social impact to my travel itineraries. That means I’ll be seeking out NGOs and non-profits all around the world to collaborate with so that anyone who wants to spend a little time giving back during their trip or immersing themselves further in the cultures they visit can do so through social impact projects! I’m truly thrilled about this. If you have any contacts you would like to share with me, please send them over!
So next time you, or someone you know, plan on taking an international trip whether it be a short-term vacation or a long-term sabbatical, I hope you think of me and the support I can bring!
I know this is a bit of a long newsletter, thanks for sticking with me! Read on for pro tips about each of the countries I visited during my sabbatical.
Thailand
Wow, wow, wow… how it take me so long to visit this country??
It is no secret that Thailand is an amazing country to visit, but it wasn’t until I finally went myself that I could understand why— and I didn’t even make it to the islands!
After spending a week in Bangkok and a week in Chiang Mai, I’ve got to say that Thailand is easily in my top 10 favorite countries. I can’t WAIT to go back.
Here are my top tips:
- Spend time in Bangkok! I’m guilty of this myself: only giving clients one or two nights in Bangkok as more of a quick stopover, but there is SO much more to the city. I’m not saying to spend your whole vacation there, but you should give it at least three nights. Bangkok is huge, with very distinct neighborhoods that have their own personality. There are many days worth of eating, shopping, sightseeing, and exploring to do.
- Eat all the food. I don’t feel like I need to elaborate much here, but even the non-Thai food is great. The Thai really know how to cook (and give massages!!)
- Visit an ethical elephant sanctuary. It’s definitely difficult to find elephant parks where the elephants aren’t exploited. Unfortunately, that’s true all around the world. Waiting to visit an elephant sanctuary until you find an ethical center is worth the wait. Some telltale signs of an unethical sanctuary include: keeping elephants caged, keeping them chained, letting people touch, ride, or bathe elephants. You’ll find a lot of great ethical options around Chiang Mai, and honestly, it’s worth waiting for.
- Carry extra clothes to cover up. Even men must have shoulders and everything above the knees covered when visiting temples, holy sites, and the Imperial Palace. NO SHORTS. Even when it’s absolutely sweltering, everyone must cover up and they don’t usually have cloth you can borrow.
- It’s incredibly safe— well, unless you’re a single male. As you may have heard, prostitution is legal in Thailand and it is very prevalent. Even more so than I realized. So if you’re a male walking alone and you aren’t interested, I’ve heard some can be quite aggressive. Besides that, petty crime is very low. Thai are extremely respectful and kind people all-around.
- Bonus tip: some seemingly great hotels (even 5*) are unfortunately located in areas that get swarmed by prostitutes at night. Seek out those in the know (like me!) to make sure you don’t end up in one.
Vietnam
We’re at a wonderful point in time when the wounds of the Vietnam War aren’t bleeding anymore, the region is in an extended period of peace, and the country is growing in popularity (and GDP) every year. Now Vietnam is one of the most popular countries to visit in SE Asia, even becoming a bucket-list destination. It’s growing and for good reason.
One fascinating fact I learned is that many older Americans are opting to travel to Vietnam precisely because they want to see what the country is like now that it isn’t plagued by war. I also know that it’s one of the most famous backpacker destination because it’s cheap, safe, and easy to get around. Of course, there’s a lot of value in Vietnam for those in between.
I think what makes this country so amazing is that there is something for everyone, plus more. The sheer diversity of activities is amazing, the natural beauty is breathtaking, and the food (even the rare vegetarian food) is incredible.
Here are my top tips:
- Spend a decent amount of time in country. You need at least two weeks to really get a sense of the place, and I would even say that three is best. I spent just 10 days and barely scratched the surface and I was exhausted the whole time.
- Go to Hue, but maybe skip Ho Chi Minh City. That is, if you’re short on time and if your priority isn’t to go luxury brand shopping.. HCMC is a good base to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta, plus it’s got a great international airport, the War Museum, and the spot where that Monk burned himself alive during WWII. But it’s a relatively new city that’s highly built up. I didn’t find that it had much character. If you want to visit the Mekong Delta, you can stay there without stopping over in HCMC.
- Hue is the old capital of Vietnam and it has so much character. For being a former capital, you would think it would be more built up, but it’s not. All the buildings are relatively low and it’s got great vibes without being crowded. The food in Hue is fantastic and there are gorgeous historical buildings to see like the Imperial Palace, Mausoleum of Emperor Khai Dinh, and An Bang Cemetery.
- Don’t drive yourself anywhere (except maybe on the Ha Giang Loop). The roads are packed to the brim with motorbikes, so unless you are an expert driver, I recommend hiring a driver.
- Visit the north, center, and south parts of the country. You’ll find that Vietnam is sort of like England, where the culture differs so much in different regions. Each one is worth checking out.
- Don’t eat the Hue oysters. I mean, if you LOVE oysters, give them a go. There’s nothing wrong with them— it’s not like they’ll make you sick— I just found them way too big and lacking flavor 🤔
Cambodia
One of the best tour guides I’ve ever met + one of the ladies from my group trip
The feeling I got from Cambodia was similar to the feelings I had in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the recent history is so horrible and heartbreaking (1/3 of the entire population of Cambodia was wiped out from Genocide not even 50 years ago), it feels like the locals are bursting with love and light now. It’s like they choose to see all the good in the world now since such evils are behind them.
I learned that the Khmer people (what the Cambodians call themselves) are one of the oldest cultures still around today, with the oldest written language in SE Asia. What’s more interesting is that their heritage was never influenced or taken over by the Indians, the Chinese, or the Mongolians. All aggressors of ancient history were no match for them. (Another reason why the recent genocide is so heartbreaking.)
So even though I only made it to Siem Reap and I only stayed 4 days, I learned an unbelievable amount of info about their history and culture thanks to the kindness and openness of the people. If you haven’t already seen it, I made an Instagram reel about how they still make their rice noodles using traditional methods that are thousands of years old. Check it out here.
These are my top tips:
- Spend three solid days exploring the Angkor Complex. Unbeknownst to many, Angkor Wat is only a small section of the Angkor Complex. And the other temples, gates, mausoleums, and complexes are just as beautiful and interesting.
- Get a good guide. Sure, you could walk around on your own and see everything, but nothing will make much sense. The guide we had, Khet (pictured here), shared information like it was his own family’s history. In a way, it is! But his storytelling capabilities and heart-felt love for his country shined through every word he spoke. I never got bored, even after three days of ruins, and I’m pretty sure I learned more than a whole college course would have given me. Plus, Khet knew the best spots to take us where we could enjoy and learn (and take the best pictures) with no one else around.
- Bonus tip: book your trip to Cambodia with me and I’ll make sure Khet is your guide too!
- Eeeaat. I can’t believe nobody is talking about Cambodian food. All the rave is about Thai and Vietnamese— which are amazing— but Cambodian food is just as good. And they have flavors I have never tasted anywhere else. For the truly adventurous, you can also dive into insect courses.
- Visit the bomb sniffing rats. If you haven’t heard about them, now you have. They are African rats, which are the size of infants, that are trained to sniff out TNT and are on the ground every single day helping bomb squads remove landmines from Cambodia (Yep— even today there are still hundreds of thousands of land mines peppered around). You can go to the center to learn more, donate, and even hold one of the rats!
- Side note— most tourist places have been completely cleared, but if you ever go off into the country side, be sure to have a guide with you because you won’t know which areas are safe and which aren’t.
Hong Kong
Typically, Hong Kong is a popular layover destination since there’s a great airport hub. I was originally planning to stay in HK for 12 whole days to really soak up all that this bustling city had to offer since it’s also a popular place for expats and digital nomads to live.
I’m not going to say that the city was boring, far from it, but there isn’t as much to do when the weather is poor. Honestly, it’s not the best destination. Personally, I changed my flights and spent just 3 days instead. That was perfect.
I don’t actually have any tips for HK since it was a lot like visiting London, just with less sightseeing and way more street markets. Maybe my best tip is to wait to visit until the weather is nice. I didn’t get to experience the nature besides one small hike to a temple and a great aviary downtown, but I realized that it could be a major destination for those seeking unique landscape with lush mountains that are surrounded by water— and want to be surrounded by great food and high luxury.
It’s an expensive city with most meals costing $15 – 20 minimum, and not a budget destination for those seeking accommodation for less than $50 a night. But if you have money to spend and you have a good appetite, HK is definitely worth spending some time. Juust maybe not in the rain.
Have a different opinion? Let me know!
Mainland China
I only spent one single day— and not even a full day, really— in China due to a long layover. I chose this particular flight because I am fascinated by the history and current political situation in China so I figured that now was a better time than any to pop in to see what it’s like.
Even with the short time I spent there, I did enjoy it. And as long as we don’t have any major escalations in the next few years, I can easily see myself heading back because I hear the nature in China is top-notch.
Here are a few tips I learned from that single day:
- Buy a VPN and an international eSIM before you arrive. There are very strict Censorship laws in China, so they limit what you can and cannot access while in the country. Having a VPN already downloaded on your mobile device will allow you to access sites and apps you otherwise wouldn’t be able to use (like WhatsApp and Instagram). I suggest an eSIM as well because I suspect you will have further issues with a local SIM even if you have a VPN.
- Download Alipay and WeChat, and set them up before you arrive. In China, you hardly see cash or even card machines— even the subway ticket machines don’t have any slots to enter cash and they aren’t equipped with credit card machines. Instead, they use Alipay. WeChat has the same payment capability and is used for communicating with one another (like WhatsApp and iMessage) so more of a one-stop shop. It’s actually super easy, just enter your credit card numbers once and then use the app’s camera to scan unique QR codes. It charges your card automatically.
- Download Mandarine Chinese on your Google Translate app. To be fair, there may be better apps that I am unaware of at this time, but either way, you’re going to need help communicating while in China. There was actually a surprising amount of English in the subway system, but besides that, you’re not going to find many signs or people who speak English.
Nepal
Nepal is truly a magical country. I’ve never felt like I was living in an actual Disney movie like I am experiencing here.
Now, I’ll be living here in Nepal for another 6 weeks or so, so I’ll have plenty more to share down the line. Since this email is so long already, I’ll keep it very brief:
- Bring Dramamine and headphones. I’ll be honest, I have never seen roads that are this poorly maintained or drivers who drive this crazy. And that’s saying something. So if you want to survive these roads, bring some anti-nausea pills and headphones to block the world out
- Yep, the mountains are that magical. If you like hiking, nature, and birds, Nepal is absolutely bucket list worthy.
- Prepare to meet some creepy creatures. There are leeches here. Yes. Leeches. Real life, blood sucking worms. And they will seek you out on the trail. There’s also snakes, big spiders, and tons of mosquitos. So practice deep breathing so you don’t freak out, and maybe buy a pair of leech gaiters to protect yourself.
Let me know about your next trip in the inquiry box below.
