After months of keeping it a secret, I can finally announce that I will be leaving soon to go on a trip around the world! Together with my boyfriend Simen I’m going to leave Malta in July to go traveling for a year. Curious about the countries we will be visiting during our RTW trip? Then definitely continue reading because I will tell you all about our plans.
Traveling the world has always been a dream of mine. I figured now was the best time to do it, before I officially settle down somewhere. I spent the last 3 years saving up for this once in a lifetime trip, and I’m so excited that in only 3 months I will finally be able to make my dream come true. It took me a little while to get Simen on board, but ever since he said yes, we’ve both been super excited and are really looking forward to July 12th.
Our travel style
Since Simen had only about half the amount of time to save up for this trip (compared to me), we decided to backpack. Our aim is not to sleep in fancy hotels. We’re going to try to not spend too much money, which means we might be spending some nights in hostels or even tents. We’ve also opted to go to cheaper countries because of this reason. However, we are going to go to some more expensive countries as well (they were high up my list), which is why we might have to resort to camping. I personally love sleeping in a tent, but Simen isn’t such a big fan, so we’ll see how this is going to go!
From Central America
The first stop of our RTW trip will be Mexico. For a long time, Mexico wasn’t even on our list. We were thinking more about Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. However, after hearing a lot of people talk about how beautiful Mexico was, we started considering adding it to our trip. After doing some more research and looking at pictures on Instagram and Pinterest, we were both completely convinced. Now it’s even the country Simen is looking forward to the most!
After Mexico, we will be heading to Cuba! To be honest, going to Cuba hadn’t been on my list for a very long time. However, it would be cool to see the country as it is today, before it starts changing. I feel like we will be traveling back in time when visiting Cuba, and I’m now super excited about exploring this beautiful and mysterious country.
To South America
I have been dreaming of going to South America for years, so after Cuba we will be flying to Ecuador. Here we’re planning on going to Banos, Vilcabamba, Cotopaxi, Cajas National Park, and many other highlights. After Ecuador, we will be traveling down towards Peru, of course to see Machu Picchu. However, there are so many more things I’m looking forward to in Peru: Nazca Lines, Colca Canyon, Lake Titicaca, Cordillera Blanca, etc. We will be crossing the border with Bolivia and stay here to check out La Paz, Salar de Uyuni, Potosi, and tons of other highlights. After Bolivia we will go to Argentina and Chile (Patagonia!), including Easter Island.
Next stop: Oceania
After 6 months in South America we will be flying to New Zealand. Here, my parents will join us for a little bit. Our initial plans were to only stay in NZ for 3 weeks, but we quickly adapted those plans. We will most likely get a working holiday visa so we can stay in NZ a bit longer without breaking the bank too much. This is also the reason why we won’t make a stop in Australia. If we do NZ and Australia, this will cost us too much money (and to be honest, I’m too scared of the huge spiders they have down there!).
Last stop: South East Asia
The last continent we want to explore on our RTW trip is South East Asia. After NZ we will be flying to Indonesia (Bali), where we will be staying for about 2 weeks. Here we will also meet up with Simen’s family who will be celebrating Easter with us. After Bali we will make our way to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. We might visit some more countries (I’m also very curious about Myanmar), but that will depend on time and money. The aim is to fly back to Europe some time June/July 2019.
Preparations for our RTW trip
Since we’re only 3 months away from our departure date, this means the preparations are in full swing. We’ve booked our first 4 flights, scheduled appointments to get all the necessary vaccinations, ordered new bank cards, etc. There is still a lot that needs to be organized, but I feel like we’re right on schedule. If you’re curious about the practicalities of going on a RTW trip, make sure to check this site regularly because I will share all those things with you!
If you have any tips for traveling as a couple or RTW traveling, please feel free to leave a comment below. Also, if you have already been to one of the countries we’re going to and have recommendations I would love to hear them, so please don’t be shy!
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