Around the World Travel

Planning a round the world trip? I’ve taken two around the world trips as well as several multiple-month trips in different destinations. In this section you’ll find over a decade of trip planning tips, trip itineraries, the best destinations for around the world travel, how to book cheap flights, finding the best accommodation and more.

101 Travel Themed Things To Do When You’re Bored At Home

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Bored? Read on for 101 things to do when you’re bored. They’re all travel themed so you can scratch your travel itch and satisfy your wanderlust all without leaving home. If you are stuck at home for a prolonged period, unable to travel, it’s very likely you’re bored. Here’s my suggestions for 101 travel themed things to do when you’re bored. In the order that they came out of my head:  1. Make a list of the favourite foods you’ve tasted on your travels – okonomiyaki and guacamole are on my list. Look up the recipes, track down the ingredients and cook … Read more

What To Do When You Get Dengue Fever When You Travel

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What to do when you get dengue fever when you travel main

“Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals in the world. Their ability to carry and spread disease to humans causes millions of deaths every year.” – World Health Organisation “You should go to the doctor.” It was a message from my Mexican friend. I was lying prone for the 5th day in a row, each day feeling increasingly more ill but ever convinced I could shake off whatever it was that had felled me, provided I just stayed still. “It’s not that bad.” I replied. I couldn’t quite describe how I felt except that it was somewhere between a cold and … Read more

52 Tips For How To Read More Books

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Does ‘read more’ ever pop up on your New Year’s Resolutions list? Does it pop up every year? Do you start out well but quickly fall back into old habits leaving a book half read for weeks and months at a time? Or maybe you just returned from holiday/vacation where you tore through more than one book and enjoyed it so much you want to do more of the same. It’s all very well having good intentions to want to read more, but where do you find the time? Or in some cases, the motivation? I recently hit my ultimate … Read more

On The Road Again – The Path Back To Nomadic Life

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My heart is at the beach nomad life

“I don’t think it’s for me,” I say to the estate agent as I poke my head into the en-suite.  She takes it to mean that I don’t want to buy this house. But I can’t help feeling like I’m saying something more profound. That this – the home owing and the fixed location and the routine lifestyle – isn’t for me.  “Don’t worry. You’ll find somewhere,” she says as she hands me her card. I smile to reassure her and wonder if I should be worried. After all, I’ve already agreed to sell my own home. If that goes to plan, … Read more

10 Times Travel Made Me Sick

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Travel is by far the best way I spend my time. Apart from the obvious excitement that comes with exploring a new destination (or returning to a favourite spot), travel has so many health and happiness benefits, the internet is riddled with articles about it – here, here and here, for example. But travel can take it’s toll, too. I feel like I’ve written an increasing number of health focused articles on here in the past couple of years making me realise that when we use our bodies often, dragging then around the globe, feeding then curious, sometimes unidentifiable foodstuffs, … Read more

10 Times You’ll Realise The Importance of Travel Insurance

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The importance of travel insurance was at the forefront of my mind last week as I spent an entire morning trying to unravel my trip plans. I was supposed to fly off to the West coast of the USA and Mexico for a month when my mum fell and broke her leg. That injury in itself wasn’t life threatening but the post-operation complications she developed, including a clot on her lung, pneumonia, heart concerns and ‘an impressive’ amount of fluid on her lungs, was enough to make me strike off any thoughts of crossing the Atlantic. Fortunately, my mum is now on the mend … Read more

The Only FREE Printable Packing List You Need

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The ultimate travel packing list - with packing tips and packing hacks it's the only travel packing checklist and packing template you'll need

Note: A link to the high-resolution printable packing list PDF is at the bottom of this post. I’ve used this packing list template for a 14 day trip and a 14 month trip. The difference: I take my clothes to a laundry service about every 2 weeks when I’m away for longer. And if you’re looking to pack carry-on only, focus on those items with a * next to them. This list is suitable for a wide variety of destinations. You might want to do a little adaptation – a second base layer instead of a second bikini if you’re off to … Read more

21 Long Haul Flight Essentials: What to Take In Your Carry On Bag

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I fly long haul a lot, so it’s a good job I’m one of those people who loves flying. Still, what you take on board a long haul flight can make all the difference to your flying experience. I’ve created this list over years and now they go into my hand luggage every time I fly for more than a few hours. Here’s my list of long haul flight essentials. 1. Collapsable water bottle If there’s one thing a long haul flight is guaranteed to do (apart from get you to your destination), it’s dehydrate you and those tiny bottles … Read more

Tonle Sap in Cambodia – The Trip that Changed my Life

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No matter which way I slice it, the beginning of 2010 was a monumentally shit time for me. My personal life had fallen apart and I couldn’t stop crying. My sleeping pattern was in tatters and in the darkest parts of the night I lay in my bed, straining my eyes against the dim bedside light, flipping through travel brochures. I didn’t know how to fix my life (God knows I’d tried) but I found a tremendous dose of comfort in an alternative solution: Run. As far and as fast as I could. I’d never travelled alone before. Not really. … Read more

Backpacking Checklist – Plan A Round The World Trip in 4 Weeks

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Looking for a backpacking checklist? Read on… I bought my first around the world ticket in 2010. I spent the next 5 years buying 5 tickets more. Not all of them took me in a complete loop around the world but they took me on adventures that lasted several months each time: Latin America, Asia, Africa, North America and Europe. Although the landscape, accents, experiences and faces changed with each new trip, one thing didn’t: my backpacking checklist. In 2016, I took an unintended break from travel (courtesy of an unintended break of a knee ligament) but as the curtains … Read more