What Happens When You Spontaneously Decide to Travel Around the World in a Month?
It was everything I never thought it would be.
The startup I was working for suddenly shutdown. Later that afternoon, I had a random conversation with a business associate, which led to a light bulb moment of “carpe diem!” or perhaps sheer panic. Either way, I silently pulled at the string of thought, which quickly unraveled as I relocated and booked a world tour (literally) in two weeks.
A little note: My mom says that I taught myself how to ride a bike one day, because nobody would take the time to teach me. It was sad for me to hear that from my own family, but I actually remember the day. I remember the bike and my feet pushing off the ground to the pedals, over and over again. It is very telling of the person I am today.
I grew tired of seeing the same destinations at the top of my bucket list; Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Dubai (St. Tropez was a “just because”). What was I waiting for? A travel companion? Honeymoon? Retirement? I suddenly had this window of time, which we all know is rare and valuable. I drew a line (in my head) that connected the main cities and instantly committed to the unknown. I booked a flight out of LAX to Sydney and didn’t look back. I make that sound easier than it was. I hit a complete wall of fear booking the ticket to Australia as it would be the longest flight I had ever flown. It took me hours, until I opened the dates and found a one-way ticket for under $500. I couldn’t not take advantage of it.
The general reactions of friends and family were shock, encouragement, jealousy and concern. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and booked the connecting flights, housing, tours and transportation while “on the road”.
The Beginning: August 1st, 2016
I managed to fit one month’s wardrobe of opposite seasons into a large suitcase. It hit 49 lbs. at LAX, so I just snuck by overweight baggage fees. I had two glasses of wine, yoga pants, a leather jacket, 5 books (*see my reading list at the end of this article) and a carry-on that in the end weighed almost 30 lbs. I was ready to arrive in the land of Hemsworth brothers, koalas and happy beach people! (my initial naive view on Australia)
My first moments in Sydney were met with cold rain and a fight for a taxi. I am proud to say I held my ground against two giant men who tried to take my cab. Don’t cross that line with a New Yorker. What happened next was the really unexpected piece. The “happy, eternally sunny, life-changing Australia” I imagined quickly turned into one of the loneliest places, coupled with intense self-reflection (ignited by the books), that was incredibly jarring. The adventure suddenly took that turn. The one people who spend time traveling alone often say they experience, but after months or deep daily meditation. I decided to start a journal to make sense of it all.
You can read my personal revelations and reactions in the coming weeks on my Medium channel for instinKt .
Destination 1: Sydney, Australia
I spent six long, emotional days in Sydney. I don’t know if it was the intense jet lag, emotional mind fuck or a combination of both. Still, I saw many amazing things, explored the fashion hubs and met great people. It wasn’t all doom and gloom, even though the weather was apparently the worst they had seen in awhile. I made the absolute most of those six days. After all, I flew 13+ hours to ENJOY it! You will see everything in my Sydney travel guide. (coming soon)
Destination 2: Christchurch, NZ
I heard great things about Christchurch from prominent people. I had never heard of it, but it looked interesting online. I would only spend three days there among the rubble (literally) and vast mountain ranges. The people, beautiful landscapes and unique art made the trip worth while. You will be able to read about why I mention rubble and the hilarious Lord of the Rings tour in my Christchurch travel guide. (coming soon)
Destination 3: Melbourne, Australia
I was hesitant about Melbourne after my experience in Sydney, but as most people learn it is a much different scene. I had really amazing moments in Melbourne as I finally started to come out of the dark space in my head. I equate it to a combination of New York and Seattle. There are many young professionals that set the stage for great nightlife, refined coffee shops, interesting restaurants and a booming music scene. In a nutshell, there was actually palpable culture. I could have spent months exploring all of the side streets and hidden bars. I found some good ones that I will share in the Melbourne travel guide. (coming soon)
Destination 4: Tokyo, Japan
I landed in Tokyo around 9pm, exhausted. I read about an easy bus service into the city, which was great because I couldn’t understand the ATM characters to get any Yen. I wheeled my giant suitcase into the tiny little room and had just enough energy to walk across a courtyard (under Godzilla) to get hot Udon Noodles.
The rest of my time in Japan was incredible and difficult. The population in Tokyo is almost double that of New York City, yet it is so structured and organized. The streets are calming vs. anxiety inducing. A striking example of this would be marked single file lines to wait for the subway vs. the complete chaos that New Yorkers pretend is normal. It is a unique balance of beautiful tradition and unbound futurism all elegantly contained. I only wish I could have understood more as anything in English is hard to come by. I have never seen anything like it and only want to know more about all of it. You will see what I figured out in my Tokyo travel guide.(coming soon)
Destination 5: Dubai
I have always wanted to go to Dubai, although I am not entirely sure why? I knew I wanted to see the desert, ride a camel and hopefully not be shunned by conservative men. I also wanted to understand the glamour behind what almost feels like a city designed for a Monopoly board.
I arrived at 5am, thanks to Typhoon Mindulle, and ended up watching the sunrise on the beach. The rest of the trip was like I woke up in the oasis described in The Alchemist. I don’t have much of a city guide, but good tips for Dubai. (coming soon)
Destination 6: St.Tropez, France
Heaven on Earth. I am so glad I ended the trip with St.Tropez, because if I started there the rest of the adventure may have been disappointing in comparison. Beyond the beautiful water, endless rosé and outdoor clubs there was a wave of inspiration that I am incredibly excited about. If you plan to visit, you should really read my upcoming St.Tropez travel guide. There are so many great places and helpful travel tips. I will also include a pretty amazing end-of-summer playlist.
The End: August 30th, 2016
By August 30th, I had been in 7 countries; flown on 10 flights, lived in 8 time zones and crossed the world in 30 days.
I am now back in the US, recovering from an upper respiratory infection while trying to get my body acclimated to one time zone. It feels like the past month was simply a dream (until I see my credit card bills). I have to take a step back to really absorb everything I experienced. I realized that I was completely immersed in the present, every single day, for 30 days. I was only concerned with the rest of the world when connected to Wi-Fi at the end of the day. It was a reminder to not lose that ability in a world where social media pressures seem to override experiences.
When you travel around the world your perspective changes. Almost like finding out the world isn’t flat. Your sense of time changes, you realize how quickly each day passes and the possibilities of what you can do (or waste) with each one. You get over phobias and stereotypes. I was a terrible flyer, but after 10 flights (4 of which were long haul) I now just go through the motions. I thought I would be targeted as a tall blonde American in a muslim culture, but found myself shopping the same racks in Zara with women in full burqas. In that moment, I became sympathetic to those who are being unfairly targeted around the world because of their traditions/dress. You develop an understanding that we are truly one world as humans. Our daily lives are not much different from each other. I think fear, ignorance and top-down political ego unfairly divide us.
Basically, you evolve. There is a fundamental change whether you initially realize it or not.
What Happens Now?
Initially, I was really sad to be back. It felt like everyday was no longer an adventure. The traveling high was lost. Then I realized, that is my old perspective. This trip to taught me what I didn’t know I needed to learn.
Now, I have to make choices to incorporate everything. Everyday is an adventure and truly is what you make of it. I already have my long list of personal and professional goals, including a new travel bucket list. I will be much more mindful and present as I navigate my next chapter. I will also enjoy being on the other end of the conversation when people say “wow, I have always wanted to go there/do that.”
I did it.
Over the next few weeks, I am going to share city travel guides with all of the information that I learned and found helpful along the way. Side Note: I am coming from the expectations of a well-traveled woman who spent 10 years in New York. Meaning, I can navigate cities pretty easily, deal with crowds and have had significant exposure to various cultures, nightlife, restaurants, etc.
Stay Tuned.
*I want to share my reading list (via recommendations), because it will add color to my experience. All the Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister; The War of Art by Steven Pressfield; The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and Start With the Why by Simon Sinek. Before you think, “she was on some Eat Prey Love shit!”, I had no intention of anything other than discovering new cities and having something productive to do on the many long flights.
If you are interested in the serious life lessons I learned, I will be sharing meaningful content on http://www.instinkt.org/ and instinKt on Medium.
