Final assessment: after 11 months around the world, nothing will be the same as before
We left on June 7, 2016 and completed our (first) round-the-world tour on April 29, 2017. It is time to make the final assessment of this extraordinary journey
Abstract
- 21 countries crossed (including 3 in express mode – the time of a long stopover of 2-3 days)
- 11 months of travel
- 2 travelbags of 7.3kg and 13kg
- 2 smartphones and 1 GoPro
- Total budget of 45 000€ for two, ALL included (including 16 000€ just for transportation)
- 3.5 months of preparation
- 5 years of savings
- 1 sabbatical taken + 1 resignation
Reminder of the “objectives
As with every major project, we have set (explicitly or implicitly) objectives for this trip, namely
- Making our dream come true
- Finding a country we like to settle in
- See if you can be a nomad worker one day
BALANCE SHEET
Our biggest dream is (finally!) realized. Mine of nothing, it gives us an incredible serenity and freedom. When you’ve realized your biggest dream, everything else is just a bonus. If life stops now, we have absolutely 0 regrets. From a personal viewpoint, zenitude has replaced daily stress, we have much more confidence in the future, confidence in life and enjoy the present moment 100x more. This zenitude came as the journey progressed and became obvious at the end of the trip. By living among Zen people for months, you caught the virus of happiness, and that was a great victory for me (Anh) because I didn’t think I could reach this threshold of personal fulfillment, having been under great stress in life
During these 11 months of travel, there were ups and downs. But many more ups than downs. Every day we realize how lucky we are and are very grateful to ourselves, to all those who supported us in this adventure and to all the past experiences that made our trip possible
But sometimes we also had moments of weakness, especially in South America. I think we stayed a little too long there (4 months in total). The too fatty and monotonous food in South America, as well as the accommodations with a disappointing quality/price ratio, often weighed on the morale
If we had to do it again, we would have spent a little less time in South America (3 months max) and more time in Asia (adding Cambodia and Laos). We would have maintained the order of visits: South Africa => Asia => Oceania => South America => Cuba – because the landscapes are 1000 times more breathtaking in South America than in Asia. It is better to go crescendo
None of the countries we visited made us want to settle down forever (Internet too slow, or food too greasy…), so we decided to continue our trip
We saw that it was quite possible to be a nomad worker, provided that you move less often (1 month/city for example). So, we are now both freelance nomad workers and offer remote SEO/SEA services, which allows us to earn a living, do what we love (we love our respective jobs) and continue to travel – for an indefinite period of time
From next month, we’ll set off again for a world tour (while working remotely), visiting in priority the countries where we’ve never set foot. Here is the complete itinerary
- June 2017: Krakow (Poland)
- July 2017: Prague (Czech Republic)
- August 2017: Budapest (Hungary)
- September 2017: Bucharest (Romania)
- October 2017: Saint-Raphael (France)
- October 2017 : Lisbon (Portugal)
- November 2017: Somewhere in Spain
- December 2017: Siem Reap (Cambodia)
- January 2018 : Luang Prabang (Laos)
- February 2018 : Hanoi (Vietnam)
- March 2018 : Seoul (South Korea)
- April 2018: Tokyo (Japan)
May 2018: New Caledonia (France)June 2018: Somewhere in Australia
Never before has the future seemed so bright. This first trip has not only allowed us to realize a dream, but has also transformed us forever, for the better.
Now back to our first world tour, we have listed top 5 or top 10 in several categories
Top 5 countries
- Cuba: zentitude, extraordinary landscapes, nice people. For Anh it’s a real favorite because it made him relive his childhood in Vietnam, at the time of the American communism/embargo
- Burma: People who are too kind and disinterested, a country where one feels really really good
- Philippines : The best place for snorkelling and diving.
- New Zealand: Extremely varied landscapes and the discovery of living in a van.
- Bolivia: A very zen rhythm of life, the flooded salt desert remains the best experience of our trip
Top 10 Unforgettable Experiences
- The flooded Uyuni Salt Desert (Bolivia)
- Iguazu Falls (Brazil & Argentina)
- Being surrounded by about 40 elephants on the first day of our world tour in the Kruger Park (South Africa)
- The Perito Moreno glacier (Argentina)
- The Taj Mahal (India)
- Ranakpur Temple (India)
- Swimming with sharks and rays in Moorea (French Polynesia)
- Barbecue in the desert in Doha (Qatar)
- A huge natural hot spring in New Zealand
- Easter Island
Top 5 cities where you feel too good
Some places give off incredible energy. You feel great there without necessarily knowing why
- Bagan (Burma)
- Isla del Sol (Bolivia)
- Puerto Varas (Chile)
- Sugar (Bolivia)
- Coron (Philippines)
Top 5 beaches
- Varadero (Cuba), 20km of fine white sand
- Punta Perdiz (Cuba), turquoise water full of fish (no sand though)
- Anakera on Easter Island (Chile), turquoise water, fine sand
- Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), mythical beach
- Lopes Mendez on the Ilha Grande (Brazil), fine sand, clear water
The 5 most unexpected things that happened to us
- Three earthquakes of more than 7 degrees Richter (in Burma, New Zealand, Chile) with very little damage, in 11 months of traveling
- From the Magic Mountain in Moorea (French Polynesia), an extraordinary viewpoint on the whole ocean, we suddenly see a whale making great jumps
- Being surrounded by about 40 elephants on the first day at the Kruger Park (South Africa)
- Being bitten by a dog in Peru
- Getting a baptism chain stolen on Copacabana beach while we are in Rio since only 3 hours.
Top 5 galleys
- Arriving in Montevideo (Uruguay) on the last weekend of the carnival and almost sleeping in the street
- Rent a car in Papeete (Tahiti) and it doesn’t start anymore while we have a plane to catch 8 hours later
- Breaking a bay window in Bolivia in the middle of the night as we leave the country the next morning
- Being bitten by a dog in Peru
- Catching bed bugs in Thailand and Uruguay
Top 5 favorite dishes
- Grilled Argentinean entrecote steak
- Bun cha in Hanoi (Vietnam)
- Papaya salad (Thailand)
- Tuna sashimi (Tahiti)
- Indian tea (India)
Top 5 most wow accommodations
- The Sheraton in Macau: JB was able to negotiate an upgrade for my birthday. We got a 90m² room (including 30m² for the bathroom) with a view on the (fake) Eiffel Tower
- VinPearl Nha Trang in Vietnam: a 5 star hotel on a private island, with shuttle to a private amusement park. The swimming pool is huge and the all-you-can-eat buffets (included in the price) are delicious
- A “capsule” hotel in Singapore where we sleep in double capsules, super comfortable (even if they are tiny)
- Olifants Camp within the Kruger Park in South Africa with an incredible view of the Olifants River. From the terrace, you can regularly see hordes of elephants, rhino… come and drink..
- A nice apartment on stilts in Castro, on the island of Chiloé in Chile. We had a beautiful fireplace, a barbecue area. It was the perfect place to spend Christmas (and have a tsunami alert).
Top 5 people/things we miss the most
- Our families/friends and our cat Rosalie
- Real desserts
- Sausage (for Anh)
- Cheese (for JB)
- The optical fiber
Top 5 things we don’t miss at all
- Parisian greyness
- Working in an office
- The news
- Our beautiful city clothes
- Smokers
