On July 14th, 2017 I quit my job. Three days later, on July 17th, I was on a plane flying to Singapore. One year later (today), I am posting a follow-up entry capturing stats, insights, and lessons learned.
When I embarked on this journey, I had only booked my departure flight into Singapore, lodging for Singapore, and my return flight from Tokyo…everything else would be planned during the trip. I had collected recommendations from friends and had some ideas of the places I wanted to visit, but most of all I wanted to see where this trek would take me.
I often get asked: “What was your favorite place?” As much as I want to answer that question with a one word response, it is just not possible. Each city was amazing in its own right and much of it has to do with my own experiences. It also depends on who YOU are and what YOU are looking to do. I will say that my favorite activities were: Marina Bay Sands Infinity Pool, the Petronas Towers, the Elephant Sanctuary, Angkor Wat, Tuna Auction, and MariCar.
As you have noticed, these posts can get kind of long…there is just so much to share from each activity, that it becomes difficult to limit the number of words.
Stats
# of flights: 13
Total # of miles flown: 23,459
# of airlines: 3 (Delta, AirAsia, and Bangkok Airways)
# of countries: 6 (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Japan)
# of different accommodations: 3 (hostels, hotels, and Airbnb)
Methods of transport: 6 (walking, planes, trains, boats, automobiles, and busses…no scooters though)
Priority Pass Lounges: too many to count
Methods of payment: 6 (Delta miles, SPG points, Barclaycard miles, Thankyou points cash, and credit cards)
# of blog posts: 34
# of total days: 26 (blog posts do not match up as the blog did not officially start until day 3 due to flights)
Insights
A year later and I still am proud of myself for embarking on such a trip.
I often did not book transport/lodging until day of and also sometimes did not know what to do in a given city until I landed.
I met people from all across the world. Americans were not very common throughout SE Asia compared to European, Asian, and Oceanic nationalities. I met people from: 16+ countries (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, Netherlands, Mexico, USA, Italy, France, UK, Spain, and other places). Many of these people were friends for only the day, evening, or specific activity, but each added value to my trip. Some of these friends I am still in touch with, while others I never exchanged contact information with.
The people I met were often extremely nice and engaging. Everyone wanted to connect and meet. Travel stories and advice were free flowing and I often saw people adjust their plans to spend more time with new friends.
Hostels are amazing. The community is great and staying at one is a tremendous way to meet new people and try new things. Stay open to new ideas, sights, and activities. The people you meet might have some great ideas, so give it a shot!
Lessons Learned
Traveling solo can be tough, but is an incredible opportunity that everyone should experience at least once. It can get lonely when you are having another meal alone, but it is also liberating. You are forced to put yourself out there and meet new people.
It is also important to lean on your support network when you need to. I would occasionally text friends from home just to strike up a conversation and have that pseudo face to face contact.
Do not sweat the little things. Trips are bigger than singular events. I am sure that I got ripped off at some point along my trip (once I knew for sure), but I did not let it detract from the overall experience. I dwelled on it for too long, but at the end of the day…it was only $5.
Blogging (at least in my detailed manner) can be quite time consuming. Having a portable keyboard that connected via bluetooth to my iPhone was clutch; it enabled me to blog while eating lunch, enjoying a beer, or flying from one place to another.
Thank You!
This trip was truly an incredible experience. I have a passion for travel and plan to use this blog to continue exploring the world. There are many places that I have already visited and those entries will appear in due time.
If you have any questions/comments feel free to add a comment below or use the contact link to send me a message.
Andrew's Activities 