Life Update: travel plans and What’s Next?
Last year, we were completely exhausted from practically a decade of moving around the world from place to place. once we both concerned the challenging realization that it was time for a base and that being “nomadic” wasn’t for us anymore, we essentially just stayed put for practically an entire year!
It was as if the years of hard travel and running an online company while on the road caught up with us. We essentially had no desire to pack our bags and go on a trip — which is unheard of.
That was 2018. fast forward to this year and we’re much much more eager to get back on the road — we just needed a little bit of R&R and some downtime, we’re not in our 20’s anymore!
Earlier this year, we spent 2.5 months in Ecuador and Peru, two weeks in Nova Scotia and delighted in a few staycations here in Grenada.
Ecuador was exactly the trip we were ready for!
After being back from Nova Scotia for practically 8 weeks now, we’re feeling ready to take off again — the travel itch is full-on this year.
⚠︎ big travel Announcement:
We’re travelling to Indonesia, the Philippines, and Japan!
While these won’t be new countries for us, we’re going to islands and towns that we haven’t explored yet. It’ll be a mix of work and pleasure and we’re looking forward to sharing our beach, food, diving and cultural findings with you!
We went live on Facebook announcing this trip. check it out here (or continue reading below):
Why Asia?
This part of the world is one of our favourites and we find ourselves returning here again and again — either to travel or to put down some short-term roots.
The interesting cultures, the tasty cuisine, and the overall charm have stolen our hearts over the years. many of our travels have been spent in Asia (including Central, East, South, West, and Southeast) and in fact, we have just one country left before we’ve seen all of Southeast Asia (Timor-Leste/East Timor).
There’s just something special about this part of the world that keeps us coming back.
The street food in SE Asia is some of the best anywhere!
This time around, we’re heading to the Philippines to attend our friend’s wedding. He’s American, she’s Filipina and we can’t wait to experience a conventional ceremony and celebration!
Plus, other friends of ours will be there as well — this is going to be a fun reunion. We’ve rented a vacation home best on the beach and will be exploring the island, partaking in wedding shenanigans, and enjoying the company of our friends.
When we were talking about the wedding schedule and details, we at the same time received an offer from Lotus hotels to visit Indonesia and experience their spectacular accommodations, which are all PADI 5* dive resorts.
The timing couldn’t have been much more ideal and we chose to incorporate Indonesia into our Philippines travels.
A couple of weeks after accepting the offer in Indonesia, we were approached by a pr company in Japan who represents various tourism boards there.
She invited us to experience lesser-travelled parts of Japan and share our findings with our audience.
The company wanted us to visit in October/November, which lined up perfectly — everything seemed to fall into place. And, when that happens, we choose it.
We feel so humbled and grateful to be at a level where brands and tourism boards recognize our value and want to work with us. We started blogging for family and friends back in 2011, and because making the conscious decision that we were going to turn travel blogging into our full-time career, it has blossomed into something far bigger than we ever imagined.
And that’s all thanks to you and your support!
Us with the press trip crew in Chicago. Influencers from Mexico, Brazil, Australia and ourselves. plus the pr reps for the hotel we stayed at.
While press trips aren’t our main income stream or blogging model, when we’re invited on campaigns that suit our ethos and travel style, we happily accept them.
This is a fun way to travel, as we’re either doing something completely distinct (like plotting hiking routes in Kyrgyzstan), road tripping around and exploring on our own (like in Argentina and Nova Scotia), or scuba diving in remote locations (as Nick did with the Indonesian tourism board).
Since we take time to vet the provides and consider whether or not they fit with our interests and brand, we’ve had nothing but positive experiences in the past and I’m sure it’ll be the same for our trip with Lotus hotels and Japan tourism.
Först ut, Indonesia
In 2009, we backpacked around Indonesia for 2 months, while travelling to the islands of Bali, Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Sumbawa, Java, Flores, Rinca, and Sumatra.
We slept on mattresses on the floor, endured some seriously dodgy accommodations, and actually bargained one particular room down from $3 to $2.50 / night! We took whichever transportation was the most affordable (we even rode on top of a bus), we typically ate street food, and we didn’t care about comforts — we just wanted to stay on the road for as long as possible.
The travel bug and the sense of freedom were overwhelming.
We were on an extreme budget that year abroad. In fact, we travelled Indonesia for around $35 CAD/day, for both of us.
Us in Indonesia during our first trip in 2009!
Our encounters with the people, the natural surroundings, the distinct culture, the experiences we had, and the overall adventure of travelling around this part of the world made Indonesia top our list of preferred countries during that year in Asia.
We loved it so much that in 2017 we chose to return to Indonesia to live in Canggu Bali for 3 months.
Here we are, 10 years because our first trip as budget backpackers, revisiting Indonesia in a completely different way — a way that reflects our current lifestyle and 35-year-old selves. It’s very surreal to think back on how far we’ve come and how we’ve developed because 2009.
While we’re pleased we backpacked when we did, our tight budget at the time certainly limited some of the things we wanted to experience, which included scuba diving. this time around, Nick will get his diving fix!
Living in Canggu Bali
Our Upcoming route in Indonesia
Grenada -> new York -> Taiwan -> Bali -> North Sulawesi -> Raja Ampat -> Bali -> Gili Trawangan -> Bali
After a long, 25-hour travel journey we’ll arrive in Bali — jetlagged I’m sure but ready for the adventure. We’ve booked a good vacation home on Airbnb in the beach town of Sanur. even though we’ve spent lots of time in Bali we’ve never been here, but from what I’ve heard, Sanur has been dubbed as “snore” because it’s quieter than many of South Bali — which is fine by me!
After 3 nights spent chilling out, exploring by scooter and stretching our legs after the long flight, we’ll fly to North Sulawesi to the small island of Gangga. This area is known for having spectacular scuba diving and snorkelling opportunities. We’ve never been to Sulawesi and are thrilled to see what Gangga Island and the surrounding Bunaken national Marine Park have to offer.
This is where we’ll be staying, Gangga Island resort and Spa. Det ser fantastiskt ut! (Photo credit: Lotus Hotels)
From North Sulawesi, we relocation on to our next island paradise, Raja Ampat. This once-secret group of 1500 islands is becoming much more popular but is still considered off-track due to the effort it takes to get here. nothing this good comes easy!
Idyllic islands, palm-fringed shorelines, crystal clear water, and some of the best diving anywhere in the world can all be found in Raja Ampat. The underwater world is teeming with life, which Nick knows first hand because he went on a diving trip here in 2017 during our stay in Canggu. I was so envious of that trip, and now I get a chance to see it with my own eyes.
We’ll be staying at the Papua Paradise Eco resort for 5 nights in overwater bungalows. This type of accommodation has been a dream of ours for numerous years, and it’s finally coming true. viewing marine life swim by, and snorkelling best offshore will be pretty incredible.
Overwater bungalows! We’re looking forward to snorkelling best offshore. (Photo Credit: Lotus Hotels)
From the far east of Indonesia, we’re returning to Bali to visit another town that we’ve yet to see, Candidasa. A trip to a nearby village, scuba diving and unwinding by the pool are all on the agenda here. After what I’m sure will be a great 3 nights in Candidasa, we’re taking a boat over to nearby Gili Trawangan.
During 2009, we spent about a week on Gili T and really delighted in the slow pace of the island. I remember renting bicycles with a plan to ride around the circumference of the island, only to find out that just 1/4 of it was paved, and the rest was sand!
It’ll be interesting to see how Gili Trawangan has changed over the past 10 years. The plan here is to do some scuba diving and snorkelling (of course), indulge in some unwinding medspa treatments and explore the island.
The dining andPool Area of Vacation Home Almarik på Gili T. (Fotokredit: Lotus Hotels)
Totalt reser vi runt Indonesien i 20 dagar och kan inte vänta!
Ett bröllop på Filippinerna
Under våra tio års resor har vi deltagit i olika bröllop utomlands. Många av dessa bröllop var för människor som vi inte visste! När vi fick reda på att vår goda vän gifte sig, tänkte vi att det skulle hållas på Filippinerna (där han bor) och visste att vi var tvungna att anstränga sig för att komma dit – särskilt med tanke på att Nick utsågs till bästa man!
Vi flyger in i staden Dumaguete och tar en båt över till ön Siquijor, som är där festligheterna kommer att äga rum.
Förra gången vi var på Filippinerna var tillbaka 2012 när vi reste runt öarna Luzon och Palawan. Det finns över 7 000 öar i skärgården och, inte överraskande, har vi inte utforskat Siquijor tidigare.
Känd för sina intressanta trolldomshelare, fantastisk dykning, vackra stränder och vackra vattenfall ser vi mycket fram emot att uppleva denna ö – genom ögonen på en lokal.
Utforska en öde ö på Filippinerna redan 2012.
En snabb resa till Japan
Under 2018 valde vi att flyga från Bali till Tokyo och fira Nicks födelsedag i Japan. Han är en sushi -fiend. Att landa i Tokyo och ha sushi den dagen till lunch var förmodligen den bästa födelsedagen han kunde ha drömt om!
Vi tillbringade cirka två veckor på att resa till Tokyo, Kyoto, Takayama och några omgivande byar. Jag tror att du kan tillbringa år i Japan och kontinuerligt lära dig om historien och kulturen på denna distinkta destination.
På en vandringsresa i Kyoto. Tatsuya var en fantastisk guide och vän!
Detta olika land har lite för alla – berg, stränder, historia, sjöar, städer, mat och kultur. Det finns bara så många saker att göra i Japan.
Den här gången börjar vi i Tokyo (sushi!) Och på väg till den nordöstra regionen i landet, Tohoku – som kallas att vara en dold resenares pärla. Denna del av Japan är fylld med varma källor, berg, byar, krater sjöar och naturligtvis regionala matspecialiteter.
Från norr är vi söderut till Okayama -området för att utforska slott, museer, trädgårdar och helgedomar, innan vi tar oss tillbaka till Tokyo där vi kommer att slutföra vår resa genom att blötlägga i ett onsen (offentligt bad).
Denna virvelvindresa kommer att ge oss en smak av vissa delar av Japan som vi aldrig har varit, och från vad jag har sett och hört är jag ganska säker på att vi kommer att vilja återvända.
Tohoku -regionen i Japan (bild med tillstånd av Shutterstock).
Återvänder hem
Den här resan handlar om öarna, och efter att ha hoppat runt 7+ öar i Asien i 2 månader, tror jag att vi kommer att vara redo att återvända till vår hemmabas (som också är en ö!).
Att ha en bas att återvända till verkligen gör våra resor mycket enklare. Idag behöver vi inte packa upp bokstavligen allt vi äger och ta med det med oss. Dessutom kan vi ha ett hem faktiskt samla några tillhörigheter och få lite arbete gjort.
När vi återvänder hem kommer det att handla om att komma ikapp med jobbet, gå till med vänner, njuta av lite driftstopp och göra oss redo för vårt nästa äventyr … som händer runt mitten av januari!
Har du varit på någon av de destinationer jag diskuterade i den här artikeln? If so, please give us your must-sees, eats and dos in the comments below!
Som den här artikeln? Klara det!
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