How to Travel Around the World in 11 months.
Kali and Juan’s around the world trip.
Why I bought a 1 way ticket to Nepal
Hi, I’m Kali! Do you want to travel the world with me? My family think I’m insane and my colleagues are just astounded…why? Well, I’ve just bought a one way airplane ticket to Nepal, a first step in the round world trip I’ve been dreaming of since I was a kid!
Mapping the route
My husband Juan and I are leaving home on the Spanish Costa Blanca, departing Alicante airport straight through to Kathmandu on ‘economical’ connecting flights with Qatar Airlines (found on the Skyscanner website which screens thousands of flights worldwide to compare the best prices).
I chose Nepal, a legendary country in the Himalayas sometimes called the rooftop of the world, as our first destination… the Kathmandu Valley and Mount Everest are high on my wish list, I love Nepalese food, the people are friendly and hospitable, and English is widely understood! October is a great month to visit this fascinating land, weather-wise and also to enjoy two different festivals!
We’ve been invited to spend Dashain, the most important festival of the year, in a remote rural village called Phulpingkot. It is located in the Sindhupalchok District of Central Nepal, one of the worst hit by the April 2015 earthquake where 96.8% of homes were destroyed along with many access roads.
A family run tour agency, Nepal Adventure Point is striving to bring sustainable tourism to the country and create more employment for local villagers. For us, this is an amazing chance to experience real village life and enjoy this family orientated festivity in traditional style.
Visiting Nepal’s famous Buddhist and Hindu temples will be amazing too…there are so many ancient shrines to see, we’ll be spoilt for choice. I find other cultures and customs fascinating and it’s no hardship to walk barefoot or dress modestly for the privilege of entering sacred sites.
An ‘easy’ trek by Himalayan standards to the Annapurna mountain reservation area is the major challenge of our trip to Nepal. The route starts in the beautiful lake city of Pokhara -a peaceful yoga retreat- on a trail that ascends through the scenic foothills for an amazing 6 day Annapurna trek to Poon Hill to watch the sunrise over the Himalayan peaks. I’ve never attempted more than a day trek before and never at this altitude so watch this space for details of what promises to be an awesome experience! You really can do anything with positive traveling mindset if you believe in yourself.
Chitwan National Park is on the itinerary too… one of Asia’s major wildlife sanctuaries, it is a protected environment for the nearly extinct and rarely seen Royal Bengal Tiger. There are rare one-horned rhinos and Indian elephants wandering around in this part of the park, which is no doubt touristy but bound to be fun with rafting and other activities to enjoy. Our last three days and nights in Kathmandu coincide with Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights and the highlight of our trip to Nepal. So we’ve definitely got a lot to look forward to, on stage 1 of our round world trip.
From Nepal we’re going on to India for a few weeks in November…just imagine it, a visit to Taj Majal is one of my ultimate travel goals!
A month or two travelling in Thailand and Laos are on the agenda, and then 15 days in Vietnam before flying to New Zealand… my cousins live in NZ, so I’ll hopefully be exploring Auckland with them and beyond! The next part of the grand adventure is an Australian road trip where we’ll be meeting up with friends at different points along the way.
A long-haul flight to Central America to tour Peru is also on the cards – highlights include 3 nights in an Amazon lodge in Iquitos organised by local guide Roger Salin and a 7 day adventure from Cuzco to Machu Picchu! Then finally over to Africa for the final leg. I’ve always dreamed of Africa, and I’d like to visit Malawi and Tanzania (the guys at local agency advise me to go in June after the rainy season) at the very least! Our route is flexible and we may even detour to other countries along the way.
Meanwhile I’m sorting out visas, getting necessary jabs, sourcing basic hiking gear, doing my best to keep fit…and wondering what the heck to pack (or leave out) in a convenient sized bag that I’ll be lugging around for the next 11 months!
Follow our travels on KaliTravel blog, I’ll be posting features from each country including details of local travel guides and accommodation, plus our photos and videos, daily updates of the adventure (internet willing), loads of tips and travel planning ideas.
Just sit back and watch the amazing places we’re destined to see…
Interested to see how our trip turned out, the countries visited? Go to the World Trip Index for the latest updates.
You will love Nepal! I am also looking forward to meeting you on your trip to Australia and showing you around my little piece of paradise.
Sounds like you are heading off on a wonderful adventure. Glad you were able to use one of my images.