I Travelled for 13 Weeks Last Year to 8 Countries
Here's how it was.
Before you think I took time off to wander into soul searching, that wasn’t the case. Gone are the days when I lived in $7/night hostels and had soda and a hotdog for a meal to save on money. Now I travel as someone who loves travelling and runs a business.
While I usually travel for 8 weeks a year as that's how much leave my partner gets, last year extended to a whopping 13 weeks because of two factors.
First, I visited America after 15 years and was living with my family. I was having such a lovely time doing small things I cannot do in my country, such as going for a walk every day in greenery, wearing what I wanted, and being around a clean environment. All this was so enriching for the soul that I wanted to stay back and live this life while I could. Second, I flew to NYC for two weeks in November because I attended a Tony Robbins seminar in New Jersey.
It’s a bit strange how you stay away from a country for 15 years only to visit it twice in a year. Life has its ways!
My year started by visiting England.
During Christmas, the AirBnbs were extremely overpriced, with the average price being $500 a night. So I went in winter instead of in the gloomy month of January. I studied in England for a year and had forgotten how chill the air is when it kisses your face. Back then, a double-degree temperature in Celsius was bearable, but right now, I was freezing.
Inflation felt more evident there because the cheapest food I saw was the £8 hotdog! We were spending £15- £20 for each meal per head. When I lived in Manchester, it wasn’t nearly as expensive. But then I realised that the pandemic really changed everything.
Four months after that, I visited Georgia — the country, duh. I’ve heard about Tbilisi for two years because my dad visited it. It was even better than the good things he spoke about being there! I kind of don’t want Tbilisi to become famous and crowded because it’s so pure right now. The locals love you, you don’t have to worry about pick-pockets, and women walk alone on the streets even at 3 am. With popularity and population also comes a lot of crime.
Tbilisi was everything you want a place to be — cobbled streets like Europe, extremely affordable food like Asia, lots of places to eat like you see in Paris, safety like Singapore, and outstanding local wine culture like you’ve never seen before.
In Georgia, wine isn’t a drink. It’s a way of living. It's all they drink apart from a liqueur called chacha (made from grape peels). They don’t bother with the whiskey, vodka, and other alcohol types. They make and relish their wine. Their local wines are truly delicious.
In India, we pay at least $80 to have wine in a restaurant. Here, the most expensive bottle was $35 because it was cherry wine.
We then did a day trip to Northern Armenia where our guide educated us so much about their history and relationship with other countries. We visited the monasteries of Haghpat, which is a UNESCO heritage.
After that, we ate local Armenian food at a pastor’s house. His wife prepared a lovely spread, and we ended our meal with a hot coffee.
The economic gap between the two neighbours was significant. Our guide told us to notice the bus in Georgia and then Armenia, and how buses in Armenia are so worn out. These small things tell you the huge economic gap between the two.
In June, I left for the USA after 15 years. I was so excited! I stayed with my relatives, cousins, mom, and grandma, and it was super fun to have a full house.
My day started with walking 5–6km. I know it sounds normal, but it was a big deal for me because we don’t have the infrastructure to walk in India. There are no pavements, and then I’d be worried about stray dogs and other stray animals. I’d also be worried about my safety, honestly. And then I’m also in the most polluted city in the country.
To walk without thinking so much was an immense relief. I felt so much at peace mentally and being around abundant greenery felt… healing.
Since I’ve been travelling mainly across Europe for the past few years, I completely underestimated how big the US is and how far everything is. I didn’t know that from one side of the coast to another is a longer flight than Delhi to Bangkok!
Three weeks after coming home from America, we flew to the Baltic countries.
The journey started with Vilnius in Lithuania. I saw way more women than men, which made me think of what the gender ratio is and as expected, there are 17% more females than males!
Vilnius was sunny and friendly, with a lot of locals from different countries living here. It was outdoorsy with lots of events happening when we were there including a free local concert by the government that had a British band performing.
We then took the bus to Riga in Latvia. Riga was gorgeous, especially its old town. The food was too potato-heavy for me, but it was a small, cutesy city.
And then we left for Tallinn in Estonia. Tallinn was way more modern and developed than I imagined it. We stayed in the city centre, which had wide lane roads and shiny grey buildings that looked very corporate. 15 minutes of walk, and you enter the old town, which is a small square filled with cafes and bars. There were lots of options!
While we mostly eat local cuisine, I surprised my husband with an Italian fine-dine date, which was spot on. We were the only non-white people there, though. I had yellow tomato sauce-based pizza for the first time.
Two months later, I flew to NYC for the first time. My longest flight record was beaten: earlier 15 hours to Sydney and 17.5 hours to New York.
I wrote in detail about what I felt about NYC. In short, I was too excited to see it thanks to movies and the TV show Gossip Girl. And while it was amazing and had a complete vibe, it wasn’t my kind.
And my last 4 days were all about the Tony Robbins event called Unleash the Power Within.
I ended the year the same way I ended last year — visiting Phuket.
Phuket is amazing.
The seafood is fresh and cheap, unlike Goa in India, where I pay the same price as Delhi. This is weird because prawns in Goa are literally so much easier to acquire!
We ate lots of roadside pad thai and yummy food. The drinks are cheap and yummy, too.
Bangla Road is great for partying, and now they also opened new places such as Yona Beach Club, which is the world’s first floating club (I don’t recommend it!).
Phuket overall is a beautiful experience because you have nature, excellent food, and there’s something for everyone to do. Whether you want some peace or want to party till morning, you can do either. And the daily massages, of course!
While I don’t think I’ll be travelling as much this year due to other priorities as a dear one passed away recently, travelling will still have the biggest budget allocation for me. It’s why I earn and what I live for.
Six years ago, when I traveled solo across six countries, I’d have never imagined that I’d got a bug in me that would make me design my entire life around it.
It’s what makes me feel alive.
Except for the journey part. I have battled severe flight anxiety between 2018–2022, and it still creeps in once in a while.
I love reading your content because it doesn't pressure us, it's not clickbait, and it isn't about 'write this way to earn $$$.' Your posts about your life and experiences keep me engaged and make me want to learn more about you. I totally love your travel blogs, as well as your posts about your routine, health and the other everyday aspects of your life.
Keep'em coming girl! You rock!
13 countries may be schnizen visa.