The past 365 days of traveling around the globe solo has been a dream come true for me. I had been a corporate guy in an office cubical located in a global corporate headquarters of a Fortune 50 company in New York City only months prior to making the leap to leave my comfort zone and try something new last year. The momentum for me to make this huge decision had been building for years. I knew in my gut that there was something greater for me to do with my life.
At the time I left my corporate position, I didn’t know what that “something greater” was. However, the most important thing that I learned over the past year was that I had to leave my job for me to figure it out. The mind isn’t able to think clearly when it is consumed daily about another career that isn’t making you happy.
I had heard many times before that leaving your current reality was needed for you to find what you truly wanted to do in your life. And now I believe it 100%. If I hadn’t left, I would still be at the same cube in the same office around the same people if I hadn’t just made the leap and took a risk on myself. Actually, more of an investment in myself. And the past 365 days have provided me the mind space to finally figure out what I want to do with my life. I left New York City last October in a strange life space. And now I can honestly say I am the happiest that I have ever been in my life.
Over the past year, I have traveled over 97,000 miles, which is enough to travel around the globe four times. I have visited 26 countries on six continents. And I have achieved my goal of setting foot on all seven continents in my lifetime when I visited Antarctica last November. Certainly 2018 is a year to remember.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE THAT YOU HAVE VISITED?
This by far has been the most popular question that I have received over the past year. So I figured it made sense to share with my tribe my list of the top ten locations that have been the most impactful to me over the past year. This list isn’t the most beautiful or the most cost effective or the easiest to travel to. This list is about the impact the location had on me as a human being during my visit.
HONORABLE MENTION
I wanted to call out three locations that didn’t make my top ten but still were incredible and worth listing. In no particular order:
10. DHAKA, BANGLADESH
One of the most densely populated nations in the world, Bangladesh is way off the tourist routes, which is one of the reasons I wanted to visit. I was overwhelmed by how impactful this place was to me. I only made time to visit the capital city of Dhaka, the most densely populated city in the world at nearly 19 million people. But I met some of the happiest people in Dhaka. There are people everywhere. I was fascinated at how these people had very little wealth yet knew more about life and happiness than most of the people that I know. The city is an interesting mix of new and very old and has many beautiful places to visit. Be sure to visit a train station at rush hour and experience the chaos!
Click here to see my experience in Dhaka, especially the video of people riding on top of the train.
Traveler Tip: Be sure to get an English speaking guide on your very first day to see the sites and to understand how to move around in the city. Very few people speak English so its important to know your surroundings when you first arrive. I used the company Tours By Locals and my tour guide was extremely helpful.
9. PHILIPPINES
The country of the Philippines has done a nice job over the past years to build infrastructure to accept the growing number of tourist into their country. They still have a lot of work to do in their hospitality industry as the country will continue to grow their tourism over the next several years. But the country has so many beautiful places to visit. One of my favorite off the beaten path destinations on my trip were the rice terraces of Banaue and Batad, located by a nine hour bus ride north of Manila and is well worth the trip. Probably the best rice terraces I have ever seen in my life. Built over 4,000 years ago, these perfectly sculpted rice terraces are absolutely breathtaking to explore. And lastly, if you want to swim with sharks, visit Malapascua Island just north of Cebu Island to swim with the rare thresher sharks. A once in a life time experience for sure!
Click here to see my experience in the Ifugao Province of the Philippines where the stunning rice terraces are located.
Traveler Tip: If you only have a week to spend in the Philippines, be sure to spend it in paradise on Palawan Island. There are many stunning islands around Palawan but for ease of planning, split time between Coron and El Nido. One of my favorite moments on my trip was scuba diving in World War II shipwrecks at the bottom of Coron Bay. I used the Seadive Resort in Coron which was a fun and PADI certified dive resort. Click here to check out my experience in Palawan.
8. TIBET, CHINA
Seeing Mount Everest has always been on my bucket list. But I had heard that the only way to see the Everest Base Camp was to have a six to eight day hike from Lukla, Nepal. However, the Chinese have recently constructed a new road that goes over a mountain pass and directly to the Everest Base Camp, but on the China side. So I booked a seven day journey from Lhasa to Kathamandu, Nepal, in June and visiting Mount Everest was one of the stops! Also, I had always wanted to learn more about the Buddhist culture so this trip was perfect. It was a trip of a lifetime. It was a lot of driving but it was so interesting learning about the Tibetan culture and seeing the stunning landscapes across Tibet. The drive along the Friendship Highway from the China-Nepal border to Kathmandu was one of the craziest drives I have ever experienced.
Click here to see my experience in Tibet and be sure to watch the video of the craziest drive I have ever experience! It is the video that has the most views of any video I created along my journey.
Traveler Tip: It can be a challenge to make it to Tibet since the Chinese government has put many restrictions on travelers. I don’t usually like group tours, but in Tibet a group tour is needed. Tibet Vista can help you plan everything and they have different types of tours. If you make it to Tibet, make sure you book a trip out of Lhasa.
7. VIETNAM
I couldn’t just pick one place in Vietnam to call my favorite. After the terrible war decades ago, Vietnam has done an outstanding job of making the entire country open for tourism. Hanoi was my favorite city and Sa Pa and Tam Coc were my favorite destinations based on their beauty. There is so much to see in Vietnam making it very difficult to see everything. I purchased a 30 day visa and stayed the entire thirty days. And I still had to make tough choices on what to see and what not to see. With ease of getting around, dirt cheap prices with incredible value, Vietnam is a place I definitely would return to. And, I could even live very nicely in Vietnam for less than $1000 per month!
Click here to see my experience in Tam Coc, the Halong Bay of the rice fields.
Traveler Tip: If you have limited time, the north part of Vietnam is better than the South. I include Hoi An in the north part but that is the furthest south you should go on a limited time table. Click here to see a promo video I put together for the city of Hoi An.
6. SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA
For temple lovers, Siem Reap is the place for you. This area was one of my all time favorite places on the planet. I was blown away by the centuries old temples just laying in ruins. They were huge and built over a thousand years ago. And then abandoned since the capital city moved to a new location. I felt like I was Indiana Jones on a treasure hunt the entire time I was in Siem Reap. It was an emotional journey for me visiting this area as venturing through the ancient temples made me think a lot about my journey. Also, Cambodia has a very grim past, something I hadn’t known before. Visiting Phnom Penh for a couple days is worth it but I wouldn’t spend longer than that. Bring some tissues.
Click here to see my experience discovering the temples in Siem Reap. If you liked Indiana Jones, you will LOVE this place.
Traveler Tip: If you love temples, organize three-day private tour with a driver. To give you enough time to see all of the temples. Some of the great temples are far away so you would need a car over a tuk-tuk. I recommend reaching out to Sokra Sourng at Cambodia Tour Driver to help arrange your private tour. He has a staff of drivers that are knowledgeable about all the sites.
5. ICELAND
Iceland has been on a lot of bucket lists lately. And after visiting, I understand why. Geothermal geysers, volcanic rocks, glaciers, visible tectonic plates pulling apart, black sand beaches, and waterfalls, waterfalls, waterfalls. Iceland has it all. The landscape is one of the most spectacular that I have ever seen and beats out New Zealand in my opinion (although New Zealand is still a must see). One of the main drawbacks though is the cost. It is cheap to get there, but just be prepared to spend a lot more in Iceland after you arrive.
Click here to check out my awesome experience in Iceland that includes one of my favorite videos that I shot with my drone.
Traveler Tip: If you are going to do the entire ring road (which I recommend), give yourself longer than seven days. I did the entire drive in seven but felt exhausted from driving each day in order to make it to my overnight stop. But it certainly was worth the trip.
4. LISBON, PORTUGAL
There are very few places in the world that I have visited more than once because I want to see as much of the world as I can. But Portugal is a place that I just had to go back to only two weeks after I made my initial visit in September. I had planned to see other places in Europe after I left, but there was just something about Portugal that pulled me back. I ended up going back and staying in Lisbon for three more weeks. Lisbon is an incredible city that is beginning to boom with tourism. But unfortunately, it is actually beginning to price locals out of their own city as foreign money is pouring in. But I know why now. Beautiful city, beaches not that far away, extremely friendly people, costs not as high as the rest of Europe. Lisbon has everything you need to be happy and live an incredible life. I can see myself spending more time here one day.
Traveler Tip: Lodging in Lisbon is certainly more expensive than in Southeast Asia but Lisbon has some incredible hostels. I had a great time at YES! Lisbon Hostel. They had free daily walking tours, tours to places outside the city, daily happy hour and an all you can eat, all you can drink meal for 10 Euros with a pub crawl every night. I had way too much fun here.
3. BALI, INDONESIA
I can’t really believe I have been to Bali three times in the past 13 months. Bali was actually where I made the decision to leave my job. I will never forget the moment at the Yoga Barn in Ubud when I met a friend from France who was going through something very similar as I was. Bali is truly a beautiful and spiritual place. I was in Ubud for Nyepi, Silent Day, earlier this year and that was an incredible experience. I am not too fond of the beaches in Bali but the country is the perfect place to truly get away. A serene place to give your mind space to think. I would recommend coming to Bali if you are in need of a boost in life or if you need inspiration to make a big change.
Click here to check out my experience during Nyepi, Bali’s Silent Day, where the entire island goes dark.
Traveler Tip: I would recommend staying up in Ubud if you come to Bali. The beaches of Kuta and Seminyak are extremely crowded and not peaceful. Even Canggu, the digital nomad hub, is not relaxing for me. I prefer staying up in Ubud. And Ubud is more central to go on adventures that await for you. A great, quiet place to stay with great facilities and tucked in a neighborhood away from the main street yet close enough to walk is Wahwik’s Place!
2. VANUATU
Most people have never heard of Vanuatu or could even locate the region that it is located in on a map. Vanuatu is very close to Fiji and not too far north of New Zealand. The country is a collection of beautiful islands that I chose to go to after my visit in Australia. Vanuatu will always hold a special place in my heart. I learned how to scuba dive with Allan Power Dive Tours out over the sunken SS Coolidge. I found one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen in my life. And a few days later I walked along the edge of an erupting volcano, an experience that was truly life changing. When people ask me about my favorite destinations, Vanuatu always pops up in my mind. And there were so many islands left to discover! I want to go back!
Click here to check out my experience walking along the edge of an erupting volcano.
Traveler Tip: If you make it to Vanuatu, spend the extra money to fly to Tanna Island to experience Mount Yasur, the world’s longest continuously erupting volcano. It erupts every 3-5 minutes. Do the sunrise tour. I was the only one on the tour and it was one of the most magical experiences of my life, standing along the edge of a volcano in the black of darkness alone. And the watching the sunrise off in the distance. Incredible!
1. ANTARCTICA
WOW! WOW! WOW! I can’t believe I am now one of the 30,000 people that have had the privilege of visiting the seventh continent each year and one of the very few people who has stepped foot on all seven continents. Visiting Antarctica is certainly pricey but this trip was a once in a lifetime adventure and worth every penny. People always ask me, well what do you do in Antarctica? Well sure, its not like you are on a Carnival cruise full of restaurants and shows where you pull up to a dock and walk off the ship in beautiful destinations. Our ship would anchor out in a bay and we would take zodiac boats full of 10-12 people on shore, stepping off the side onto untouched shores. Only touched by wildlife. Imagine stepping on shore and seeing over 2,000 pairs of penguins scattered as far as you can see. We were advised to avoid the penguin “highways” that the penguins have created to move faster to get to distances further away. We would spend half of our morning or afternoon excursion out on the zodiac boat seeing icebergs and the stunning, mountainous scenery and the other half on land with the penguins. It was truly an experience that will stay with me forever.
Click here for to see my experience in Antarctica.
Travel Tips:
- Get on tour operator’s ‘flash sale’ list where they cut the price in half 3-4 weeks before the cruise leaves. Of course if your schedule isn’t flexible enough to book everything 3-4 weeks out then this option isn’t’ for you but it will save you a lot of money.
- Be sure to book an excursion that is less than 200 people and actually allows you to step on continental Antarctica, and not a surrounding island that isn’t attached by land to the continent. Only tours less than 200 people are allowed to actually allow passengers to step on land. They do have excursions that travel all the way down to Antarctica and the passengers never get off the boat.
- Quark Expeditions is top class and I would certainly recommend them as a tour operator.
To receive more great articles of my next year of traveling around the globe, enter your information below:
Hi Cory,
Love your rankings. Lots of Asia in there. You should check out Southern India, Sri Lanka, Iran and Laos. We should connect and talk a lot about traveling.
I am planning to go to Antarctica. How rough was the Drake Passage.?
Hi Hari – we were lucky crossing the Drake on the way to Antarctica but the trip back was rough. Take a look at my post about crossing the Drake.
http://thereiscory.com/antarctica-drake-lake/