My top ten lessons learnt from my year-long trip in 2023.
Standing on the Norwich train station platform ready to embark on our epic journey
Quitting my job with a travel budget and a list of places to check out
Let’s go back to January 2023; we had just quit our jobs, sold all our possessions (mainly) and had an epic plan on the horizon to travel the world for the whole year.
After a struggle during COVID with no means to travel and burning desire to see more of the world, I knew this was what I wanted to do without question and I was in pure travel mode. Nothing else mattered.
Talking about this in retrospect is undeniably interesting from the perspective of the difference in thoughts pre and post travels, I thought I would never say these things on this episode a year ago so I am keen to see what you think.
Before we get into that, let me take you through the plan for 2023. We left Norwich to head to London to start our one month Interrail trip in Europe to work our way to Turkey where we will spend a week.
Then we wanted to head to the Middle East for seven weeks, with Cyprus chucked in there for a relaxing birthday break.
One of our main aims was to trek in Nepal so we had a flight there from UAE before heading onto Taiwan and finaly South Korea before heading back to Vancouver.
We would pick up our mini campervan, a Toyota Sienna, and drive across Canada then back via the USA. Towards the end of the year we had Mexico and Cuba planned before heading home to the UK via Portugal for Christmas and New Years.
After a year we would either be in Vancouver or Toronto (based on the roadtrip). If you want to see how that all went, then you can head to my podcast and check out all my short-format episodes from 2023. They detail every part of the trip.
So, my latest episode is the ten lessons I learnt from this trip, which can be listened to below, let’s get stuck in to the details.
Sensational view of Lebanon from a view point at Our Lady Of Lebanon
I need a home base.
The thinking behind this first point is one I thought I would never say, and this may sound counter-intuitive to you as well from what I am going to say.
To travel in the medium to long term, I need an apartment/house to return to if I want to stop travelling for a bit or chill out. Last year, if we wanted to be ourselves in our own home, we couldn’t do that as we had nowhere to go. Last year, I had nowhere to chill or produce my podcast at the drop of a hat. I had to rely on Airbnb or hostels, which was not ideal.
Some people don’t need or want this expense, but I do. I can travel for an extended period of time quite easily, but sometimes, I need a roast dinner, great internet and a quiet space to do my podcast. Last year, I had nowhere to chill or produce my podcast at the drop of a hat.
In the future, this will enable me to travel much slower.
Slow travel is the best way to see places.
As mentioned above, I want to slow my travels down in the future, as I believe our travels in 2023 were too fast.
Slow travel enables you to embed yourself into a place or country and get under the skin of the local culture with no real-time pressure to leave or see somewhere new.
This also will give me the flexibility to stick with a particular place I like or move on to somewhere if I am not feeling the vibe, it all depends on the type of trip.
As a digital nomad, you could work for four days then explore for three while simaltanuously hitting your work goals and travel goals at the same time.
Road-tripping is the ultimate freedom.
As we were driving across the plains in Manitoba and then back via the Mid-West in the USA, the word that came to mind was freedom.
The open road with no plan in mind apart from a vague sense of direction with no real time constraint was the best way to travel.
We get to one place, decide if we like it, stay longer if we want, check out the local area, cook our dinner on our camping stove and then chill out in nature. If we didn’t like the vibe, we would drive to our next place in mind.
The number of times we drove for hours without seeing anyone was in the tens.
I felt like I lived outside for four months and loved it.
Your own transport, bed, time, decisions, and plans (if you have any), aaaaaah, what a trip!
Somewhere in the middle of Canada
Travelling with no income can be soul-destroying.
We saved for years to go travelling last year and seeing it dwindle every month was a little bit devastating but we knew it would happen.
Naively, I thought taking my podcast on the road would enable me to make an income and business opportunities would arise, but how wrong I was.
I wasn’t in the right frame of mind, I was in full travel mode and now I am in that mode.
This will be the last time we travel without an income and a base to return to.
Trying to combine podcasting and travel is so hard.
My intention for the Winging It Travel Podcast was always to take it on the road with me when I travel next.
I succeeded in this as you can see from last year’s episodes, I documented every part of our travels and even managed to interview people I met while on my travels and post-travels too.
However, the production was pretty poor as I had to scramble for quality internet and find quiet spaces to podcast in; this wasn’t that easy.
I also intended to interview people everywhere I went, but I found it hard to interview people who were local, comfortable speaking English, and in the same place at the same time as me.
No regrets but a lot of lessons learnt.
A deep appreciation for East Asia.
We added Taiwan and South Korea into our plans as they seemed incredible places to visit, and we were not wrong.
I loved the vibe of each place, the ease of travel, the kindness of the locals, the plethora of activities on offer and the great coffee. Not to mention how good the food was.
If you want to dip your toes into Asia for the first time, places like Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and even mainland China (big cities) are great places to start.
Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Pond in Kaohsung, Taiwan.
Train travel in Europe is awesome!
We always planned to travel across Europe on the Interrail pass for a month, which allowed unlimited travel throughout the month.
We managed to get the pass at half-price, which saved a lot of money.
I loved this way of travel. The app worked great so every trip we could plan effortlessly. Al the trains turned up and left on time bar one in Switzerland, can you believe?
You can really plan out an awesome trip in Europe using the Interrail pass, and you can check them out here.
Travelling in the Middle East during Ramadan is fine!
Part of our travels was exploring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan during Ramadan, and it was a great experience.
There is no need to worry as all tourist sites are open, and the locals will go out of their way to help with food and drinks even though they are not having them during the day. The Iftar meal in the evenings is a great occasion to witness.
Amazing culture, people and experiences to be had.
The cost of travel in 2023 is way more than I thought.
Honestly, my budget backpacker mindset has stemmed from nearly a decade of travel and is still stuck in 2017, but I got a rude awakening on this trip.
Hostels are ridiculously expensive, hotels are almost out of the question, and flights are extortionate. I understand that travel companies are trying to make their money back on COVID-19 losses but nowadays you need some serious cash to travel.
Granted, we did travel in stupidly expensive countries like Switzerland, UAE, Oman and South Korea but still, I was not expected the tsunami which ensued on our travel budget.
Effectively, this stopped us from travelling to Cuba and Mexico towards the end of the year.
A pair of Vessis, Saloman hiking boots and Sanuk flip-flops are all you need!
Yep, I travelled with only these pairs of footwear, and they covered all bases on the trip.
You need to invest in quality hiking boots and everyday walking footwear; it is essential.
Masirah Island in Oman
Check out my latest YouTube episode in Paris!
Other ways to support the podcast
My Patreon page for the Winging It Travel Podcast - support me today!
Supporting the podcast can be quick, easy and free. You can visit the platform you use for listening to podcasts and leave a five-star review and a nice little comment to go hand-in-hand. Check out my podcast page here.
Alternatively, you can contribute to the podcast by using my Buy Me A Coffee page where you can buy me a nice coffee for $5 whilst I conduct the interviews or click the button below.
I would imagine most people listening to the podcast and reading this article are travel enthusiasts, so another way to support the podcast would be using my affiliate links to book flights, accommodations, tours, transport, and so much more. Click here to use them today!
Checking out Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul
Who is James Hammond?
Bethal Woods where Woodstock Festival was held in 1969
I'm James Hammond, a Vancouver-based travel podcaster showcasing my travels with weekly episodes. Check out my audio version of my podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for long-format interviews with some of the most travelled people in the world.
I have been utilizing work visas and travelling since 2013 and have travelled to 70 countries to date. The Winging It Travel Podcast began in February 2021 and now I am venturing into the video creation world.
I love travel and want to showcase where I am and what I get up to. My vibe is casual, and I love sharing cultures and the fantastic humanity this world offers. Join my community today.