Honeymooning Around the World

Feb 212012
 

Most couples go on their honeymoon for a week or two, or if they’re really lucky, maybe three weeks at most.  Imagine taking an entire year off to travel around the world, together. It’s a mega-moon! Below are three couples that actually did it.

I first heard of this concept from a German couple we met during our thresher shark dive in Malapascua, in the Philippines. After getting married, newlyweds Sandra and Chris left their home in Germany and began a backpacking adventure around the world together. Amazing experience!

ATW Honeymoon! Chris and Sandra after our thresher shark dive in the Philippines

Most people are surprised to learn that it really doesn’t have to cost a lot to travel, especially in southeast Asia.  The big savings comes from lodging – they were spending less than $15/night when we met them in Malapascua, in the Philippines. Consider how much you pay in rent – and imagine how far that money would go towards travel.

I’ll be writing more about around-the-world trips and travel budgeting in upcoming posts, but in the meantime, here’s two couples that are writing about their experiences during their around-the-world honeymoon trips:  Read more... (335 words, 11 images, estimated 1:20 mins reading time)

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How does Jordan fit into a SE Asia trip?

Feb 202011
 

Wonder no longer!  I’ve been asked about it dozens of times already, so this is the story of how Jordan and Bahrain, two countries in the Middle East, made it into my southeast Asia itinerary. I might have the strangest itinerary and route of anyone I’ve met in my travels.

While I was enjoying Bali and Java, Indonesia, Fan was working on a business trip in Tel Aviv, Israel, and suggested we meet up. They’re not even remotely close, but just for fun I did a quick search, and was to surprised to find an incredible deal! For $181 USD rountrip I could fly from KL (Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia) to AMM (Amman, the capital of Jordan), with a layover in Bahrain via Gulf Air.  That’s about the same price as the short trip to the next country in the area that I was about to book before seeing this. It must have been an error in the system, or perhaps a generous promotion, but either way, after checking that Gulf Air was a reputable airline, I pounced!  Changing dates or revising the plan so I could route through Israel or Egypt would have made it cost prohibitive, but at this rate I could certainly swing it.  An hour later it was almost twice the price. Later that night the price had nearly quadrupled.  Read more... (438 words, 10 images, estimated 1:45 mins reading time)

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A “fancy” $29 hotel?

Jan 052011
 
The shower is part of the bathroom (no stall, no curtain, no tub) - drain right beneath it with a slight slope in the floor. I actually liked it.

** Update: now that I’ve traveled around Asia, looking back I can hardly believe I spent $29 on a hotel for a single night. Eventually I’d be finding places of similar caliber for $12 in Vietnam.

My first hotel was adequate and at ~$19 USD, cost less than any hotel I’ve ever stayed in.  It was clean, safe, centrally located, had a pool, and came with free breakfast (choice of banana pancakes, eggs, or an Indonesian rice and noodle mix).

I headed to Semynak (the town on the island of Bali), where I had a reservation.  Apparently that doesn’t mean much. Despite my reservation and confirmation, they said they were full (picture Seinfeld saying “anyone can TAKE a reservation. but the key is HOLDING it…”) but suggested I “come back in a few days to see if it opens up.”  In a few days?? Yeah sure, look out for me.  I had checked out of my other hotel already, and had plans to meet up with some new friends in a town called Kuta, where I found my new hotel.  Read more... (651 words, 12 images, estimated 2:36 mins reading time)

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