Decision’s been made. One summer, 11 countries, 27,000 miles. Pumped! We weren’t sure where to go this summer, until my personal travel planner Paul found a seat sale from Chicago to Bangkok on Qatar Airways for $97 plus taxes/airport fees ($370 total). Looks like a summer in Asia. Woot! We can squeeze exactly 70 days out of the summer, between school years. The first week we will visit family, and then we’re off to the Far East.
Countries: Qatar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, and Spain. Conveniently, most of these countries have Visas on Arrival that can be done in the airports. Vietnam requires an additional approval letter. We need a total of 9 passport photos, which we found were the cheapest at Costco (4 for $5).
Planes, Trains, Buses
Total miles for this trip: 26,859. We are taking approximately 10 flights and a few trains and buses.
Packing
The girls know the routine, the one bag packing rule applies. When I say one bag, I don’t mean a carry-on or checked bag, but the one that slides under the seat sometimes categorized as a personal item, 14 lbs max. We are extremely mobile in this trip, lots of planes, taxis, trains, buses. Traveling light makes a significant difference with five people. Often when in taxis, tuks, crowded trains, we end up holding our bags in our lap. Two of the girls are taking online summer courses and one is working remotely, so we’ll have 3 laptops on board.
Accommodations
Unlike our world trip, we have only 70 days, so we’ve booked quite a few places in advance. So that’s different for us.
Shoes
For any trip, shoes built for extensive walking will always be one of the most important items to get right. Of course shoes are available everywhere, but unfamiliar languages and limited store options (depending where you are) can make finding the perfect pair time consuming. We prefer to buy comfy shoes before we leave. Yesterday we did a marathon session at Sawgrass Mall to make sure everyone has supportive sandals and shoes, and a rain jacket. We will be doing tons of walking during monsoon season, best be ready. The five day countdown to adventure begins!
