Planning My Route

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GENERIC:

World Map Done

DONE

My initial (Phase 1) around-the-world trip is done. It took just over 5 years.

I am, now, in ‘Phase 2’ which sees me return to my favourite places discovered in Phase 1.

In Phase 2, I will stay in each of these favourite locations for at least 1 month so that I can discover more about them.

WHAT ROUTE DID I TAKE?

I planned my Phase 1 route so that I was in each country at the right time to:

  • Avoid rainy, monsoon, typhoon, and hurricane seasons;
  • Avoid Peak Seasons in the more expensive countries;
  • Get as much sunny weather as possible;
  • Minimise travel distances (and costs).

In this way, I got the best out of each country that I could.

WHAT ABOUT THE WEATHER?

There are many websites that provide good detail about the climates in each country and the regions / cities within each country.

I used ClimaTemps.com to get the detailed information that I needed and copied that information into a spreadsheet.

I know it sounds a bit ‘anal’ but I was visiting so many countries in Phase 1 that it made sense (to me) to get it right.

So, I also checked with a few travel sites to find out what the best time to go was; the best time is not always the middle of summer – things like Peak Season and humidity also need to be taken into account.

SO WHAT ROUTE DID I TAKE?

By region (e.g. S.E.Asia, Central American, and Europe), the countries are so close together that they share the same rainy seasons. It was not possible to always avoid the rain. I had to plan carefully.

Here is a summary of each year from December 2014 onwards:

After Nepal, I will revisit some of my favourite places in S.E.Asia … starting in Vietnam.

COVID-19

In February 2020 I left Vietnam and landed in Thailand … only for COVID-19 to hit … I was in lock-down on Phucket Island for 4.5 months. The Thai government provided ‘visa amnesties’ for 4 months but, then, I was forced to leave.

The only place that I could afford (and would accept me) at that time was Egypt. I lived on the Red Sea for 3 months until my visa expired and I was forced to leave.

The only place that I could afford (and would accept me) at that time was Turkey. I toured Turkey for 3 months until my visa expired and I was forced to leave. I attempted to get to Central America but was turned around in Zurich. I had to return to Turkey.

Finally, in February 2021, I was able to get to Guatemala where I stayed for 5 months.

As soon as Honduras opened its borders I fled to Roatan Island. I was vaccinated in Roatan Island. I stayed in Roatan Island until August 2022. By then, the World was starting to open up to ‘vaccinated’ travelers.

I had to return to the UK in September 2022 to renew my passport.

By October 2022, I was able to resume my GRANDPAcking travels.

I spend 2 months re-touring the Gili Islands in Indonesia. Followed by 2 months re-touring Boracay Island in The Philippines. Followed by 1.5 months re-touring the Andaman Sea in Thailand. Followed by 3 months re-touring Langkawi Island in Malaysis.

UPDATE

I am currently re-touring Vietnam for 3 months.

In September 2023, I head back to Central America where I will (again) re-tour all of the best places to find out how they have changed and where GRANDPAckers currently stand.

I HAD MY ROUTE … NOW I NEEDED TO GET READY …

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