19 weeks, 12 countries, 18 things destroyed and 16 dreams fulfilled
First of July 2013. I just came back from a 19-week trip. I call it a trip because both before and after I visited my home town in Slovakia. I left in winter and got back in summer. It was part of Adventure and Spa project when I visited 12 countries – Slovakia, Serbia, England, St. Kitts and Nevis, Germany, Spain, Italy, Tunis, USA, Mexico, Canada and San Marino.
Feelings …
This trip was diametrically different from any other trip I did before. And there’s a few reasons for it. Not only I spent less time on the beach than in 2011 and also less time in the nature than I spent hiking in 2012, but I also spent less time ”feeling happy” in my skin.
These 4 months and a half were the worst so far when it comes to feeling lonely on the road. I remember how I used to laugh at people when they were asking me about loneliness with an odd face. I never really felt lonely long enough to realize it. I did feel home-sick missing my family and friends but really lonely? Nah! At least not until this trip …
This trip changed it all. I found myself enjoying it all less on my own and thinking more of traveling with someone. I found myself wanting to have someone next to me to talk to each time I wanted to without having to go online for a Facebook chat. I found myself wanting to share my experience with someone else.
Was it because I was supposed to do this trip with a guy? Was it because I am getting older and I started to think of my age already? Was it because there are so many couples I met in every single place when traveling? Was it because I realized that travel bloggers and relationships is really a tough one?
What was the reason?
I had no idea. But I did know I felt more lonely than ever. I missed my family more than on other trips. I admit, I always have a little crisis and the home-sickness strikes me after a month or two on the road, it’s normal … but to feel like that almost every day? But to be honest, I don’t think it’s just about finding the ideal man. I was wishing for any person to travel with me, be it a girl friend or any other friend.
There were also days when I wanted to just slow down and spend more time in each place. It is getting impossible to write all the articles and do other parts of my blogging job when swapping destinations every 2 or 3 days.
join me … someone … anyone
Bad luck …
One more thing … I know I had a pretty funny year back in 2011 with so many misadventures, my laptop stolen, sunburn and many cuts when shavings my long legs. But I dare to say that this trip was the biggest mess so far. I destroyed many things by accident, and some fell apart by themselves and I had to buy new ones.
18 things destroyed:
- 1 pair of boots
- 1 pair of Diesel sport shoes
- 1 pair of ballerinas
- 1 shampoo made of just natural ingredients spilled in my suitcase and damaged 1 pair of nail clippers, 1 tweezers and a pair of earrings (I took them from my mum!). They all got oxidized so I had to throw them away – this happened already first week of my trip.
- 1 bikini
- 1 pair of leggings tore apart
- 2 pairs of sunglasses broken – the first one broke in San Francisco, the second one broke on my last day on the plane from Bologna to Bratislava when I was trying to push it into the bag.
- 1 cosmetic bag fell apart
- 2 16 Gb SD cards broken completely
- 1 Nikon D5100 lense broken twice – doesn’t want to focus sometimes. We fixed it when in Todos Santos but the last week of the trip in Emilia Romagna it started to fall apart again.
- 2 phone cases – half of the first one broke already the first 2 weeks of the trip, then in Barcelona I bought a new phone case and even though the shop vendor was 100% sure I could not break that phone case as it hadn’t happened to anyone else yet, less then 2 months after the case is broken too. Well, at least I am good at something :D
- 1 pair of earrings – on the ferry from San Francisco to Napa Valley, hair got stuck around an earring and it flew away with strong bay wind after less than 24 hours after buying it in Sausalito!
my Diesel sport shoes fell apart
I had bad luck with other things too:
- 1 broken heart in Napa Valley
- 1 debit card blocked twice – both in Todos Santos in Mexico
- 1 food poisoning that lasted for 10 days
- 1 bad sinus infection plus fever in Charlevoix and Mont-Sainte-Anne in Canada and it was still healing in Bologna
- 8 blisters
On the trip I bought:
- 1 pair of flip flops in Vegas
- 2 pairs of nail clippers
- 1 pair of tweezers
- 1 pair of sport shoes in Ottawa
- 2 sunglasses in San Francisco
- 1 toothpaste in Mexico City
- 1 for mosquito bites in Mexico City – so expensive!
- 1 bikini in Bologna
- 7 snow globes (I am collecting them)
- 2 pairs of earrings
- 2 shirts
- 1 dress
new shoes I bought in Ottawa
Money spent …
Although I had many sponsors for my Adventure and Spa project, the trip was still more expensive than my other trips because North America is NOT cheap. Also because many things did not work out and I had to change the plans last minute which always costs more. And unfortunately, a few tourist boards and hotels turned out to be unprofessional and I ended up spending more money than I should.
19 weeks in 12 countries cost me 5,661 euro.
- attend 1 travel blogger conference – TBEX in Toronto and 1 travel market – ITB in Berlin
- spend 4,5 months without TV
- survive 3 months without make-up
- use around 15 plastic bags
- use 3 notebooks for notes on the trips
16 dreams fulfilled …
But on the other hand, for me it’s all about dreams and the little things.
On the 19-week trip I fulfilled 16 dreams:
- 1st real cruise ever – MSC Preziosa around the Mediterranean
- hot air balloon in Costa Brava
- Grand Canyon flight and hiking
- Las Vegas Strip
- helicopter over Las Vegas at night
- limousine around Las Vegas
- I enjoyed more than 15 San Francisco cable car rides
- San Francisco visit in general – it became my second favorite city ever
- Los Cabos visit – Los Cabos have been always very high on my bucket list and my first time in Mexico I did not visit it but this time I spent 2 weeks around :)
- swimming with dolphins in Cabo San Lucas
- snorkeling with sea lions on Isla Espiritu Santo
- Taxco visit and shopping silver jewelry there – always wanted to do it but 0
- Canada visit
- helicopter over Niagara Falls
- chocolate massage – got it at Chateau Mont-Sainte-Anne
- meeting with Taboo from Black Eyed Peas in Rimini
swimming with dolphins in Cabo San Lucas
Claus Gurumeta
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Wow, sounds like an amazing adventure! Glad you had fun, despite the few mishaps x
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
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It would be boring if everything worked out in a perfect way, right? ;)
bu hmaid
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well done for that great adventurous trip! and yes i can understand your point on loneliness , i always want to travel more but sometime cant find someone to go with me!
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
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Well, it is definitely not easy to find a great travel buddy.
Jason
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You probably get asked this question all the time, but how do you make money to do all the fun things you do when traveling? Does your blog provide all the funds you need? I would love to pursue this lifestyle please let me know!
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
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I make money with my travel blogs and travel writing ;)
Marysia @ My Travel Affairs
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Wow, that is quiet a trip! And I have to admit Alex you are well organized, I don’t even note down such things lol
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
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Haha organization is the key … sometimes :)
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
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Comment@ flipnomad:
After a while you just have to slow down when traveling.
flipnomad
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Congratulations in achieving those dreams Alex. I agree with you traveling and at the same time moving around is so exhausting that’s why for this year I have decided to lessen the movement and just travel a bit slower.
Safe travels Alex!
Raquel Ritz
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I think 19 weeks of spa can be too much if you go on your own. Too much time to think I would go crazy :)
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
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I don’t go to spa every day but anyway, it’s the only time I have to relax. I never relax otherwise so much appreciated :D
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
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Comment@ Inma, A World to Travel:
That’s not nice! Mine is now being repaired so let’s see what happens :D
Inma, A World to Travel
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Broke my Nikon 5100 default lens in Lisbon last month too! They’re annoyingly cheap! :(
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
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Comment@ dddfizz:
Thanks, I fell in love with the shoes right away too :) Yes, travel experiences are awesome!
dddfizz
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I like your shoes from Ottawa! They look awesome! btw it must have been a really uplifting feeling if your think about your experiences, you must feel really fulfilled with joy;)
Crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ Lance | Trips By Lance:
I lost my mind a few times, trust me, but difficult to count haha
Lance | Trips By Lance
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I hope you refuel and recharge for a bit. Before you know it you’ll be itching to hit the road again. I’m actually impressed that you didn’t lose/break more than what you list. That’s a long trip. I’d probably lose my mind once or twice.
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
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Comment@ The Guy:
I need to catch up with writing and earning money so will spend more time at home :)
The Guy
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That is quite an adventure Alex. If you you are so lonely and homesick would it help spending more time at home before your next trip? I know you love travel but it could help you refuel.
Bad luck with all those breaks and replacements, an inevitable series of events I fear.
I love the look of your new trainers.