you could also bring a credit card with you and leave the invoices for your family back home

Haven't read a single world traveler who was not advocating for traveling with 2 cards. I will not bring that much of a cash (maybe around $1500, not more) so I will need those cards.

If the bank processes are quick enough, I should be leaving in rougly 1 month instead of 1,5 month. I'm starting to think about which will be my starting point. I'm still hesitating between various options.

skiing season?

sorry I don't understand what you mean

January, snow, skiing season, sticking to mountains for a month or something maybe?

ah ok sorry

actually I enjoy sun and the ocean, too bad lol

I wanted to start with South Africa but then all the subsequent countries on the list will be on rainy season so it would suck (Reunion, then Mauritius, then Sril Lanka, India etc).

So I might start with India (Goa then going south to Kerala/Tamil Nadu) and then Sri Lanka but rainy season will start and so will it be in Burma and all others countries.

To be honest, I feel quite ****ed up. All the SE Asia start to get ugly on march

Some parts of Vietnam are nice Jan-Feb

Yup, but I have to go from west to east or vice versa and not make some loops. So if I start with a country (let's say India, then I should keep on going toward the East and ideally crossing countries and not for instance do India/vietnam).

If I go to Vietnam first, air flight will be more expensive than for India, and then I would have to keep on going est (hawaii which I dont know how the weath is in let's say late february march) without having seen SE Asia at all besides Vietnam. Or maybe Vietnam/Oz/Nz/Noumea, but I dont know the weather in those countries in march/april.

But it was a pain in the ass to get my India 6 months visa (costy and took quite some times and I had to go to the consulate twice) so it would be a shame not to go to India in january through march (best months for Goa/South India). So I feel like compelled to start by India (which is not a hassle lol, I want to go there reason why I got the visa), but the issue is that as with South Africa if I had started by this one, after 1 or 2 months in India, Thailand/Sri Lanka/Burma will be on rainy seasons)

In a nutshell, all SE asia is good from october through march so since I'm leaving in mid january (hopefully) and since I dont wanna rush and see lots of things but see WELL what I see, chances are that I wont be able to travel through SE Asia without my raincoat

Why just southern India?

well, I have one and my gf has one, so that makes two (though they are linked to the same account).

so that makes one again

I don't know, maybe I've been lucky with just the one account.

We never keep a lot of money in it - maybe $2k, so if the cards were stolen it would suck, but not be the end of the world. We just transfer money in as we need it.

We were down to 1 card for about two month, when mine expired and a new one had to be sent out.

As long as you have an internet connection you can get around problems pretty easily.

sounds like this guy wants to go off the grid

Very good question because I mentionned only south india because I've been told that for a 1st trip to India, south India was easier and more welcoming.

HOWEVER, I've been talking with my doctor couple of days ago and he advocated for going to the North which was to him the "true" India. He told me that backwaters are nice but not unique and that you can find those elsewhere in the world, whereas what you can see in Rajastan IS unique.

So, I mentioned only the south in my previous post but to be honest, I'm also thinking about starting with Delhi >> Agra/Taj Mahal) then wander in Rajastan with for instance with the famous three (Jaidpur >>> Jodhpur >>> Udaipur) and some stops in between such as Bundi, Chittorgah (I've not studied that much that itinerary so I'm just quoting some names). And then slowly go my way to the south to Mumbai and keep going south to Goa state, stay some times there to do the coast from north to south, and then leave and keep on going south to Kerala and then go to Tamil Nadu and end the trip with Pundicherry before flying to another country.

If you're a masochist who enjoy spending time with things that he doesn't like, it is up to you lol. Personnally I always only focus on things which make me feel good or better. But we're all different, right ?

I have no technical full article on bags or camera (which brand, how you have to chose one, or how to pack your bagpack like any other travel blog has). If you read such articles please quote me and provide me with links, I will be very please you correct my mistake.

I'm talking about bank cards here, not on the blog neither with a full article. But again, if I start getting old and forgetting things, please quote a link to any article, I will be pleased to see that I'm losing my mind so that I will go and see a doctor before I leave.

If you think you can make me be pissed you can still work hard on it. I'm so excited to leave and travel the world that nothing of what you (or anyone else) will say will ever get me pissed or annoyed. We always need a hater/troll in each thread, so thank you for taking the job. This thread wouldn't have been a decent real one without you.

Btw, when I hit the road seeing the world and enjoying life you will still be in your bedroom at your computer and needing to get up every morning to go to work. Nuff said

ON A SIDE NOTE :

I fully agree with you on that one. France is lame and french people are suckers, reason why I also leave and I couldn't be happier about that ! You see ? At least we can agree on something. I feel like this is the start of a future big friendship between both of us !

Yup I think that you've been lucky (and that's great !) but I will not travel without at least 2 cards. You never know what may happen and if I have an issue with my card I will be quite ****ed up.

You make a valid point. After the sale of my appartement in 10 days I will have almost 500k in my bank account (I already have more than $100 000 in it). There's no way I travel with a bank card with that much. In some countries you don't need any code to use the bank card. It would be dramatic if the card gets lost/stolen.

Was thinking about this today. I've traveled to so many countries I can barely remember all of them, but I don't regret any of those trips.

Even if you get bored or this doesn't work out in some other way, you'll likely look back at this experience someday with great fondness.

Thanks !

Did you feel lonely sometimes and therefore sad/depressed ? Still something on my mind.

I'm moving in 4 days and will come back here just to sign the final contract so that my appartement is definetely sold. I'm negociating with 4 banks and as soon as I have chosen 2 of them and received the visa cards (1 week time from the moment I decide to open an account) then I will leave. All this should make me take off in a few weeks. What is almost certain is that in one month time from now I should be abroad

I wanted to start with India but I met an african man this evening (from Senegal). I already was thinking about traveling in Africa but quickly dropped the idea. I have to admit that after talking with that dude, I'm again starting to think again about wandering in Africa. A bit scared but it might worth it, Idk.

he'll be looking back on that 500k with fondness

could you elaborate ?

i imagine taking a multiple-year long vacation would do a number on your savings. or did you invent a million dollar idea that somehow doubles your money while you're on vacation?

did you? cause i really need to know.

After the sale of my appartment I will have 500k in cash in my bank(s) account(s).
I have decided to hit the road and travel the world

What don't you understand in both those simple sentences ?

the complete lack of foresight on your part is where i'm not understanding your thinking.

if i wanted to go on a world vacation i'd budget some money and go for some time, maybe 6 months or a year. i wouldn't start out by selling my home and all my possessions without even a first destination picked. it sounds to me like you're having some kind of emotional breakdown, talking about how europe is dying and you're in such a rush to get out of the country-- i'm not understanding the urgency there either. all this worries me. you're worrying me, kid.

what does your family have to say about all this?

Sentences imo

Now you did educate me, detailing your thoughts ! Thanks ! (I'm not sarcastic).

I understand what you say. I didn't want to whine and detail all I've been going through because I thought that it was not the place and that no one would really care (logically) and might just be interested by the travels and not what is underneath.

But now and because of your post I have to detail a bit more.

I have almost no familly. My mother died 8 years ago and it was a huge blast. I had to take care of my father who started to get into depression so that I couldn't even take care of my self and my own grief.
Then, 2 years ago my dad started to get badly illed because of a nasty cancer. I accompanied him until his last breath in a cold hospital room, it was 3 months ago. I saw him die and I don't wish that to my worst ennemy. I'm not gonna enter into some dark details but it was the worst nightmare I've been through. Then my dog died 1 month ago.

Before my dad start to get that ill, I've already been thinking about traveling the world but when he started to get sick my plans went south and I stayed with him until his last breath. I kept on working but with no passion anymore, my job bored me and I had no joy doing it. My life had become a grind and inspite of my very comfortable financial position, I felt that I was trashing my life, wasting it, with no purpose. I would wake up every morning but I was living like a dead man, my soul, my heart, were dead.

Now that everyone died around me, this is my revenge on life so to speak. Time to fulfill my dreams. Time to stop grinding just to earn money. Time to make all my boundaries explode. I'm aware that it sounds foolish because as you said, I have not picked yet my 1st destination, have no clue about where I'll go, what I'll do, I have no backup plan, I'm just leaving.

If you try to understand with your brain, then you won't understand the process. It is all emotional (you were correct). And to be honest, what if I fail and find myself totally lost in my life in Saigon, Calcutta, or Maputo ? Well, honestly, after facing death face to face for more than 15 hours when my father slowly died, nothing can scare me anymore, so I don't care.