We have been homeless and traveling now for over two months, so we thought we would share some of the unexpected findings from being on the road. Our shortest stay was one night and our longest has been 5 nights; most are 2-3 nights.
Diana’s Impressions
- I think about our adventures as a marathon, not a sprint. Whereas, on “vacation”, I may be tempted to go all out, thinking I can recover when I get home
- We still need breaks, even on a tour. (There is always one energetic couple who do every extra activity and shop like crazy without looking tired.) I get tired just watching them.
- FOMO (fear of missing out), my weakness, so sometimes I try to keep up
- I still have good days and bad. For example, I was in a foul mood last night because I felt overwhelmed, my nails were a mess, my favorite sandals broke, and I decided to travel with my new fanny pack and it wasn’t working
- Good Wi-Fi is way more important than I expected. I tried for 4 days running to upload photos for an article with no luck. It took less than 1/2 an hour with decent Wi-Fi.
- Different beds are not as big an issue as I thought they would
- Things break and getting some kind of replacement in a foreign city or town isn’t easy
- I’ve actually been pretty lucky so far with my nails and hair, all done in Thailand
- Living out of a suitcase makes it quick to figure out what to wear, but the one and two-night stays can be grueling with frequent packing and unpacking
- We are getting pretty quick at packing because we’ve found locations for everything that works. Surprisingly, Mike takes longer than I do.
- Getting bit by mosquitos sucks.
- Getting really good at reusing my cosmetic wipes and rationing my hair gel.
- Really like Japanese toilets and toilets you can put your paper in.
- Contrary to what I thought before we left, you can pretty much buy anything you need even in pretty remote places.
Mike’s Impressions
- Good Wifi is can be a challenge to find
- Good AC can, too
- English works in many places, Google translate can help, but translating via the camera is iffy
- Minimarts are everywhere, real stores can be difficult to find and hard to get to when everything requires a taxi
- My small camera is really awesome
- Getting a kilo of laundry done overnight for $1 is sweet
- Sometimes, the best transport deal is arranged via the hotel, sometimes it is not
- You need to be open to using the local Uber-like app in different places
- Scooters are just now coming to Bangkok
- Footwear wears out faster when you are on your feet all-day
- By and large, beer is beer everywhere, it’s usually refreshing and non-descript
- Breakfast buffets are more varied abroad, but the OJ “product” still sucks
- Pizza is THE universal food, we have seen it in every town and country we have been to, sometimes we eat it too
- Living on an abbreviated wardrobe is OK, as long as no special events are planned
- Coke is everywhere, diet coke a little less so
- Most airports have some kind of lounge available on Priority Pass
- There is almost no such thing as a comfortable chair in a hotel room
- Grapes are unbelievably expensive in Japan, up to $40 per pound
- I’m not really acclimating to high humidity
While many people wouldn’t be comfortable with our current lifestyle, being on the road seems to suit us just fine.
How would you feel after two months on the road?
2 comments
I agree with most of your comments above! The only thing I disagree on is you said scooters are new to Bangkok and I think they’ve been there for decades! They are very skilled drivers and it’s always challenging to cross streets!
We found very little Diet Coke, but more Coke Zero. McDonalds almost always has one or the other.
I’m curious if you’re using packing cubes for ease in packing and repacking.
I should have been more explicit. I meant electric razor scooters, like the ones from Lime and Uber that litter SF and SJ and everywhere else in the Bay Area.
We are using packing cubes. I find they help me carry more in a smaller space and keep me organized, but at a small cost of time to get everything in the right place.