The reality. Part I. Money.

Planning trip of my life is not easy. Don't take me wrong, I love reading about different places, things to see and do there. I can (and do) spend hours searching through web pages of tour guides, accommodations, and local attractions. But then the reality sets in. And the reality comes in two parts - time and money.

Money is the obvious one. You have to have a budget when planning 1-year long trip. Financially there are three separate issues. The number one is the actual costs of the trip. The number two is the management of finance from the top of the mount in Eastern Africa. And last, but not least, the management of the possessions and debts that I have accumulated over the years, which are not invited to go on the trip with me.

My approach to calculating the budget is that - I should not spend more than I would spend living at home. My justification of this is that although there will be expenses that I normally would not encounter in Canada, the actual costs of living is much less in most of the countries I am planning to visit. Plus some of the expenses that I have now, I will not have on the road.

For example, in Thailand it is reasonable to rent a NICE bungalow on a beach for 25-30$ and have a dinner with drinks for under 5$. It is also possible to rent a tree house for 2.50$/night, but I wouldn't go there, if I were you. Overall, roof + food costs in Thailand is about 70% of that in Canada. As for transportation, the money that I spend on my car, gas, insurance, and parking in a year, will cover my flights and bus fairs easily. For sure though, I would need to have an emergency fund... just in case.

How to manage finances while away? Likely, in these days access to Internet allows to do most of the banking and bills payments on line. The tourists' traps, like Mexico and Thailand, definitely easier. But in some other places that I want to go to, it may not be that easy or cheap. For information on Africa's Internet issues see this website - http://www.suvabay.com/ So Internet banking, VISA payments, and transfers may not be possible from anywhere. Therefore, you need to plan these things way in advance. Access to banking machines and cash withdrawals is very convenient, but do not assume that your bank will allow you to do it from anywhere. I remember being left in London without any cash because my card would not work in any of the ITMs there. That was not fun. On the other hand, in Moscow, I had no problems at all - cash is easily accessible in american dollars, euros, or rubbles. No need for exchange parlors. In the end, I would need to research each country separately if I want to avoid being forced in participating in a harvest of new season puppies crop somewhere in the jungles of Vietnam or eating mangoes off the trees on Goa. Although both, I am sure, will make a memorable experience.

Now... what to do with all these things that I have now? I am going to sell my car and the money that I'll get for it will go towards the airfares. The furniture and all the jazz would either need to go to a storage or be sold. I kinda leaning toward the storing my furniture because I would need to store my personal possessions anyway. 'Cause I would not dare to throw my shoes out. With this comes many questions - how much would it cost, how much space do I need? For an estimation of the space requirements I found this very helpful description here . As for the cost, I figured about 2,000$/year. I would need to look little closer into it once the dates for my trip are set.

Another major financial question is should I wait 'till I payed off my HUGE loan or should I just go and take up extra expenses of interests payments for one more year. That is a though one. If I decide to wait, it may postpone my trip for 1-2 years... But the timing and scheduling issues are coming up in the next post.

Great Migrations

Is there anything more fascinating than nature? From the depths of the cellular proteinomics to the movement of the Universe everything has its own law, its own natural progression and yet it is in harmony with everything else.


Every year thousands of animals follow unknown to us instincts, leave the places of comfort, and carry on their migration. From the salmon of the Pacific, to the Monarch butterflies of Mexico, to the wild beasts of Tanzania. They do it in a hope that they will survive, not necessarily each of them individually, but as a community, as a brotherhood. Anyone who seen the salmon moving up the Fraser river knows that many of them will die. However, the incredible message is still that of life, even if being eaten by a crocodile is the eventual fate of the beast.


The best time to experience migration of Monarch butterflies is fall. The best spot - MEXICO! Elegantly hundreds of thousands of this fascinating insects gather together and make a beautiful living carpet as they make their way South. Here is a website to read more about the event and the details on when and where to go - http://www.monarchwatch.org/ My plan is to get to Mexico in early October, spend a week on a beach somewhere (the best beach destinations guide is coming up in future posts) and then head on inland to experience this amazing migration.


Another relocation event not to be missed in your lifetime is the Great Migration in Tanzania. You can get a closer look at the animals from a comfort of a 4x4 track or take a ride on an air balloon. While in Tanzania, you may decide to climb Mount Kilimanjaro... which I intend to do, but I think Tanzania deserves it's own post.

The Original Wonders of the World

As I was flipping through the guide that I've picked up, I came across the lists of the wonders of the world.

According to the guide there are 7 Wonders of the Ancient World (AKA the Original 7 Wonders of the World) of which only Pyramids of Giza are still standing. I have been to Egypt in the past and enjoyed it tremendously. However, I must admit that the Red Sea and not the pyramids was the reason for my return to Egypt for the second time. The thing I missed the least is constant harassment of tourists, especially female tourists. Go figure, eh? I remember my friend being forced up on a camel for 5$. She had to pay another 30$ in order for this pretty, dressed up beast to kneel over to let her off his back. Something to remember, which makes it a great trip! Apparently though this had been changing recently with security peaking up at the ancient historical site. But the Red Sea with it's untouched coral reefs and thousands of species of fishes and marine life worth every grey hair that you may get while avoiding the thousands of tourists traps in this country.

As for the rest of the Seven Ancient Wonders list, none of the them are with us any longer:

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon - as much as I would love to visit the archaeological site of the legendary gardens, I really don't think it is a good idea right now, as it is about 90k from Baghdad... I think I have an excuse not to go... but I do like the idea that this wonder was imagined and constructed out of love for a woman... ahhhh... romantic...

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia - who knows what happened to it, no one really sure...


The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus - is no longer with us, but I am definitely going to Greece, if not for the temple but for food and wine!


The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus - currently Turkey, another country that I'd like to visit, but more about it later.


The Colossus of Rhodes - apparently a giant statue that once stood at the entrance to the harbour... Sounds familiar? I guess I would have to see NY instead in order to get an idea...



The Lighthouse of Alexandria - there is a talk of a possibility of the restoration of this one, but no real plans apparently... Who knows by the time I am on the road maybe there will be a reason to stop by in Egypt one more time.





So, thus far on my list: Greece, Turkey, and New York.

A culinary adventure of a yoga Goddess for the health of all the monkeys of the world

Step number one was a stop at Chapters, where I picked up a book... you guessed it, a travel guide. More specifically - "First Time Around the World". Well suited for my goal, don't you think? Step number two, a decision on a theme for my trip. That is right, it is going to be a theme trip. I decided that I am going to make it an incredible experience for me. I will be flying solo and so I may as well do things that I like to do wherever and whenever I choose to. I figure the best way to go about this is to make a list of my hobbies. Then I will be able to see and choose where in the world is the best place to do it. Easy. This blog, however, is not going to be about me, but rather about the places and the ways of getting there. And later, once my trip begins, it will become a journal of the actual expereinces.

I am lucky in the way because I do have hobbies other than traveling (which is included). I love making fabulous dinners and sharing it with friends. I like doing yoga at the sunset. I am fascinated by animals, and more specifically by monkeys... Don't ask why, it is a long long story. I may share it one day. There is one more thing that is a big part of my life - medicine. So I guess the theme for the trip is "A culinary adventure of a yoga Goddess for the health of all the monkeys of the world".

The most amazing places for my theme are coming up in the future post.

Around The World

As long as I can remember myself I dreamed of traveling the world. It all started 16 years ago when I took a small bag full of clothes and not much else and crossed the Atlantic for the first time. An opportunity to explore a land unknown was too much to resist. The sense of invincibility that only 19-years old who never been on her own before helped to make the first step of what turned out to be a life-long journey.

Today I am successful 35-years old woman living in Canada, who still dreams of lands far away. That travel itch never really gone away. Prior to making my permanent home here in Ontario, I lived in BC, Manitoba, Australia, and Russia. I spent time in the States, Mexico, Cuba, Thailand, France, England, Egypt, and Poland. That is in addition to multiple stop-overs in different parts of the world. But I dream of more - a trip around the world. A trip that will take me on 1-year journey across all continents, will introduce me to the new cultures, will bring me together with people of different nations.

I am beginning this blog as I am starting planning the trip of my life. Hopefully I can make it entertaining enough for you so that we can share this experience and, who knows, maybe we can meet one day somewhere, be it in Sahara desert or in mountains of South America. But firstly, I would need to research and decide where and for how long I want to go. And secondly, I need to figure out how I am going to make it happen.

So, welcome to the ATW's journey around the world.