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Hello, and welcome to the first installment of my new travel journal entries!
I was trying to think of how to start this post and all I really came up with was “Shit, this year has been a wild ride”, so that’s what I’m rolling with!
One door closes and another opens as 2022 comes to an end.
I wrote this post just minutes before my flight departs from Aberdeen to my final destination of the year which will kick off an epic 13 month trip across the world. After my most action-packed year to date I decided to spend the festive season at home in Scotland after 7 months of solo travel. Now the time has come to fly the nest once more!
After 7 months of combined travel between April to December this year, I’m topping off 2022 by heading to a country that’s been on my hit-list for some time now – Nepal. Seemingly I can’t keep myself away from Asia for very long and I’m buzzing to finally visit Nepal and see in the New Year in Kathmandu. After that I’ve got 2 weeks to explore the country and get a taste of Nepalese culture.
Following Nepal I’ll finally be flying to Australia for my second 12 month Working Holiday Visa after a stop-over in Thailand, which is an experience that’s been on the cards ever since I returned from my first year down under in 2016/2017. It was supposed to happen in 2020, but then Covid-19 entered the chat and ultimately grounded the world.
The time has finally come now… time to chase more dreams!
2022 Reflections
Life is crazy and it’s safe to say that 2022 has been a total rollercoaster.
If you had told me one year ago what I would do in 2022, there’s absolutely no way I would have believed you!
At the start of the year I was at rock bottom and faced a crossroads in life following a tough break up and lack of motivation and direction. Fast forward to December and I’ve visited 11 countries, taken 21 flights, ticked off Wonders of the World and some bucket list destinations… all while travelling solo for the first time!
I remember the moment I realised I was totally alone as I sat on the plane to Amsterdam in April. That seems funny considering I had travelled to 35 countries by that point in my life, but I always travelled in a pair and this suddenly felt wrong.
Since April I’ve now visited Amsterdam, Egypt, Morocco, Belgium, Norway, Bulgaria, UAE, Thailand, Laos and Georgia and every single moment (and penny) was worth it.
After the way the year began I’m super proud of all that I’ve accomplished.
Travelling solo for the first time has been such an amazing personal learning curve and as a result my travel style and outlook on the world has evolved massively.
I love travelling more freely now and not necessarily booking things in advance. I’ve learned that travel is all about the unexpected and spontaneous happenings, and that’s something I never used to allow time for.
Life is about chasing new experiences and since biting the bullet and jetting off in April I have been fortunate enough to have some truly mind-blowing ones.
2022 Highlights
Here are some personal highlights from my first 7 months as a solo traveller:
- Visiting the ancient tombs at The Valley of The Kings in Luxor
- Going up the tallest building in the world in Dubai
- Getting soaked under Africa’s 2nd highest waterfall
- Flying along the longest zipline in Scandinavia
- Crawling inside the Pyramids of Giza
- Wandering around the largest medina in the world in Fez, Morocco
- Island hopping around the Phi Phi Islands and seeing “The Beach”
- Spending 2 days on a felucca boat on the Nile
- Becoming a certified English teacher in Chiang Mai
- Being invited to a local’s birthday party in a remote village in Laos where no one spoke English
- Spending a day on Thailand’s highest peak, Doi Inthanon
- Driving through the longest tunnel in the world in Norway
- Staying with a local family in Morocco’s most sacred town, Moulay Idriss
- Seeing 3,500 year old mummies in Cairo Museum
- Spending a day climbing and hiking to Trolltunga in Norway
- Playing football with the Nubian kids in Aswan, Egypt
- Having the rugged peaks of Nong Khiaw all to myself
Damn, seeing all that written down is mad.
Finally, I’m so grateful for everyone that I’ve met along the way and moments we shared in 2022. I met so many amazing people this year… more than my last 5 years of travelling combined! I guess travelling solo does that to you. You can’t simply stay in your comfort zone forever.
As a result of pushing my comfort zone I’ve learned more about myself in the past 10 months than I have in the last 28 years too, and that’s a fact.
I’m going to try my best to keep these bi-weekly journals going throughout the year as well as writing new travel guides whenever I can because I still have so many stories and tips to share!
I’m super excited for the new adventure and for what 2023 has to offer. Bring on Nepal!
See you in the new year!
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Thank you for reading this travel guide – I hope you found it helpful! Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible 
Happy travelling!
HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR PLANNING YOUR TRIP
Accommodation: Booking.com, Hostelworld
Tours: GetYourGuide, Viator, Klook, TripAdvisor
Transport: 12Go, Omio, Trip.com, Rome2Rio
WHO IN THE WORLD IS JAMES?
Click below to learn more about my story, including 5 random facts about me, some travel FAQ’s and my entire travel history.
