Taking a year off to travel the world - thoughts, advice and ideas

Given the broad group of people this forum often encompasses, I wanted to share my plans for the upcoming year and use it as an avenue to get ideas and advice along the way. After spending three years in finance (IB), I quit my job about two months ago to take a year off before going to graduate school. In this year, I wanted to do something different, something I would likely not get another opportunity to do again and have my last hurrah before I have to come back to the real world! I will be a Kiva Fellow (www.kiva.org) for three months, working in Central Asia from Nov to Feb. After February, I will be meeting up with a friend and spending the next six months or so going through Asia and Europe. Rough itinerary: India, Nepal, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, quick stop at Ulaan Bataar and then back to China. Then fly out to Europe and spend time in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece and ideally, I'd like to make a stop at Morocco and Turkey. Obviously, this is not in order. I have grown up in multiple countries and travelled to much of Western Europe and SE Asia. However, growing up, I travelled to big cities and nice hotels. This time around, I'd like to get to know the cities and smaller towns better. I also like to consider myself an adventurous eater and many of the stops in Asia are being driven by their excellent selection of street food. As a result, any food/restaurant tips are also welcome. Finally, I'm not naive, this is not an attempt to 'find myself'. I have the opportunity to take a year-long vacation. The Kiva experience ensures I have some purpose during part of the year and keeps my brain working. Plus, I like what they do and believe, if done right, is a great tool for the developing world. Anyways, long story short, looking for input from people who have either done something similar or have specific suggestions in the cities or countries I will be stopping at. I would also love some practical advice i.e. things not to forget, things definitely not worth carrying, etc. I will keep this thread open and will hopefully be able to use it to ask questions and get input as my trip progresses. 11/15 Update: I am keeping a blog here in an attempt to document the year. If you happen to know anything about the part of the world I am at, I would love to get some thoughts on what not to miss, etc.

Helping a microfinance organization scale up and update their internal controls to deal with higher volume, etc.


Not very concerned. I speak three languages fluently and decent at another two. My friend is also multi-lingual. And generally speaking, I think we will survive in smaller towns with simple gestures, some basic words and common sense. If it is really bad, we'll just leave the next morning and go somewhere else.
Also, when I said I want to go off the beaten path, I will likely still stay in relatively urban places. My goal is to stay away from the Four Seasons, for example.

It's actually a fair point. Some of my best travel experiences have been ones where I understood the history and significance before getting there. And often, I did not.


Thanks, definitely will do!


Interesting. I went to Kathmandu over 10 years ago with the family but remember nothing from the trip. Thought going back could be interesting. I have actually heard a fair amount about Bhutan but apparently it is harder to get in and out of there. Any personal experiences?


I was about to say it looks cool...


I will try to keep a blog, maybe similar to PG's blog i.e. primarily pictures but some commentary.



To be fair, I hear Ulaan Bataar is more fun than one might think. Then again, fun might be relative.


I'm sure I'll have a mix of it all but I love Asian street food and this would be a good chance to try it out. I'm sure my first aid kit will also come in handy more than a handful of times.


Thanks. It's a good balance between the capitalist banker in me and my interest in giving back. Some of the people they lend to are nothing short of fascinating. In a more developed economy, they would have had so much more opportunity and success.