Final Half of 2022 in Review: The Cycle of Travel Burnout & Revival

It’s hard to believe that another six months have passed, and the end of 2022 has already come and gone. The last half of the year was filled with ups and downs, but I ultimately had some amazing experiences that renewed my faith in travel. Sometimes it can be easy to lose sight of why we travel, but even when you’re down, finding a strong community or having that one crazy experience always reminds me of how important it is to explore our world.

A personal blow hit me in late fall, sending me on a different mental trajectory than I had originally planned. Still, I’m super grateful for my awesome, supportive Chiang Mai and home community, and the new year has already renewed a fire in me toward my aspiring digital nomad lifestyle.

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Final Half of 2022 Destination Travel Timeline

By August: 

I completed my three-month journey through Indonesia (with a brief stint in Timor Leste), ending the final leg in Lombok and a surprise final whirlwind romance in Bali. Can I get a eat, pray, love amen? Jk, I watched that movie, and it was not good.

Destinations – Bali, Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida, Flores, Lombok, Timor-Leste

September: 

In Hanoi, I decided to do some work before embarking on an incredible two-week motorcycle journey through the northern Vietnam landscapes. I met one of the crazies, those travel buddies who you just know you’ll see more of in the future.

Destinations – North Vietnam | Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Halong Bay, Cao Bang, Ha Giang Loop, Sapa

October: 

For a month, I was in Nepal. I learned how to kayak and go rafting for ten days. After Mount Rinjani, the thought of hiking 10 days straight seemed incredibly unappealing. Also, I couldn’t imagine being away from my lassis (Indian yogurt drink) and maybe ate mountainous portions of daal baht power (for over 24 hours).

Destinations – Kathmandu, Kayaking Trisuli, Karnali River Rafting, Chitwan, Kathmandu Valley

November – December: 

I’ve entered Thailand 10+ times in my life, and it remains one of the best places to settle down for a bit. The succulent cuisine is surpassed only by its friendly inhabitants. There’s no place quite like it! As I write, I’m currently relaxing in Chiang Mai, where you can sit down at a market without knowing what will happen next. Plus, the occasional little side trip getting stuck in the Pai and nearby towns and whatnot (minus Pattaya, which I do not recommend).

Destinations – Chiang Mai, Sukhothai, Pai, Pattaya, Bangkok, Chiang Saen, Laos Border, Chiang Rai

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Life-Pausing Realizations:

Natural Medicine Is Not All Lost – On a long bus ride, the bus driver stops and runs away. Weird. He comes back with a handful of leaves to give fellow nauseous passengers, and they put it on their stomachs. Most of us who grew up in western cultures have completely lost knowledge like this.

A Fellow Traveler’s Death – The tragedy of losing a fellow traveler close to the time I was meant to hike the same mountain shocked me and caused me to reflect on the risks we adventurers willingly face every day. Ironically, our conversations were about life and death. He had shared with me his dreams, difficulties, and aspirations just like any other person – yet in an unexpected instant, his life was cut short by one sudden moment.

Best Moments on the Road

1. I remembered my love for traveling in Nusa Penida thanks to Bukit Sangcure – the best hostel with some of the best people.
2. Saw Komodos right before the shutdowns and protests
3. I was very lucky to get to an uninhabited Jaco Island in East Timor
4. I went to an Indonesian wedding and learned about Malaka tradition, having been welcomed into Unie’s family
5. Got all dressed up to go to a Bali ceremony
6. Trespassed on top of Hanoi skyscraper
7. Saw the last train on the Hanoi Train Street
8. Saw wild rhinos from like 20 feet away
9. Learned how to white water kayak then did a 10 Day Karnali River Rafting trip
10. Found amazing communities in Chiang Mai, where I am staying for two months
11. Saw Amazing Festivals & Holidays: Ngaben (Indonesia), Diwali (Nepal), Lantern Festival (Thailand), Thanksgiving & Christmas (Expats in Thailand), New Year’s (Pai, Thailand), Chinese New Year (Thailand)

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Stupid, Hilarious, Or Generally Awkward Moments

1. A walked into an incense stick moment, turned into a weeks-long burn infection.
2. Worst manicure ever. She washed my hands with Head and Shoulders shampoo.
3. Hit and run a bat driving a scooter at night
4. I almost ate very maggoty shrooms
5. Took a borderline sketchy Singing Bowl Healing Course
6. Our scooter key fell out of the keyhole 2.5 hours from our rental location (it was found).
7. Photoshoot in a blue cave in Thailand with many people watching

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Worst Things on the Road

1. The drone crashed itself; then I had to visit 9 western unions before being able to pick up money to send the drone home.
2. Stresses of searching for a once-a-week ferry with an expiring visa into West Timor, Indonesia. Then subsequently getting food poisoning from bad squid on said 16hr ferry.
3. A rental bike frame broke due to corrosion, and I had to walk-drive it back 5 miles.
4. A traveler I met died climbing the same mountain I later climbed.
5. Terrible 3-day stomach problems coming back into Indonesia from East Timor
6. $100+ USD of large bills got swiped from my pocket, I think from housekeeping in Vietnam.
7. Drove through the tail-end of a Typhoon in Halong Bay
8. Betrayal from one of my best friends
9. Injured my knee sparring in Muay Thai
10. Knocked over a brand new $3000 scooter and had to go to the police and pay almost $200!

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Most Unique Sleeping Locations

• Boondock camped at an abandoned hut near Kelimutu National Park with an amazing sunrise the next day
• Church Orphanage in the mountains of Timor-Leste
• Modern-style traditional treehouse made of cement in East Timor
• Cliffside bungalow over the Nusa Penida mountainside
• Trippy psychedelic-themed room in Hanoi
• Beach camps along the Karnali, the largest river in Nepal
• In the lobby when they overbooked me at a hostel
• Found an apartment for $70 USD in Chiang Mai!

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Amazing Fellow Travelers on the Road

Sorry if I forgot your name, but know that you’ve spread positivity in my life!

Indonesia

Sam, Nusa Penida! (Cremation crew – Iris, Victor, Alessia | Day 2: Robbie and John | Day 3: Everyone scootering – Anour, Luis, Manou, Chris, Ita | Day 5: Gili T clan – Everyone again, the Canadian girls, Etienne, Pierre), Komodo Boat Tour (Tijs, Soraya, Evelyn, Ausrine, Dani, Monica, Mateo, Masha), Diving in Komodo National Park (Brian, Laura, Nico, Viena, Miguel), Estelle & Elliot, Boaz, Loic

East Timor

Tracy Morgan, Sunny, Jim and Joanne, Rozer and his family, Unie and her family

Vietnam 

Dennis, Sammy, Yun

Nepal

Man who we went to Bhaktapur in Nepal, Singing Bowl Healing Man who didn’t turn out to be sketchy, Arun & Natalia, The Karnali River Rafting Crew (Mila, Keshab, Bipin, Sagar, Manoj, Jessica, Rob, Matt, Emily, Di, Daniel, Erin, Jarvis, Victoria)

Thailand & Especially Chiang Mai

The couple from the Chiang Mai Lantern Festival, Joe, Blake, M, Ambrosia, Rowan, Tata, Blake, Acroyoga Peeps (Mario, Marcel, Tim, Andre, Daniel, Rhea, Franzi, Marie, Julian), Esteban, Gilly, Tal & Vlad, Erhmin, Jason, Beaux, Catalin, Mees, Brandon, Misha & Emmi, Fabrizio, Lavish, Couple from Chinese New Year Celebration

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Where Will the Winds of 2023 Bring Nomadicated?

Central Asia. Oceania. More of Asia? I am never really sure…

But, I do know that a trip back to see friends and family back in the USA is in the near future cards, and a visit to my new Chiang Mai home base is quite likely before the end of the year.

Have any recommendations? Reach out and let me know where around the world you would like to hear about!