I’ve been traveling for two months now, and my journey thus far has taken me to Tanzania, Senegal, Portugal, Morocco, Greece, and Egypt (in that order). Here are my two-month long-term travel reflections — a brief look at what I’ve been thinking as I look back on the journey so far.

Packing

• Traveling with just a carry-on and a shoulder bag continues to be both limiting and the best idea ever.
• I have added the following to my already-full bags: one scarf, one light dress, one longer dress, one pair of socks, and several inexpensive pieces of jewelry. One of the dresses solved my desire for a robe, because I now have something to lounge in at night. The socks were actually necessary (plus they have Portuguese roosters on them). The second dress, the scarf, and the jewelry all came my way because I like them … but now my tiny suitcase is bursting at the seams.
• I have not yet used my teeny-tiny backpack, and I have hardly used my fanny pack. As I think about it, I probably don’t need so many carrying vessels, but I keep wondering if they’ll come in handy in the months ahead.
• My packing cubes make me very happy. When you’re moving around a lot, they make everything easy to find.
• In Egypt, I broke down and bought a wide-brimmed hat. It will probably stay in Egypt because it can’t possibly fit in my bag.

Planning

• Scheduling: I wish I had planned a weekly rest day. My challenges with resting, though, are threefold: (1) I’m bad at resting; (2) I feel like if I’m spending money to travel, I should use it to see things, and (3) on the occasions when friends and family members have come halfway across the world to join me, they shouldn’t have to sit around while I edit photos and check email.
• Route Mapping: Before mapping out my route, I wish I had done better homework on how easy it is to get from one place to another. For example, it’s surprisingly hard to get straight across the continent of Africa. I chose my countries in a certain order for a variety of reasons, all of which I can defend. But my flight path since I started traveling in Tanzania looks like this, which is crazy:

• Lodging: If you’re going to head out on world travels, think long and hard about your priorities before booking Airbnbs, guest houses, or hotels. On a budget? Longing for a gym? Know you’ll need a washing machine? I’ve learned that there’s little I love more than clean clothes and a bathtub (the tub in that photo below wasn’t mine, sadly — that’s one of the bathrooms at the wonderful Biester Palace in Sintra, Portugal).

• Currency: It’s important to check currency needs before you leave your home country. ATMs generally work, but they’re not guaranteed, and some countries prefer USD or Euros to their local currency.

Shopping

It’s difficult to resist the lure of shopping — there’s so much interesting stuff in the world!

If you only have a carry-on, however, you can’t buy much. I’ve found three solutions to this problem: (1) depend on the kindness of friends and family members who are willing to take things home with them (I now have stuff waiting for me in Virginia, California, and Massachusetts); (2) ship things (but postal services are pricey!); and (3) stop buying things. I’m not good at the last of those three, but it’s probably healthy.

Final Reflections

The Long Journey: I had these two questions just last night: “Aren’t you lonely when you’re traveling solo?” and “Are you homesick yet?” The answer so far is “no.” I love traveling alone, I love traveling with people — and I’m grateful to the folks who’ve come to join me (or who’ve let me crash with them) so far.

I miss my husband, but I’ll see him in Iceland in a month. I’ll reconnect with friends and other family members both on this trip and when I’ve finished my travels in June. I’m content on the road for now.

Regrets: First of all, despite my best intentions, I’ve entirely lost my workout routine. Traveling is a quick habit-breaker. Secondly, I have regrets about my carbon footprint. I’m flying a lot, and I don’t love that. I’m also in a lot of countries that necessitate plastic water bottle use (and those bottles will never be recycled). I won’t make an attempt to justify any of this, but I did want to name it.

Last Word (For Now): Finally, I would happily recommend long-term and long-distance travel to anyone. It’s an amazing opportunity!

Want to learn how to plan long-term travel? Don’t miss my full planning guide with tips, tricks, and a step-by-step checklist.