First and foremost, I need to deeply apologise for the radio silence that has been transmitting from my direction.
After returning from my travels through Antarctica and South America I have had to focus on getting back into my work as a baby catcher and actually having a little bit of a social life.
My travels in 2017 were pretty ridiculous (in the best possible way) but fitting in TWENTY TWO AND A HALF weeks of travelling whilst also maintaining a full time job did mean that I sacrificed having any kind of a social life whilst at home, and I gotta admit, that did take a little bit of a toll on me.
So, for the last two months I have been busy working, spending time with my friends and family, and even developing a new romantic relationship.
However, the radio silence ends NOW.
Today’s post marks the recommencement of regular posting, and I have a tonne of Antarctica and South America posts on the way.
I will still be doing a whole lotta travelling this year, but instead of doing it in many smaller trips, I’ll be focusing on doing one big long trip in the second half of 2018; so never fear, there is still plenty and plenty of Travelling The World Solo to come!
So, to kick off a new run of (what I pinky promise will be consistent) posting, here is a round up of my 2017 travels, the year in which I visited EVERY SINGLE FREAKING CONTINENT!
***all dollar figures quoted below are in AUD***
North America
Greenland
Places visited: Kangerlussuaq, Sisimiut, Ilulissat
Days spent: 13
Money spent: approx $4800 including return flights from Copenhagen and three domestic flights with Air Greenland
Highlights: Sailing through icebergs in Ilulissat, spotting the Aurora Borealis pretty much every night and learning how to drive a snowmobile
Lowlight: getting in a dogsledding accident, tearing ligaments in my knee and spending time in a Greenlandic hospital!
Europe
Denmark
Places visited: Copenhagen
Days spent: 1
Money spent: approx $70 including one night in a hostel and return transport to the airport
Highlight: wandering around this pretty little Danish city
Lowlight: only having one day!
Svalbard (Norway)
Places visited: Longyearbyen
Days spent: 7
Money spent: approx $1100 including flights from Oslo
Highlight: experiencing the polar night
Lowlight: unseasonably warm weather – I went to the Arctic for it to be cold!
Sweden
Places visited: Stockholm, Kiruna
Days spent: 4
Money spent: approx $100 including one night in a hostel near Stockholm airport and airport transfers
Sponsorships: Complimentary stay with ICEhotel Sweden
Highlight: sleeping on a bed of ice
Lowlight: getting forgotten on a snowmobiling trip and left stranded in -30 degree weather
Austria
Places visited: Vienna
Days spent: 3
Money spent: approx $85
Highlight: eh, wasn’t a huge fan to be perfectly honest
Lowlight: getting treated like trash by an asshole doctor in hospital
Romania
Places visited: Sibiu, Brasov, Bucharest
Days spent: 7
Money spent: approx $180 including sleeper train from Bratislava to Brasov
Highlight: exploring snowy Brasov on foot
Lowlight: nada
Ukraine
Places visited: Kiev, Pripyat (Chernobyl)
Days spent: 4
Money spent: approx $180 including a day trip to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
Highlight: visiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone – it was an experience like no other
Lowlight: nada
Turkey
Places visited: Istanbul
Days spent: 4
Money spent: approx $120
Highlight: the incredible architecture
Lowlight: getting hardcore hassled by men
Asia
Iran
Places visited: Shiraz, Yazd, Kashan, Esfahan, Kharanaq, Meybod, Chak Chak, Maranjab Desert
Days spent: 14
Money spent: approx $580 including $229 VOA
Highlight: literally the entire trip – I adore Iran!
Lowlight: nada
Jordan
Places visited: Amman, Mount Nebo, Petra, Wadi Rum, Kerak
Days spent: 7
Money spent: approx $1000 including private driver from Amman to Petra and return, 2 day ticket to Petra, overnight at a Bedouin camp and day pass to the Dead Sea
Highlight: the hike to above the Treasury
Lowlight: nada
Cambodia
Places visited: Siem Reap, Angkor Wat
Days spent: 5
Money spent: approx $240 including Angkor Wat multi day ticket, VOA and at least 60 beers!
Highlight: getting white girl wasted and having great times with great people
Lowlight: nada
Thailand
Places visited: Phuket, Khao Sok National Park
Days spent: 5
Money spent: approx $50
Sponshorships: Complimentary stay at Elephant Hills in Khao Sok
Highlight: staying at a floating camp in Khao Sok
Lowlight: having to fly through Phuket, it just isn’t a place I’ll ever like
Myanmar
Places visited: Yangon, Bagan, Inle Lake
Days spent: 7
Money spent: approx $550 including three domestic flights within Myanmar
Highlight: e-biking through Bagan
Lowlight: nada
Maldives
Places visited: Ari Atoll, Baa Atoll, Noonu Atoll
Days spent: 7
Money spent: approx $400 including the best massage of my life at the Six Senses spa at Soneva Fushi!
Sponsorships: Complimentary stays with Kandolhu, Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani
Highlights: snorkelling with sea turtles and staying in the most out of this world villas
Lowlight: nada
Singapore
Places visited: Art Science Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Little India, Platform 1904 Cafe
Days spent: 3
Money spent: $160
Highlight: having a Harry Potter themed cocktail at Platform 1904
Lowlight: nada
Africa
Egypt
Places visited: Cairo, Luxor
Days spent: 5
Money spent: approx $450 including return flights from Cairo to Luxor
Highlights: the pyramids of Giza, Karnak temple and hot air ballooning over Luxor
Lowlight: nada
Oceania
Fiji
Places visited: Nadi
Days spent: 2
Money spent: approx $30
Highlight: nothing really, I was really just transiting through Nadi
Lowlight: having a sex dream in a dorm room – what a freaking disaster!
Tonga
Places visited: Tongatapu, Ha’apai
Days spent: 6
Money spent: approx $1000 including domestic flights with Real Tonga airlines
Sponsorships: Subsidised stay with Sea Change Eco Retreat
Highlight: swimming with humpback whales
Lowlight: nada
New Zealand
Places visited: Auckland
Days spent: 2
Money spent: approx $250 including a stay at a 5 star hotel (girl wanted to indulge)
Highlight: listening to kiwi accents
Lowlight: nada
South America
Chile
Places visited: Santiago, Valparaiso
Days spent: 8
Money spent: approx $250
Highlight: exploring street art in Valparaiso
Lowlight: nada
Argentina
Places visited: Mendoza, Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, El Calafate, El Chalten, Ushuaia
Days spent: 22
Money spent: approx $2400 including multiple domestic flights within Argentina
Highlight: travelling with my daddyo and growing so much closer to my favourite person in the world
Lowlight: getting larger than life blisters on my feet and being unable to walk for a few days
Peru
Places visited: Lima, Paracas, Huacachina, Cusco, Machu Picchu
Days spent: 9
Money spent: approx $550 including train tickets to and from Machu Picchu
Highlight: dune bashing in Huacachina
Lowlight: getting the most insane scalp sunburn at Machu Picchu
Antarctica
Places visited: Stony Point, Lemaire Channel, Port Lockroy, Base Brown, Paradise Bay, Port Charcot, Neko Bay, Cuverville
Days spent: 12
Money spent: approx $5000 including purchases on board the vessel
Sponsorships: Subsidised trip with Oceanwide Expeditions
Highlight: EVERYTHING!
Lowlight: NOTHING!
Total number of days spent overseas in 2017:
157
Approximate amount of dollarydoos spent overseas in 2017:
$19,545 AUD
Approximate average cost per day:
$124.49/per day AUD
Was it worth every single cent?
Hell to the YES!
You travels from last year are indeed commendable, but i would wish you to have a better social life. Believe me, you don’t want to look back one day and realize you didn’t live a quality life….traveling should be just one aspect of it.
Thanks for these gorgeous shots, though.
Don’t you worry, that is a big focus for me at the moment! Just trying to find a nice life balance 🙂
Good to know 👍
Wow, such lovely photos in this post! No need to apologise for not blogging — your life and travels sound incredibly busy and fulfilling. But it’s good to slow down and focus on social stuff that’s closer to home too. How exciting that you’re embarking on a new relationship too.
Looking forward to your upcoming blog posts. 🙂
Thanks Grace, it’s nice to know that people like you will still be interested in following along even after a break <3
Wow, well done!
Thank you so much 🙂
🙂
That’s about £11K, to us, and for what you got, and how far you got, that seems like a bargain. You will never have to give life experience back. I don’t recall travels with your Dad – and was wondering if I’d missed Machu Pichu (the photo doesn’t look familiar) – but hope that they’re all to come.
That BBC TV series I told you about, visiting the best hotels in the world, which featured the giraffe hotel is back for a second series. When the publish the full list of destinations I’ll let you know so you’re aware what the competition is up to…all some of them look mighty pricey. Your £11K might buy you a night!?!
And that Scotland you talked about moving to…pretty sure it’s been destroyed by snow this week. Be thankful for your end of summer because after yesterday I’m refusing to leave the house! Welcome back.
I think it’s a bargain too! I certainly did a lot with that moolah. As for my papa-bear travels, they are to come. He came with me to Chile, Argentina and Antarctica.
Hahah, I used to live in Vienna and I can’t agree more. The real beauty of Austria is held in the surrounding mountain towns. I do have to say, I prefer Germany more though but it is possible I am a bit biased 🙂
I definitely feel like I need to return to both Germany and Austria! Hopefully soon 🙂
Never feel guilty about not writing. Sometimes a break makes the return that much sweeter.
Your summing up made me realize my daughter has been travelling for two years with only short trips home!
You are planning one major trip for 2018 whereas I am hoping to do more local trips – unless I see a flight that makes me suddenly purchase a flight to anywhere!
I did not like Phuket, only overnight. Nor Koh Phi Phi.
Have you ever visited Vietnam?
One more, will you ever consider China?
I am visiting Vietnam in May! As for China, it is definitely on the list, just a matter of when.
Wooowww, what a feat! You go, Ellen! I love reading your blog posts. How did you manage to keep a full-time job traveling 157 days of the year?! I can’t wait to read your SA stories. 🙂
I get 7 weeks paid per year (49 days), which I can take at half pay to get double the time off (98 days). Plus I work month long rosters so I can work a lot of night shifts and usually get 8-9 days off every other month without using any leave. I make the most of what I have!
Just amazing!!! 😀
Thank you!
..and I was feeling pretty proud about driving solo from North Carolina to Florida..🙄HA!!- Amazing, amazing pictures, my hat’s off to you! 👍
Hey, that is still a long-ass drive! Definitely keep feeling proud about it!
HAHA- “long ass” are the operative words as I have sciatica which becomes an issue on these drives..
Oh yikes then you should be even more proud of yourself! You go Cindy! <3
You seem to have got an amazing amount done on such a small budget. That’s the kind of budget I set for myself and then end up spending twice that.
Thanks Sarah, I think so too tbh. It’s not a small amount of money but it certainly got me a long way!
What a year! Here’s to another great year for you. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m so jealous you went to Antarctica. Looking forward to your posts when you get the time to write. Have fun with family & friends in the meantime.
Thanks a tonne Misty! Hopefully you get to Antarctica too one day 🙂
Actually didn’t go for Vienna much either. Glad to read that other parts of Austria are more interesting.
Keep up the good work xx
I have heard quite a few people with similar opinions… glad to know that I’m not the only one!
delighted you’re back 🙂 I <3 reading your blog and seeing the pictures of places and feeling inspired to adventure more xo
Thanks Em! Where are you hoping to go adventuring next?
WOW what a year, I think you’ve deserved the time off from the blog. Have a great time enjoying friends and family.
Thanks Terry, it was a great little break but it is good to be back to blogging too 🙂
Wow, that’s a lot of time in South America! I can’t wait to hear all about it
Those posts will be coming up right after the Antarctica series is finished 🙂
So cool! I was born in Ukraine but haven’t been back since. I would love to visit again, and also some other places like Thailand sound like a great place to visit.
I hope to get to visit Ukraine and Thailand soon – any travel plans for this year?
No this year with another baby on the way we might just take it easy, maybe just a small vacation in the states.
Glad to have taken a few of the snaps of you that appear here, even if it was using your beloved Olympus….. 🙂
Even better was the absolute blast we had in South America and Antarctica. Travelling together, being conned by you into trekking a distance I would never have contemplated on a worn-out knee in El Chalten, getting soaked to the bone and laughing like fools at Iguazu Falls. Stepping onto the Antarctic continent. Kayaking amidst icebergs and ice-floes and penguins. The best times.
So proud of you kiddo.
Thanks Daddyo – you are the best! <3
How exciting that you were able to travel so much this year!! I look forward to hearing about it (and to also hopefully one day be able to visit the places that you went). May I also ask a question please? Was it difficult being able to save up that money to go traveling but still have enough for living expenses back home/put some money in your savings?
Oh, absolutely! Saving money isn’t easy or glamorous, but the rewards are worth every bit of effort.
Thank you for continuing to stoke my fire for solo female travel. I love reading your stuff, can’t wait to read about your Antarctica adventure. I have this ambitious plan to follow in your footsteps by the end of the year!
Amazing! Do it do it do it! Antarctica is just amazing!
Such an inspiring blog – and so many wonderful places you’ve visited. I’m glad I’m not the only one left disappointed by Vienna.
Thank you so much <3 as for Vienna, this comment section makes me think that a fair few people find it underwhelming…
Wonderful! Inspirational! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for reading! 🙂
I’m glad you’re back online. I have a question, too. Do the dollar amounts include the cost of flights from your home and back? You mentioned in-country flights but not international ones.
For short haul trips (less than ten days) yes I included the costs, for long haul trips no I didn’t, as I wouldn’t be able to evenly distribute the cost through each place.
I faithfully read every post and look forward to reading about Antartica and S.Am. Your expression in front of the penguins says it all!
I was pretty bloody excited that day, not gonna lie 🙂
Wow! Whatta great year you have there.
It certainly was a special one 🙂
You’ve fulfilled a life in a year which most people take a lifetime to live out.
I certainly have managed to achieve a lot in a short space of time… hopefully I can continue to travel so enthusiastically!
Amazing! I can hardly believe how much you packed into 1 year!
Me neither! I look back on it now and it seems truly unreal!
What an incredible year! Sounds like it was such a blast, thank you for sharing. Looking forward to reading about all the Antarctica adventures!
Thank you for reading Brian! Hopefully you are enjoying all of my Antarctica posts 🙂
Amazing year!
That it definitely was 🙂
Wow! That is a lot of travelling to achieve in one year and still hold down a regular full time job. Well done you!
Thanks so much Stacy 🙂 It was hard work, but totally worth it!
What a great blessing to see so much of this beautiful world! Thanks for listing the prices and all those amazing photos!
My pleasure. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Reblogged this on My Liked Blogs.
Great !!!!
Thank you!!!
You’re back! Yeah! I have so missed your wonderful posts. I get the life balance part. For me it is too much work. I am looking forward to catching up on your blog. And now you have visited the one place I have always wanted to explore – Antarctica.
You are a nice, intelligent, adventurous and pretty lady. If any guy is interested, then well he is either not all there or something.
“Kiev – approx $180 including a day trip to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone” What you spent here seem low. What does $180 include? That is only $45 a day? hotel, food, transportation, Chernobyl?