Following years of uncertainty and lockdowns, we’ve decided to go on a big adventure around Asia. We’ve quit our jobs, moved out of our home, gotten rid of lots of our possessions, stuffed the remaining things into storage and we’ve flown out.
In this post, we’ll go into more detail about what we’re doing, how we’re doing it and how you can come along with us.
Where we’re planning to go
Our plans are fairly flexible, but we do have an itinerary that we expect to keep to. In total, we’ll be visiting at least 8 countries over the course of approximately 9 months.
Countries we’re planning on visiting
- India
- Thailand
- Laos
- Vietnam
- Cambodia
- Malaysia
- Singapore
- Indonesia
How we’re reducing our impact
Sustainability and ensuring our impact on people, places and the planet is kept as small as possible is super important to us.
Here To Travel is a signatory of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism (co-drafted by Tourism Declares, UNWTO, UNEP, Travel Foundation and VisitScotland).
We’re also a part of Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency, a global community of over 400 tourism organisations, companies and professionals, all committed to delivering a Climate Action Plan aligned with the need to cut emissions in half by 2030.
Our sustainability aims
In line with our pledges, we’ll be aiming to adhere to the following;
- Fly as little as possible. Overland travel is always the preferred option, wherever viable
- Use public transport in almost all cases
- Avoid single-use plastic as much as possible
- Maintain a 100% vegan diet throughout the entirety of the trip
- Give back to local communities wherever possible
- Avoid tourist attractions that use animals in any capacity
- Avoid tourist attractions that exploits people and communities
- Stay at accommodation that has made environmentally-friendly commitments wherever possible
Becoming a kind and conscious traveller is very much a journey. We’re on that journey too.
We’re not perfect and we never will be. But, we’re trying our best to do the right thing.
How you can follow our progress
Whilst we’re on the road, we’ll be sharing our progress through a variety of means. You’ll be able to vicariously travel with us by following us through the following social networks.
- Instagram (@here.to.travel): Our main focus, we’ll be (reasonably) up-to-date stories from each day of our trip, with photos and reels showing the highlights.
- YouTube (@heretotravel): We’re having a go at vlogging! Get a good look at everything we’re seeing in our long-form videos.
- TikTok (@heretotravel): Watch short videos highlighting the best bits from our YouTube videos
- Facebook (/heretotravel): Get notified whenever we post a new article or video
Our Kit
We’ve tried to keep our luggage as small and as smart as possible. We’ve also kept in mind our sustainability aims, which have influenced some of the items we’ve chosen to bring with us.
Osprey 70 litre backpacks
We chose to pack everything into a set of 70 litre backpacks made by Osprey. The bags are very comfortable, adjustable and durable. The main bag is actually 55 litres with a removal 15 litre day bag which is super handy.
There are two variations of the same bag, with the Farpoint bag being aimed at men and the Fairview bag targetting women.
Water-To-Go filtered water bottles
Whilst we’re used to enjoying the luxury of drinkable water from the tap, many of the countries we’re visiting aren’t so lucky.
To circumvent this problem and to help us reduce our use of single-use plastic, we’ve taken two filtered water bottles with us, plus a set of replacable filters.
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Tropicfeel Jungle sneakers
Since we’re on the move almost constantly for the next 8-9 months, we need shoes that’ll keep up with the pace.
We chose ‘Jungle’ sneakers from Tropicfeel. These are not just super comfortable shoes, they’re also highly durable, water-friendly and sustainably created.
iBlockCube Travel Adapter
Throughout our trip, we’ll be encountering a variety of electrical outlets. We’ll also need to charge a lot of tech.
The iBlockCube is an ideal solution for both of these needs. You can plug it in in over 150 countries and simultaneously charge 5 USB devices whilst also providing power to a plugged in appliance.
So far, it’s proving to be absolutely invaluable.
This is just a small selection of the kit we’ve taken with us. We’ll share more soon. In the meantime, take a look at the suggested article below which contains more great packing suggestions.
