Here’s a thought…

What if we don’t choose ONE place?

The more we discuss possible options of where to go, the more we want to go everywhere.  So it occurs to us: what if we don’t choose a single location and take more of a nomadic approach?

We definitely want to travel around.  We had considered choosing a base-location that would allow some budget-friendly travel to see the rest.  We could also also forget the base location and just move.  Fast travel has the advantage of seeing more places.  Slow travel would allow for more time in each location. But either option has a nomadic approach instead of a settle-in-a-new-place approach.   

Pros:

• We have approximately 6 months to travel and then we will have to come home (for the business).  What will we want to see and do if we only have 6 months to do it? Being nomadic will allow for us to see at least twice as many places.
• We will meet more people and get a better worldview by engaging with people from many different countries/cultures.

Cons:

• We may end up feeling more like tourists and less like we are engaging with the local culture if we are moving on so often.
• When we move instead of settling, it will be harder to make friends and get in touch with other local ex-pats.
• If we settle in one place, we get to find all our favorite little shops, street food vendors and local businesses.
• It will cost more to move more.  Short term housing is more expensive and transit costs will be higher.

A possible itinerary:

Eastern Europe from August to November

• Berlin
• Prague
• Vienna
• Budapest
• Brasov
• Bucharest
• Istanbul

1st week of November:

Southeast Asia until we return home

• Bangkok
• Chiang Mai
• Phuket
• Penang
• Siem Reap
• Ho Chi Min City/Hanoi
• Singapore
• Bali

The itinerary isn’t official, but we are starting to play with our options and shuffle the cities like puzzle pieces to get the best possible scenario.