Destinations | it’s not a vacation
Whenever I mention taking time off work to travel, I often hear, 'Have fun on your vacation!' or something similar. It’s a fair assumption, but a year-long trip isn’t just a vacation—it’s something entirely different.
When you take a week or two of paid time off, you usually disconnect—stepping away from daily responsibilities to rest and return recharged. You’re preparing yourself for the next challenge work throws your way.
Even a month away can feel like a vacation—but a whole year? When was the last time you heard of someone vacationing for an entire year?
Vacations don’t last this long. In college, you’re always told 'you’re supposed to do something during the summer'. High schoolers get summer jobs or volunteer. Younger kids go to camp.
I never expected to take a sabbatical this young, but here I am. Where will I go? The short answer: nearly every continent.
The long answer follows, and it may, of course, change slightly—or not-so-slightly—along the way:
March: Portugal, Morocco, and Spain (I guess I’m a bit ahead of the game for 2030). Perhaps Andorra too
April: France, Italy, Austria, Czechia, Germany, and Poland
May: Slovakia, Hungary, the Balkans, and Greece
June: Turkey, Armenia, and Georgia
July: Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan (did you know the suffix “-stan” means “land of”?)
August: Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia
September: China and Nepal
October: Indian subcontinent
November-early 2026: Southeast Asia, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines. Maybe Australia and New Zealand before heading to South America
Planning this trip feels both exciting and surreal—unnatural in some ways, but completely right in others. If our paths cross anywhere along the way, let me know! Let’s explore a piece of the world together.