The Year in Review: 2010 in Travels and Tribulations

My good years and bad years seem to come in waves. In order for She’s in Love with the World to even have a “Year in Review,” I need to bring it all the way back to mid-2009, when I first decided to take the leap into the unknown world of travel and blog writing. I was laid off, the economy was bad and I was pretty damn directionless. Ask anyone. As 2009’s close drew near, it looked as though 2010 would be the Year of the Awesome for me, and for the most part, it was.

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The Different Types of Travel

The Middle East, it turns out, is not nearly as conducive a place to travel as a backpacker to start, let alone a solo traveler. All the difference in the world is made with a plus one.

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How to Deal: Budgeting (Part II)

Weeks ago, I published one of my most successful posts yet on how I budgeted myself throughout Southeast Asia. It wasn’t meant to be a comprehensive guide on how any subsequent Southeast Asian vagabonds should travel, but just a rough outline of where I spent the most and what I spent my money on. Since then, I’ve been compiling my best tips and tricks (and those of other travel bloggers) for Part II of my budgeting extravaganza.

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Missing the Comforts of Home

It’s a lot easier said than done to completely rid yourself of the things you take for granted back home and I’m finding as more time elapses on my journey, the more I long for the little things and to revisit the worn pages of the previous chapters I once enjoyed.

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How to Deal: Budgeting (Part I)

When I finally decided to tackle the budget questions I receive in a proper post, I decided I didn’t want to offer a definitive guide on how to budget a backpacking adventure. So many travel blogs and websites offer strict rules for saving and spending for backpackers to abide by, but those don't work for everyone — myself included.

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Revisiting the Pros and Cons of Booking in Advance

Uneasy about whether it would work in our favor or not both monetarily and for our planning, we went ahead with it anyways. Our time in Thailand was fantastic, however, after reevaluating and going through our second country without any prior bookings, we’ve decided the T.A.T. bookings did our trip more harm than good.

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What I’ve Learned a Month into Travel

It’s hard to believe that Andrea and I are already a month into our travels. We’re finishing up our stay in Thailand and get on the slow boat to Laos tomorrow. Looking back at my Abbey Road journal I’ve been keeping (sorry, not everything goes public!), I came in with no expectations and an open mind and I’m continually amazed at what I’m finding out about myself, travel and Thailand.

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The Balancing Act between Work and Play

For those of you who know me, I’m incredibly organized and goal-oriented. It’s why this trip came as a complete shock for some. Determined, always on-the-go Sarah was going to put work on hold for a year to travel with little commitment? Unheard of.

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How to Deal: Packing

Before leaving for Thailand I must’ve packed and unpacked my backpack in test runs at least a dozen times. I’m a notorious overpacker, so every time I’d stuff my bag in the comforts of my room I kept finding shirts I wanted to bring or sundresses I felt couldn’t’ be neglected. No matter how many times I applied the “pack everything you need and take half out” rule, I couldn’t seem to find the perfect balance.

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How to Deal: Staying in Touch

No matter how much people rely on e-mail and social networking Web sites like Facebook and Twitter to stay connected to the world left back home, sometimes it’s just not the same. These sites all allow me to chat with, message and follow all of my favorite people back home, but for me, the comfort of hearing a loved one’s voice or seeing their face is unmatched. When it comes to choosing the best form of communication to supplement e-mail, there are three main ones to consider: international cell phone plans, calling cards and Skype.

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